The Solution To Professional FOMO
Fear of missing out is such a strong phenomenon. In fact, it even has its own shortened hashtag on social media- #FOMO.
In recent years, social media has heightened feelings of FOMO and created a vicious cycle that is often hard to escape. This feeling of missing out extends even into our professional lives. For example, a professional networking event can make you feel like you are missing out when you have to choose between two interesting seminars.
Now, how do you solve professional FOMO?
The answer is in technology.
What Is The FOMO Cycle?
In general terms, the FOMO cycle stems from social media. You see something your friends or colleagues are doing on social media, you feel left out.
So, you vow to do more cool or interesting stuff. You end up doing something you probably don’t want to do just so you can post about it on social media. This sets off someone else’s FOMO cycle. It’s such a problem that 48% of event attendees say that they attend live events just so they can have something to post about on social media.
There Are A Lot Of Opportunities To Have FOMO
If you have colleagues or friends who travel to large events, you might find yourself feeling a little bit of the FOMO.
CES in Las Vegas is one of the biggest trade shows, boasting nearly 110,000 visitors each year. This is where they roll out all the cool futuristic inventions everyone is going to be talking about in the next coming weeks. Wouldn’t it be great if you can be there in person?
SXSW is another major event with more than 70, 000 attendees. It’s where things like Twitter have been rolled out in the past. Could you imagine being able to brag to your friends and colleagues that you were there when they rolled out Twitter?
Event FOMO is not unique to young people and it doesn’t only happen with music festivals. Professionals can have FOMO on cool professional stuff, too.
Thankfully, Tech Can Help To Alleviate FOMO
Now, imagine that you are at a conference and you have to choose between two awesome speakers who are giving their presentations at the same time. Both are topics that are important to your profession and they are both well-known and respected in their fields.
How do you choose? And what do you do when you find out that you missed a really groundbreaking talk about something that is super relevant to your field?
In this day and age, you shouldn’t have to choose.
These days, event organizers are starting to realize it’s all about the tech. Nearly 80% say that their tech budgets have increased since last year and that increase accounts for an additional 10% more of the budget over last year.
What’s more, increases in event tech spending on things like live streaming, podcasts, and event apps account for a reported 20% increase in event attendance. It marked a 27% increase in productivity and a shocking 20-30% decrease in costs, too.
It may seem counter-intuitive to spend money on technology that can allow people to participate without being there but that is what is happening right now. People want choices and tech gives them choices.
No longer do professionals have to choose between two seminars they want to attend. Now, they can catch the podcast later!
Giving people more options is always a great way to ensure they are satisfied with attending and that they keep coming back.
How To Prevent Fear Of Missing Out
To avoid FOMO at professional events, here’s what you can do:
- Make the most of the event app; it can help you plan where to go and when
- Utilize the live streaming options when you need to take a break
- Know that you can catch up on what you missed later with video recordings and podcasts
In this day and age where technology is a cure-all for what ails you, there’s no need to miss out on anything anymore. Event organizers are starting to take notice and adjust accordingly. People want options and event tech gives them those options. Learn more about preventing professional FOMO and networking events from this infographic!
Source: Evia Events
