Read All About It
Author: Hunter Holcombe
March 2008
Features
It’s no secret that keeping up with technology is a daunting task.
With new gadgets (like the iPhone) and new phenomena (like online social/professional networking) that are trendy as well as constantly evolving, it can be stressful—not to mention expensive—to be as dialed-in as your 17-year-old daughter.And then there’s the technology that isn’t so much about being cool as it is about being a first-class planner, which means staying on top of the latest and greatest in technologies specific to meetings and events.
To help you sort out what you need to know and what’s just a waste of time, one website has compiled a blend of information about event technology—articles, white papers, case studies—with a resource list and advice on how to get your hands on these tools for your next event. The website, meetingtechonline.com, claims that there was previously no single source in the industry that brought together feedback and ratings from the people who were using these products regularly for events and meetings. As a contrast, you can find several dozen such websites that do the same with consumer technology.
The website covers the latest in long-standing technologies, like audiovisual equipment, as well as newer devices, like radio-frequency identification badges and audience response systems. Their most recent article identified the top 10 technologies for 2008 in our industry.
In addition, it’s also helpful to jump to the consumer side for advice in choosing products that cross over industries, like professional networking websites, PDAs, group networking devices, and laptops and notebooks designed for travel professionals. The most comprehensive website for consumer technology is cnet.com, which publishes thorough reviews of almost every technology on the market, as well as buyer’s guides, articles and blogs about where the different technology markets are headed.
Once you get an idea of the products you may be interested in, whether a package rental of the latest RFID badge or your next laptop, a simple Google search of that specific product, followed by the word “review,” should give you at least a few links to third-party user reviews, often via a forum. Reading actual testimonials from fellow planners can provide quick insight into how a product actually performs in the real world. Often, you can even e-mail the reviewers if you want to ask them additional questions—you may just meet your own personal tech adviser.
