Meeting Space

As I assist clients in planning their events and meetings, I’m having difficulty keeping up with new technology and resources. I find myself so overwhelmed with customer support that I don’t have the time to research cool products or services. Do you have a sense of where I can start to identify products or services?

As meeting and event planners, part of our job is investigating the best technology and tools available to us. Effective leaders must depend on a team of highly trained professionals, and the use of technology should be a helpful tool in achieving success. In my years in the industry, I’ve become familiar with a number of old favorites and new tools that make my job easier. Here’s my short list of best innovations.

The Conceptual Mother of Event Creativity

I can recall how difficult it has been on many occasions to help clients visualize room layouts and how an event space may be decorated. Recently, however, I had the pleasure of using the event design software Vivien, which helps planners and producers to produce realistic, photographic views of event space, décor and lighting.

After downloading the software and reading the “help” section, I began to build a mock site for a future conference. I found the software to be easy to use and quite interesting. This tool is a must for showcasing creativity, style and conceptual design from end to end.

For more information, visit www.viviendesign.com.

Writing a New Entry for Success

Last week, I held more than 12 meetings with my team and clients. During the week, my wrists were sore from writing and making presentations. Immediately, I thought of seeing a doctor. Instead, a friend recommended the i-pen, a digital wireless pen that allows writing to be transformed into text. The tool also allows you to write over presentations and PowerPoint instead of using flip charts or laser pointers.

I started using the pen, and I can tell you that it has helped my presentation skills. My presentations are now more interactive. Clients can suggest changes or revisions to my proposals and I can make notes immediately (on the screen itself).

Additionally, the tool allows you to write over any application and interfaces with e-mail, and its ergonomic design makes using it feel natural.

I’d recommend this pen to all my colleagues in the industry, especially those who are drawing designers, writers and scribes.

Planning Catering Events Gets Better

I had the pleasure of planning a large catering event, and to my surprise, such planning requires a full-time dedication. I partnered with an independent catering company that uses the event management software Caterease. The caterer provided great reports and status plans for my event.

The software, I discovered, offers an event scheduler, custom reports, staff reports and menu creation. I also found the guest room reports, contracts and BEOs (banquet event orders) useful. For planners, it’s useful to have selected access to key reports.

I did notice, however, that the optional add-ins are a bit pricier than I expected (for example, if you choose to use the contract management add-in, which is not a part of the standard product, there is an additional cost) — but worth the investment.

For more information, go to www.caterease.com.

A Passkey for Attendees

Every aspect of managing a meeting or conference has become more complex over the years. One timesaving solution I’ve discovered is a service called Passkey, a system that offers meeting planners the ability to manage hotel room blocks very easily. The best part is that the product is at no cost to event or meeting planners. You also gain real-time access and reports that are customizable to our specified data.

Let me explain why this is a valuable timesaver.

Last month, I concluded an incentive sales program for 300 VIP executives. The post-evaluations were very favorable and rated the conference as successful. However, the attendees rated the registration process only as “fairly satisfactory.” We had introduced a reservation process in which the guests would call a designated person to track, record and revise all hotel and travel accommodations. We concluded, however, that the changes were so extensive that the person taking the calls became confused and overwhelmed by the process. As a result, several accommodations were incorrect once attendees arrived at the hotel. We had thought providing a real, live person to talk to would be beneficial, but to our surprise, it caused more problems than we anticipated.

For this reason, I’d recommend an online registration process for any complex meeting, conference or seminar.

For more information, go to www.passkey.com.

In closing, here are a few nuggets I want to share about acquiring technology tools for event and meeting professionals:

• Research technology products and services.
• Carefully compare products and services.
• Keep a log of great websites and informational sources.
• Evaluate demos and test applications before purchasing.
• Ask for discounts or an introductory trial offer.
• Consider using online registration and housing programs.
• Collaborate with fellow suppliers or planners to compare pricing and costs.
• Join industry organizations to solicit information about and compare new technologies.

And, love what you do and do what you love!

Lastly, if you have a great product or service to recommend, please share your comments with me.