Smart Meetings | Page 323 of 602 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

Photo Courtesy of Jakub Mosur Photography

The mega-event season is off and running in San Francisco, with Saleforce’s 13th annual Dreamforce drawing an estimated 150,000 attendees from 78 countries this week to the biggest tech event in the world. San Francisco also will host Oracle OpenWorld Oct. 25-29

According to John Reyes, executive vice president and chief sales officer of San Francisco Travel’s convention sales and services division, the city has the vibe and infrastructure to make citywide events surpass expectations.

“San Francisco is not out of the box. It’s practically a box-free environment,” Reyes says. “San Francisco is a place for innovation and disruption, from the 1849 Gold Rush to today’s technology revolution. Salesforce and Oracle demand an environment where disruption and innovation are a part of the DNA, not only of the destination but also of the people who live here.”

Talk about innovation and thinking outside the box, Salesforce has brought in the Celebrity Cruises ship, Infinity, which has been nicknamed Dream Boat, to provide housing for 1,100 attendees. The vessel dominates the waterfront skyline and is a reminder that San Francisco is a city of unlimited amenities.

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Photos Courtesy of Jakub Mosur Photography

Another cool feature of Dreamforce is that a San Francisco street has been closed to create an outdoor area called Dream Park, which is adjacent to Moscone Center where the convention is headquartered along with eight hotels.

“Moscone convention center is located in a true urban environment,” Reyes said. “Convention attendees immediately experience the local vibe of the city’s energy, diversity of restaurants, hip people and unique neighborhoods and attractions.”

Unique Concert Venue

Pier 70 is being used for a benefit concert that raises money for the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospitals. Expected to generate $10 million, Thursday’s concert features Foo Fighters, The Killers and Gary Clark Jr. Unique venues are just another reason San Francisco is ideal for a mega-event such as Dreamforce or Oracle OpenWorld.

Salesforce is also asking attendees to donate one book each, or cash, to collect one million books for local Bay Area elementary and high school students.

“Each citywide has its own unique differences and planning process,” Reyes said. “Dreamforce and Oracle are different in that they are done at a much larger scale than most other citywides. From turning Moscone Center into a thriving knowledge campus to bringing in Dream Boats, Dreamforce and Oracle challenge the possibilities in San Francisco and make them into realities that work.”

Less than a month before the next big meetings and events trade show is set to begin in Barcelona, Spain, IBTM World has announced 10 top technology and innovation products that will be showcased at IBTM World 2015 from Nov. 17−19 at the Fira Gran Via convention center.

Formerly EIBTM, the upcoming show is the flagship event of the IBTM portfolio, which includes eight international conventions owned by Reed Travel Exhibitions. Next month’s event is expected to draw 4,000 meeting planners for more than 78,000 one-on-on appointments.

The Barcelona event will feature Innovation Zone, where the products below will be showcased. More than 60 products were submitted for consideration for the 2015 Technology and Innovation Watch Award.

“This year we had more than 60 international applicants for the IBTM World 2015 Technology and Innovation Watch Award, and our independent panel of judges shortlisted these 10 companies for their innovation, completeness of concept and the value of their product to the meetings industry,” says Graeme Barnett, senior exhibition director of IBTM World. “The Innovation Zone is a unique opportunity for attendees to experience, interact with and learn about these exciting innovations.”

2015 Technology and Innovation Watch award finalists:

InitLive, winner of the 2015 Technology and Innovation Watch award, is a cloud-based system, which includes a web service and a mobile device app that equips event planners, event staff and volunteers with a real-time communication system and a comprehensive scheduling service on the day of their events.

EventPilot, by ATIV Software, is a high-performance offline conference app, which allows attendees to visually build and manage their schedule and also assists with expo/poster hall navigation, attendee engagement and CME credit tracking.

