Meeting Space
Get Techie: Five Emerging Technologies you Should be Using
by Dion Magee | Published in July 2007 Departments
Welcome back to the second part of my series on emerging technologies. Here are five new top technology services and products to add to your toolbox.
Yahoo! Calendars
As busy professionals, we face great challenges in keeping friends, clients and coworkers updated regarding your daily whereabouts. Consider Yahoo! calendars.
First, you can add your important dates, appointments and meeting dates to the Web-based application and share the calendar with friends or clients, who in turn can modify your calendar and add appointments.
Secondly, the application allows you to sync with Outlook, Outlook Express, palm devices, Lotus and ACT. I found it helpful when I added reminders, tasks and photos.
Learn more about Yahoo! calendars at www.calendar.yahoo.com.
Audience Response Systems
Recently, I used an existing but evolved technology called an audience response system. As I designed new content for a leadership summit, my client requested innovative ways to interact with the attending board members and sponsors. I introduced the idea of an electronic polling system. A presenter can ask questions, gather feedback or poll the audience for advice or knowledge. It allows participants to respond via a remote control, and the results are displayed via a screen delivered in PowerPoint.
This product was fantastic. As we introduced segments of the summit, we were able to gauge and record if attendees were retaining content and solicit their feedback.
Furthermore, it was helpful to study the audience’s participation and interest in topics. We were able to monitor the overall atmosphere of the conference and quickly adapt to the audience. These systems are most effective in a classroom, general session or with a mid- to large-size audience.
There are many providers who can offer this service.
Collection of Electronic Templates
If you are like me, you spend a lot of time recreating reports, graphs, Excel tables and lists specific to a certain supplier, hotel contact or venue representative. I spend a great deal of my time on reports and documents, and I’ve always wondered how I could make the paperwork process more efficient.
Last year, I heard about how an organization is trying to tackle a very similar issue.
You might already have heard about the major work and research conducted by the Convention Industry Council. Its project, Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), joins industry professionals to agree to and write common language and practices about industry terminology.
In addition, they are looking to change long-term behaviors. The APEX team is expected to release an updated version of its toolbox, which contains wizards, documents and RFP templates to help standardize the industry.
To learn more about APEX, visit www.conventionindusty.org.
Podcasts
Last month, I had the pleasure of assisting a client in creating content for her departmental employees. The client was looking at various ways to provide a series of informational sessions to drive safety and security awareness.
In addition to creating videos, we created podcasts to allow employees access 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the Internet.
At first I had no idea what a podcast was. But, after a quick gander on Wikipedia, I learned that a podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. Cool!
Definition internalized, we then uploaded the files to a password-protected website. We deployed the site URL and campaign information to the employees. To my surprise, 27 percent of the employee population (2,500) accessed the URL and downloaded the first series available. Along with Web trends, we were able to track the number of visits, frequency, visitor behaviors and navigation issues. I was amazed that employees embraced the new technology — and during nonwork hours.
Many suppliers offer the service; you can also check with your internal technology department.
Conference Planning Software
In 2008, I will have an opportunity to plan a large exposition and conference for an association. As I draft my strategy and operational plans, I am researching tools and software suitable for managing all aspects of such a large event. I came across software called a2zShow.
A2zShow is a full suite application that allows planners to effectively manage conferences, trade shows and seminars while integrating with in-house accounting systems. Planners have the ability to track budgets and costs, design floor plans and manage sales.
Additionally, the software creates marketing collaterals, lists, attendee and speaker interface and management.
Consider applications that can help organize and manage your large events. Several companies offer like products. Learn more about a2zShow at www.a2zinc.net.
Thanks for reading. Until next month, love what you do and do what you love!
About the author: Dion Magee
An expert in corporate events and wedding planning, Dion Magee has nearly a decade of experience in the meetings and events industry.
Contact: dion@mageeenterprises.com