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I have recently spent a lot of time contacting industry opinion leaders to discuss current software solutions.  I am challenged that meeting professionals do not have better tools to utilize.  One of the greatest headaches involves the deployment of registration software.

My soap box about registration tools is based on three systematic issues with today's systems:

1) Profit margins are so thin that registration suppliers do not have R&D budgets to enhance and improve the tools.

2) Most tools available today are hodge-podge technology that still focus on the services component of the tradeshow, not the efficiency of the software.  If the software becomes more efficient, suppliers are pressured to reduce their prices.  Since there is little additional scope of work without further innovation, what incen

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Yesterday, Austin, Texas announced high-tech plans for school campuses which would upgrade computers.  The price tag for this improvement is $70 million dollars. 

The overall results of the tech would bring different school systems current with the latest of innovations.   The school district’s executive director of technology wanted to make sure that everybody had the same stuff.  In my accounting book, $70 million is a lot of technology stuff.
 
Their checklist of stuff is staggering.  It includes new computers, printers, presentation systems, tracking software, document management systems, new gradebook software, upgrade to complete campus wireless systems, student file storage (isn’t Yahoo offering storage for free?),  and upgrading emergency power systems.
 
The list seems ...Read More

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One of the exciting parts of my job is the chance to see, first hand, how show organizers and producers are adopting technology into their tradeshow floors.  This often allows me to visit a variety of shows and conferences. 

I must admit I have seen quite a few events in my career, yet I still get excited by the chance to walk out onto a floor on the first show day.

Last week I traveled to Las Vegas to attend the annual conference for the National Association of Broadcasters.  I have actually heard of this event for years and always thought it would be an interesting event to visit. 

Thanks to Chris Brown’s ...Read More

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Many, many years ago, during my sophomore year in college, I learned how to use a computer.  The law firm that I worked for asked me to test a new IBM PC in order to determine if it was easy enough for some of the senior attorneys.  I guess the rationale was, if this young college kid can figure it out, certainly some of our finest lawyers would be able to also be willing to learn.  I later learned that several of the prominent attorneys had no desire to ever use the computers.

It was a cumbersome process to switch between floppy drives in order to load my Lotus 123 software and then create my spreadsheets.  Nevertheless, it was less trouble than the stack of deck cards that I had to carry to the University of Texas ma...Read More

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Laura Joffe Numeroff has created a wonderful kids book series depicting animal characters with human characteristics and an unsuspecting child involved in a series of needs and requests.  For example, the stories often begin with a line such as, “If you give a pig a pancake, she’ll want some syrup to go with it.”  From there, the story goes through a whole series of adventures with the child continually trying to fulfill the pig's requests and make her happy, when finally, the story ends right back where it started: “if you give a pig a pancake…”  I have enjoyed reading these humorous s...Read More

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Ask around and you will hear the same concern from show organizers, meeting planners and show producers - Web 2.0 technology is here but what implications does this have on the industry?  The hype suggests that meeting professionals are behind because they haven't yet implemented Web 2.0 features into their websites.  However, this may not be such a bad thing.  The truth is that most executives need to better understand what Web 2.0 is all about before they rush into expensive website makeovers.

The term Web 2.0 describes a compilation of web-based tools that make websites more interactive. This allows users to be active participants, enabling them to change and edit content for their own purposes, as well as for their industry. Examples include blogs, which enable users to leave comments and fee...Read More

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It is 5:42 AM Central Time on Tuesday morning.  I have been on our family vacation for four days and my desire to connect to the internet has become important.  I am sitting in our family minivan in Fort Davis, Texas outside of the Limpia Hotel.  It seems to be the best, if not only free, WiFi signal for miles around. 

 

The signal is not great; I am only getting 11.0 Mbps (megabits per second) which registers as a very low rating on my computer and results in a long delay before most websites load.  As I work, NPR radio is giving me some connection to the outside world and has relieve...Read More

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Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an identification method and data capture, relying on storing and remotely retrieving information using devices called RFID tags.  RFID technology allows much easier attendee tracking, information exchange, and lead retrieval capabilities than traditional barcode scanners or magnetic card readers.  It reduces staffing requirements, allows for more fluid attendee registration lines, and provides consistent data reporting for post-event analytics and statistics.

Meetings and conventions have implemented RFID technology into attendee badges, allowing the ability to track people at conferences. This provides data that can display what rooms people have entered and exited during the day. This data is available to show organizer...Read More

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Much has been written about social networking tools and yet they still are evolving into the form that best answers the needs for the meetings industry. A social network uses software to build online communities of people who share interests and activities.  Since the point of events is to meet people and share information, social networking is the easiest way to facilitate this process before and after an event.  

Social networking technology has become so robust that show organizers can customize the tools to get the specific functionalities needed for specialized events of any size.  Most social networks are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, file sharing, blogging, and discussion groups, etc.

Since social...Read More

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The term webinar stands for Web-based seminar, which can represent a variety of presentations or meetings transmitted via the Internet. A webinar is a form of Web conferencing used to conduct live meetings or presentations.

A webinar harnesses the power of technology by creating multi-directional communication and allow participants to share information in an array of digital mediums.  Another tool also categorized in the same genre is a webcast, in which the data transmission is one way and does not allow interaction between the presenter and the audience.  

A webinar can provide supplementary education for organizational members in the time between conferences and events.  Webinars can also extend the life of events and keep attendees participating even after the event is over.

A webinar can be c...Read More

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Internet video or streaming media has become highlighted by the recent success of YouTube.  It is not much of a stretch to make the connection between video clips and the appeal to advertisers. 

The success of this technology has been based on the ability to deliver more data at higher speeds.  With the adoption of streaming media content providers like YouTube that standardize the viewing of content, users can easily upload, view and share video clips.

Four evolutionary technologies emerged in the late 1990s impacting the availability of videos

• increased access to networks, especially the Internet

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