Loopd Inc. is a relational analytics tool that measures proximity-based human engagement for corporate events and is the industry’s only bi-directional solution that enables attendees to exchange contact information, collect marketing materials and passively check-in to speaker sessions.

Interactio is a mobile system that replaces traditional translation equipment in live events. The interpreter is still at the venue and attendees listen to translation using their phones or tablets.

EventCollab is a collaboration platform, providing a unique, cloud-based environment in which event teams at all stages of planning share schedules and documents, track time, assign tasks, and chat.

CDEP by Slidebox is a new data exchange protocol for all providers of technical solutions in the MICE industry. With this universal language, organizations have only to maintain a single database and program-data will always be in sync and up-to-date.

The Mash Machine by The Mo’Joes is an unexpected music instrument that allows a social experience with music.

Path Event Learning Platform by Blue Sky Broadcast is a cloud-based approach to online learning and content management specifically for event-based learning programs.

AroundThen is an app which makes business networking easier, using Bluetooth between devices to allow nearby users to find, connect and message each other, plus delivers delegate auto check-in, branded content and real-time tracking using Beacons.

SocialPoint Audience Engagement Platform by Interactive Meeting Technology is a cloud-based audience engagement software to create audience engagement experiences including social media, trivia games, polling, speaker Q&A, surveys, etc.

“We are excited to show the global meetings and events industry how our software brings audience engagement to a whole new level,” says Samuel J. Smith of Interactive Meeting Technology. “We are honored and humbled to be recognized by IBTM World and the panel of judges. This is the best event industry trade show in Europe.”

Bizzabo, an event management platform for planners, attendees, speakers and exhibitors, used one of the biggest stages in North America to launch a new e-book featuring event marketing tips. Last week at IMEX America in Las Vegas, Bizzabo called attention to its latest event tool, rolling out the Smart Event Marketing Playbook.

The e-book feature everything meeting professionals need to know about marketing an event, including best practices for content, brand creation, social media, community building and search-engine optimization. One of the key tenets across all mediums is personalization.

“A strong event marketing campaign is an ever-evolving tactic,” says Alon Alroy, co-founder and CMO of Bizzabo. “One of the most important trends is incorporating personalization in all aspects of your event campaigns. You can no longer communicate with your attendees in a one-size-fits-all manner. It’s now key to segment your audience to send relevant and targeted content. Attendees expect a personalized, valuable experience and it’s your job as an organizer to give them that.”

The Smart Event Marketing Playbook will help planners master a variety of tasks to ensure a successful event, including:

–How to promote an event to attract attendees.
–How to generate traffic to the event’s website.
–How to create an unforgettable event.

“At Bizzabo, we aim to create high-quality content that is beneficial for our readers,” Alroy says. “That was no exception when creating this e-book. We consulted with many industry professionals who were more than happy to share their insights with us. Our expertise comes from striving to build and market a powerful event management platform that has already helped thousands of conferences worldwide.”

The e-book does a great job reviewing digital tools used for event marking, including explaining their benefits, average cost and the ever-important added value to the success of the marketing plan. Tactics can include media placements, pay-per-click ads, blogs and branding.

Event marketing sets the stage for developing strategic relationships between events and attendees. Having a marketing plan is a key component of all successful events.

There’s a good chance that the next meeting or event app you download is going to be a lot more intuitive and easier to use.

QuickMobile, an industry leader in mobile enterprise meeting and event apps, today released a new app interface for its mobile app and analytics platform. The new UI recognizes the maturity of the app market and addresses one of the biggest barriers to enterprise mobile app adoption by redefining the user experience.

According to enterprise mobility provider Kony, 50 percent of enterprise mobile apps fail because of poor user experience, while SAP found that 78 percent of enterprise apps are abandoned after the first use.

QuickMobile felt a new approach was warranted.

The new app interface includes a completely redesigned look and feel, enhanced features to improve navigation and interaction with app content, and a new mobile framework for greater cross-platform consistency and development efficiency.

