Stephen Nold

Tech Confusion
August 21, 2007

One of the challenges to understanding technology in the Meetings Industry is the difficulty of categorizing technology products and services. Is a company that specializes in registration but also provides a floor mapping solution catering to attendee management or exhibitor management? What about a company’s RFID product that can be used for both lead retrieval and session tracking? It is nearly impossible to come up with precise definitions for categories of meetings industry technologies given the degree of overlap between products.

Take registration systems, for example. There is distinct difference between full service registration vendors who provide essential website access and online registration companies that have no onsite support.   As obvious as this diversity in services seems, many meeting professionals are not even aware that various types of registration organizations exist.

Confusion about technology classification not only exists within a product line, but also with partnering suppliers. Given the integration of registration tools with housing systems, many attendees do not make the distinction between registration software and the hotel reservation process. The same confusion exists between registration systems and matchmaking or social networking tools.

Popular category labels (attendee management, exhibitor management) that have become buzz-words in this industry over time need to undergo a major make-over. There is so little meaning behind these labels and vendors have greatly abused the definitions. Moreover, with the degree of overlap of tool functionality, is the label “attendee management” or “exhibitor management” still relevant? Tools today have become so integrated that to force them into rigid categories is counterproductive to the aims of integration itself. The purpose of a three-in-one lead retrieval-RFID-session tracking product is to build a package tool. Integration is supposed to mean “bringing together.” By placing restrictive dividing labels on these products, our industry runs counterproductive to the benefits of the integration process.

My advice? Don’t get too caught up in marketing fluff. When searching for the right technology solution for your event, pay attention to core capabilities of each supplier. Remember that what is important is not what these companies do, but what these companies can do for you. Don’t be fooled by broad definitions filled with buzzwords or technical jargon. If a particular vendor cannot effectively communicate what they have to offer, then chances are they also won’t be able to define what they can do for you. 

Posted by Stephen Nold on August 21, 2007 | Comments (0)