With 82% year-over-year growth, the just-released 2019 event technology landscape showcases the plethora of emerging and expanding technologies that are now available for event professionals. The big platform providers, like Cvent and Aventri, continue to expand their product portfolio horizontally through acquisitions. The rising stars, like Klik and Splash continue to differentiate themselves with elegant interfaces. The startups, like Zenus and Proxfinity, keep expanding the landscape with unique takes on emerging technologies.

That momentum is only increasing. As EventTech 2018 attendees heard during the annual and popular “15 Tech Trends to Bet On” presentation, there will soon be many more new types of technologies in the hands of event professionals and attendees.

From passive technologies, like beacons and facial recognition, to active technologies, like networking-focused apps and wearables, there are now more opportunities than ever to capture, integrate, and analyze attendee data.

Yet, as the data collection opportunities increase for you, the data ownership technologies emerge for your attendees.

A year that started with high-profile data breaches, #DeleteFacebook movements, and Europe’s much fretted about GDPR, has ended with a range of new technologies that are giving data ownership back to each of us, as individuals.

Out of MIT and the inventor of the World Wide Web is a brand-new initiative that aims to radically change the way we provide access to our personal data. Solid is a decentralized system of personal data “PODs.” To use the platform, you create your own POD and add as much personal data as you like. As new apps are built around Solid technology, they will request access to your POD. Each app will only be able to view your data as long as you let them access your POD.

While backed by notable people and organizations, Solid is just one player in the growing Personal Data Ownership space. Built on blockchain technologies, Dock also lets you manage what apps can access your personalized data. After raising $20 million dollars, Dock is now in a race with Solid in a new movement to help everyone take back control of their data.

As two movements intersect, the next evolution in event technology—the next big conversation for event professionals—is simple: You want more data, attendees want more ownership.

The result will need to be a win-win for everyone.