“We have had tremendous success with our current UI and mobile event app platform with many of our customers experiencing over 100 percent adoption rates of their event apps,” said Craig Brennan, QuickMobile’s CEO. “Mainstream consumer apps continuously raise the bar on user experience, and expectations quickly carry over to meeting and event apps. We’ve once again redefined the user experience from the ground up and made our UI even more captivating and user-friendly.”

In addition to a new layout and design, the new app interface includes a number of updates that simplify and enhance navigation while making data gathering and sharing easier.

Some of the highlights are:

-Style changes and feature updates that make content easier to read, navigate, search and favorite
-Extended search capabilities. Results will come from every component within the app, including attendee profiles, documents, exhibitors, schedule, sponsors and more
-New survey interface to make surveys easier to read and complete
-Updated gamification interface with enhanced leaderboard that includes attendee photos
-More consistent layout and design between iOS and Android operating systems

“In the event space, apps help attendees quickly find and share information while driving a positive reflection on the brand. Our new UI sets new standards through a more appealing, feature-rich user experience that maintains the flexibility and brandability our customers have come to expect,” Brennan added.

After Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center made headlines for blocking Wi-Fi earlier this year, hotels and convention centers are still coming under fire for obstruction. Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau brought a $25,000 fine against Hilton Worldwide Holdings for failing to comply with a year-old investigation about whether the hotel operator interfered with hotel guests’ personal hotspots.

“Consumers are tired of being taken advantage of by hotels and convention centers that block their personal Wi-Fi connections,” said Travis LeBlanc, chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau in a statement. “This disturbing practice must come to an end. It is patently unlawful for any company to maliciously block FCC-approved Wi-Fi connections.”

A hotel guest filed the first complaint in August last year, claiming that Hilton Anaheim in California blocked Wi-Fi signals from personal hotspots unless a $500 fee was paid to use the hotel’s own Wi-Fi. The FCC later received similar complaints involving more Hilton properties and subsequently issued an inquiry into the company’s Wi-Fi practices in November 2014. The most recent FCC order asks Hilton to provide information on Wi-Fi management practices for all of its U.S.-based properties.

The document states, “A Hilton subsidiary initially responded only for a single property, arguing that the scope of the bureau’s investigation should be limited to Hilton’s activities at its Anaheim hotel. Those answers were incomplete and inadequate even for that one property.”

In a response to Computerworld, Hilton refuted FCC’s claims and backed its company policy that prohibits Wi-Fi blocking at all properties. “Throughout this inquiry, we have cooperated with the FCC. We believe that the FCC has no basis for vastly expanding the initial inquiry based on a single complaint at a single Hilton hotel, providing extensive background and details in a timely and efficient manner,” a spokesperson said.

Hilton Worldwide could face increased penalties if there are additional delays. While hotels are able to impose fees on Wi-Fi services offered, The Communications Act does not allow organizations to restrict Wi-Fi access. FCC’s decision states, “Wi-Fi blocking is a serious concern to the Commission because such activity, where it occurs, undermines wireless innovation and the availability of Wi-Fi as an important Internet access technology and harms consumers by preventing them from using services for which they have already paid.”

In a separate order, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau also proposed to fine technology systems provider M.C. Dean $718,000 for jamming personal Wi-Fi service at Baltimore Convention Center. Convention attendees and exhibitors were reportedly barred from using their own data plans and personal hotspots instead of paying for Wi-Fi. M.C. Dean charges convention center visitors as much as $1,095 per event for Wi-Fi access.

Last year, Marriott International was fined $600,000 for blocking Wi-Fi at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville. And in August, Smart City Holdings, LLC was ordered to pay $750,000 for blocking Wi-Fi devices at several convention centers across the U.S.

Uber is working its way deeper into the meetings and events industry.

Yesterday the ride-sharing company announced the beta program for UberEvents is moving nationwide—just in time for company holiday parties.

