Even as a kid I could never wait for the big day. So I've taken a sneak peek at the technology gifts in store for our industry. When you think about any of the hot technologies of today and tomorrow, they fall into at least one (of not both) of these categories: collaboration and convergence.

The device where convergence rules? The mobile phone. Even if we set aside its obvious use (making/receiving calls), I can see a time where this may be the only gadget you have. Far-fetched? Consider this scenario: You're on the road, and need to start your site inspection process. Using your mobile device, you access the online RFPs of CVBs to submit your specs.

Your mobile browser helps you view images and videos of the properties you are considering. A quick ping of the Google Map function lets you see where the hotels for your site inspection are located in relation to the convention center.

During the site visit, you take pictures and videos of the properties under consideration, which you integrate in your site report (Word is on your mobile phone … or are you using Google Docs as a web-based approach?). To make typing easier, you use Mobile Input Technology (a tiny device that allows you to project a standard size keyboard onto any flat surface - check out www.celluon.com to see one such cool tool).

Once at the hotel, your mobile device serves as your guest room key. Impossible? Consider NFC (Near Field Communications) technology, which along with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is already providing that service. And once you get into your room, your mobile device may be the hub of your room's entertainment control center.

Convergence is becoming ubiquitous. So is collaboration. The most popular Web sites fall into two categories: search engine functionality sites (Google & Yahoo), and social networking sites (Wikipedia, Facebook, YouTube). Web 2.0 is the term coined to refer to these collaborative sites, which are the new face of the Internet.

The Three Amigos of 2.0 are wikis, blogs, and RSS (Really Simple Syndication, or what I'd like to re-coin Really Simple Subscription) feeds. If you haven't embraced these tools, you're not making the most of the current communications channels available to help market your events and products, and maintain an ongoing dialogue with your customers.

Does your organization have a page on Wikipedia? If not, you're missing an opportunity to significantly lift your search engine rankings. But it's not the only wiki-opportunity. Since a wiki, by definition, is a Web site designed for the community to create and edit, any organization can use a wiki to help build and share best practices within its industry.

Blogs - which number more than 40 million - are almost old school by now. Most have caught on to the casual and immediate effect that blogging can have on organizational communication. By using RSS feeds, those blogs can be immediately sent to your constituency. In my column in the November issue, I talked about Second Life (www.secondlife.com), which has more than nine million "residents."

In Second Life, in the MeCo Mansion (a virtual destination of our own industry), I recently attended a virtual seminar given by Corbin Ball. After listening to his talk, watching his PowerPoint and networking with others, it became clear to me that this is as effective an educational tool as many other Webinar services.

So what other cool technology tools can we look forward to unwrapping for 2008? Stay tuned.

James Spellos, CMP, (jspellos@meeting-u.com) is founder and president of Meeting U., which provides customized training solutions for the meeting professional. A certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), he has 15-plus years of computer training, software training, meeting planning education, and technology consulting experience. Working Smarter is sponsored by PSAV Presentation Services. Visit its Web site at www.psav.com.