How WhatsApp became the smartest tool in the shed: rethinking event engagement with Digital Concierge

Forget clunky apps and printed guides. Identity’s new Digital Concierge uses WhatsApp to create seamless, intelligent engagement with zero friction. Malcolm Che, Head of Strategy & Innovation, explains how it works, and why it might just change the face of event tech. 

It will come as little surprise to learn that when it comes to events and brand experiences, keeping an audience’s attention is everything. However, this has been made all the harder in recent years as patience wears thin and attention spans become shorter. Organisations looking to communicate today find themselves facing a truth: the audience has moved on. They’re not waiting around in queues. They’re not downloading apps. And they’re certainly not filling out forms for the privilege of being sold to. 

Instead, they’re already on WhatsApp. 

We’ve embraced that reality with a solution that feels obvious in hindsight: meet people where they already are, using a platform they already trust. It’s called Digital Concierge, and it’s about to transform how global brands and ambitious organisations connect with their audiences. 

Why WhatsApp; why now? 

When we began building this system, we started with the most important user insight of all: people don’t want more complexity, they want less. And there’s no platform more embedded in daily life than WhatsApp; used by over two billion people worldwide. It’s intuitive, it’s secure, and it’s always open. 

With Digital Concierge, a simple QR code unlocks a sophisticated experience inside a very familiar chat window. Visitors scan, and the conversation begins… without downloading an app, filling in a form, or navigating a clunky user interface. That single interaction becomes the gateway to tailored content, event bookings, wayfinding, and follow-up comms. All in the palm of their hand. 

A better experience for everyone 

This isn’t just about convenience, it’s about turning engagement into a two-way street. 

For visitors, it means: 

• Instant information without the fuss. 

• Personalised content based on their interests. 

• The ability to book meetings or activations with timed reminders. 

• No queueing. No downloads. No FOMO. 

For clients, the value runs even deeper: 

• Real-time engagement data with lead scoring and CRM integration. 

• Lower staffing costs and smoother stand operations. 

• Rich content distribution with measurable interaction. 

• Post-event surveys delivered in a channel users already trust. 

And the best part? Every message, click, and interaction adds value, to both the experience and the data profile. 

Zero friction, maximum intelligence 

We’ve designed Digital Concierge to be virtually invisible in its operation. A visitor scans one QR code, and we handle the rest: identification via mobile number, segmented data collection, intelligent content delivery, and meaningful lead qualification. 

QR codes can be customised by location, day, or campaign, unlocking segmented insights for future planning. And because everything lives inside WhatsApp, the post-event conversation doesn’t drop off a cliff. It becomes a continuous dialogue, where offers, feedback requests, or future event invitations feel helpful, not intrusive. 

It’s the ultimate low-barrier, high-return solution for the modern event marketer. 

Beyond the event: measuring what matters 

Just because the event or experience ends, it doesn’t mean the insight has to. 

With Digital Concierge, the post-event phase becomes a continuation of the same natural experience, delivered through a WhatsApp chat that visitors are already comfortable with. The follow-up isn’t a cold email or a clunky survey link; it’s a conversation. One that captures both qualitative sentiment and measurable data, without disrupting the user journey. 

This approach allows us to gather feedback in context, right where the interaction started. And because it feels low effort for the user, the quality and volume of responses tend to improve. You get the intelligence you need to refine your strategy, prove ROI, and learn what really resonated. 

Beyond feedback, the data potential is substantial. Every conversation adds another layer to the audience picture, building lead scores, surfacing content performance trends, and even highlighting opportunities for future engagement. It’s not just about capturing interest in the moment; it’s about building relationships that extend across activations. 

Done right, this isn’t event tech, it’s a strategic asset. And it works precisely because it doesn’t try too hard to be seen. We just slide into their DMs…