UberEvents allows hosts and planners to arrange guest passes that set up rides for attendees to and/or from events. The host sets the amount they will pay for each guest pass and creates a custom code that goes out to every attendee who has an Uber account.

There’s no limit on the number of guest passes per event, but if the total amount paid by the host will exceed $10,000, hosts must contact an Uber representative for assistance.

The new service is handy for planners of all types, whether you want to make it easy for attendees to get to a conference location or if you want to ensure all guests can get home safe after a holiday party or a networking event that involves drinks. The service is also available for personal parties and events.

“When planning a company happy hour, client appreciation dinner, or even upcoming nuptials, there is a lot that goes into ensuring that your event goes off without a hitch—including how your guests can safely get to and from without any fuss,” says Kimiko Ninomiya, Uber’s senior marketing manager, on the company’s blog. “We want to make the experience of planning transportation logistics as seamless as ordering a ride at the touch of button.”

Hosts are charged only for actual guest passes that are used, and only for actual fares if some go under the amount set to pay for each ride. To make sure attendees don’t take advantage of hosts’ generosity, guest passes for UberEvents are valid only in a specific time frame set by the host, and passengers must be picked up or dropped off within a quarter of a mile of the event location.

And if you’re worried that there won’t be enough Uber cars around or wait times might end up being excruciatingly long after a large event, don’t fret. Uber drivers in the region are alerted to large UberEvents coming up so they can be in the area when the event is wrapping up.

tweets-from-far-flung-locations Event professionals may send tweets from far-flung locations, but wired.com has tracked the Twitter feeds of scientists tweeting from really remote destinations such as outer space or deep undersea.

Since its introduction in 2006, the interactive social media platform Twitter has taken the world by storm. Each second, approximately 6,000 tweets are sent out into the universe, culminating in an astonishing 500 million tweets per day.

Here, according to Wired, are some of the most unusual places people are tweeting from:

Outer space. Scott Kelly holds the record for the most time an American astronaut has spent in space. He is currently commanding the International Space Station’s Expedition 45 crew on a mission, and has been tweeting regularly while in orbit—sending back selfies and images of the Earth. He is scheduled to return to terra firma March 3, 2016, at which point he will have spent 522 total days living in space. He tweeted about that on Oct. 16, saying, “Records are meant to be broken. Look forward to one of my colleagues surpassing [mine] on our Journey to Mars!” Follow Commander Scott Kelly on Twitter @StationCDRKelly.

A remote observatory in Chile. Astronomers prefer to study the universe from places free of artificial light sources. For this reason, many of them flock to the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama Desert. There, one will find powerful telescopes operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and its international sponsors. Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) transmits a feed from the spot, located 16,700 feet above sea level, tracking Mars-like rocks and regional wildlife. Follow ALMA on Twitter @ALMANRAO.

Underwater. While a growing number of underwater research stations have been converted into hotels, one working undersea research station still exists off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Dedicated to advancing science and education, it is located 62 feet under the ocean on a sandy patch near some a coral reef. NASA is one of the organizations that uses the undersea research station. Those who are interested in underwater tweets can follow Aquarius Reef Base on Twitter @ReefBase.

Antarctica. Beth Healey is a British doctor currently working in Antarctica at the Italian/French base Concordia. From a station on the frigid ice plateau, she’s conducting research and studying the effects of extreme conditions on astronauts. At this time of year, she is experiencing 24 hours of sunlight per day. She is doing Twitter chats and answering questions about her unusual living conditions. Follow her on Twitter @Bethahealey.

An island in the middle of the ocean. Alistair Wilson is a penguin and giant petrel zoologist for the British Antarctica Survey. He is currently stationed on Bird Island in South Georgia—a 3-mile-long land mass located in the middle of the ocean, between Argentina and Antarctica. Wilson is live tweeting images of rarely seen wildlife and icebergs breaking up. Follow him on Twitter @_amwphotos.

event-technology-awards-2015 Bizzabo reinforced its reputation as a leader in the meetings and event industry by claiming two honors during the Event Tech Awards, which was part of the Event Tech Live conference last week in London. The all-in-one event success platform won for Best Event Management Software and was voted Favorite Event Technology Supplier in The People’s Choice Award.

“Ultimately, we built Bizzabo to empower event organizers to plan better events and we are honored to be recognized for the tangible impact that our product is making,” said Eran Ben-Shushan, CEO and co-founder of Bizzabo. “To be recognized by both industry experts and event organizers from all around the world for the new platform we launched in February 2015 is incredibly exciting for us. This especially proves to us again and again that our industry is evolving, and the innovative approach we took is perfectly aligned with the needs of modern event planners. This has been an exciting year for Bizzabo and we are very proud of this fantastic recognition. Our talented team (aka “Bizzaboers”) have worked closely with each and every one of our event organizers, listening and understanding their real needs.”

Bizzabo is used by thousands of meeting and event planners around the world. It has offices in New York and Israel.

Vancouver-based QuickMobile won Best Event App and Best Use of Gamification. The gamification award was based on QuickMobile’s leading-edge mobile deployment for Danone UK’s Connect Live internal kickoff event.

“Event apps have come a long way since QuickMobile first introduced the concept back in 2007, with more and more vendors joining the ranks every year,” said David Smith, CEO for QuickMobile. “It’s a great honor to earn this recognition at the Event Tech Awards, which could not have happened without the drive and creativity of our client, Danone UK. It’s really their vision and effort that is being recognized today, and I want to share this award with them and all the talented people at QuickMobile.”

The Connect Live app achieved a 96 percent activation rate, was opened an average of 33 times by each attendee, who spent an average of 43 minutes in the app. Survey response rates topped 60 percent compared to less than 30 percent for non-app surveys.

Winners from the Event Tech Awards:

Best New Technology Start-Up, Crowd Connected Ltd
Best Event App, QuickMobile
Best New Technology, Product Glisser
Best Technology Partnership, CadmiumCD / Global Experience Specialists (GES)
Best Ticketing & Visitor Registration Technology, Circdata
Best Visitor Management Technology, Knit and TRO
Best Event Management Software, Bizzabo
Best Venue Management Software, Priava
Best Use of Technology for Marketing an Event, The Physical Network
Best Social Media Campaign, Knit
Best Technology for Building Event Attendance, InGo
Best Technology for Event Monetization, Data Connect
Best Event Website / Mobile Site, Bath Tourism Plus
Best Hybrid Event / Best Virtual Event, Jack Morton Worldwide
Best Use of Audio Visual Technology, Sledge Ltd
Best Use of Technology for Engagement & Interaction, The Decibel Group
Best Use of Technology for Audience Participation Quantum, Special Effects Ltd
Best Use of RFID or NFC, Knit and TRO
Best Use of Projection Mapping, Bluman Associates
Best Use of Gamification, QuickMobile
Best Use of Technology for Event Analytics, Data-Collection & Insight, Crowd Connected Ltd
Best Social Media, Tool Knit
Best Use of Technology for Fundraising Events, Events.com
Most Innovative and Tech Friendly, Venue 8 Northumberland Avenue
Best Use of Event Technology by a Brand, Somo & Audi UK
Best Use of Event Technology by a Festival, Crowd Connected Ltd
Best Use of Event Technology by a Conference, Jacot Audiovisueel
Best Use of Event Technology by an Exhibition, George P. Johnson
The 2015 Event Technology Rising Star, Alastair Reece–DB Systems

Favorite Event Technology Supplier–The People’s Choice Award

1st – Bizzabo
2nd – BeatSwitch
3rd – Eventerprise AG

footsteps-may-power-cellphones It seems that everyone today is tracking their steps. One company believes that the ambient kinetic energy of footsteps may power cellphones and other devices in the not-too-distant future. Pavegen is currently testing this theory at London’s Heathrow Airport, among other locations.

How the Technology Works

As Roadwarriorvoices.com reports, Pavegen has created floor tiles that compress 5 mm when a person steps on them. Copper coils, magnets and batteries underneath the tile harness the footfall energy and then convert it to electricity. Pavegen estimates that each footstep can generate enough power to light a LED light bulb for 30 seconds.

The high tech tiles are currently installed in more than 100 high-traffic public spaces in 30 different countries around the world, including a football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Saint-Omer train station in northern France.

At Heathrow Airport, the energy harnessed from the tiles has primarily been used to power interactive bulbs to attract the attention of passersby. But Pavegen company founder Laurence Kemball-Cook envisions using the technology for other purposes. A successful crowdfunding campaign this summer raised more than $3 million, which will provide the financial backing for the inventor and his team to more fully explore the potential of the technology.

Exciting Potential Applications

An article posted on technologyreview.com points out that there are many interesting applications for this technology. As a public service, it could help guide individuals through an airport via lighted directional arrows. Businesses could use the technology to power lit advertisements.

On a personal level, individuals may be able to use the energy generated from their footsteps to recharge their cellphones or laptops. For this to happen, there must be a way to transfer the energy through shoes. Experts don’t seek this as a huge problem, as light-up shoes for young children, which operate on a more primitive yet similar technology, have been in existence since 1992.

Focusing on the fitness connection, Kembell-Cook has been in discussion with consumer footwear manufacturers such as Nike and Reebok. “You could walk from work and charge your phone en route, instead of waiting to use a charger at home. Runners could charge their music players during a jog,” he told technologyreview.com.

Even the U.S. military is interested in this technology. It reasons that if the technology can be incorporated into army boots, it would offer soldiers a solution for capturing and creating energy sources when serving in remote regions.

Harrys of London, a boutique shoemaker, agrees that the innovative idea has potential but must be designed with care because ultimately footwear must be comfortable and look attractive before people will buy it.

meetings-technology Freeman, a design-driven company known for providing brand experiences, is investing in the future of the meetings and events industry with the launch of Freeman Digital Ventures.

Announced globally today, Freeman will invest in innovation that supports meetings technology to help exhibitors, organizers and corporate clients deliver business results and customer experiences. Freeman Digital Ventures has already formed its first partnership, investing in mobile event technology provider DoubleDutch of San Francisco.

“With the impact digital is having on the entire brand experience ecosystem, there is no way Freeman can do this by ourselves,” says Richard Maranville, chief digital officer for Freeman. “We want to be a part of that and help direct it.”

Maranville believes Freeman’s nearly 90 years of trade show experience, including producing thousands of events annually, provides insights and data few other companies can deliver. By teaming with DoubleDutch, Freeman’s goal is to help improve integrated digital experiences and thus push meetings technology forward.

The partnership calls for Freeman’s customers to integrate the company’s online exhibitor interface with the new DoubleDutch for Exhibitors product. This integration will allow event exhibitors and sponsors to launch digital campaigns that can target the best attendees for what they are selling.

Lawrence Coburn, CEO for DoubleDutch, believes his company’s new exhibitors product will provide game-changing meeting technology that can offer effective ways to drive booth traffic among many other benefits.

“What DoubleDutch has done is build a mobile app so we can understand what’s happening on the trade show floor,” Coburn says. “We believe it’s mostly running blindly.”

DoubleDutch for Exhibitors allows suppliers to manage their company profile and upload collateral. Exhibitors will also be able to create tailored messaging to drive traffic, generate leads and ensure that face-to-face meetings are with the right people. One of the key components will be lead retrieval through mobile devices.

“DoubleDutch is the first digital advertising network for live events that enables event organizers, exhibitors and attendees to have more efficient processes, create richer experiences and build more purposeful relationships, thereby improving the ROI for all parties involved,” Coburn says.