Working Smarter
And the Winner Is...
And the Winner Is …
The Oscars. The Emmys. The Tonys …. Those names belong in lights, conjuring up images of those who have achieved greatness in their field. Ever hear of the WWTWs?
It's a shame that the WWTW (Worldwide Technology Watch) doesn't carry much allure within our own industry. Maybe it's just that a sexier name is needed. Every year, the European Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (EIBTM) conference is the sponsor for the WWTW, a competition which selects the most innovative technological breakthrough or product for our industry.
Chaired by Corbin Ball, the 2006 EIBTM WWTW (now there's a mouthful) identified a winner and four runners-up to be the recipients of this year's award. So, to steal a frequently uttered phrase at award events, and the winner is…
The Event Assistant (www.log-on.nl) by Log On allows conference attendees to turn their mobile device into their meeting program. It makes it possible to obtain conference schedules, attendee lists, surveys, exhibit information, and much more from one's mobile device. While our industry has utilized PDA devices for this functionality before, what's unique about this product is that it interfaces with mobile devices, which have an Internet connection.
Coming Close Behind
So, ya ever really wanted to be transported like Captain Kirk in Star Trek? One of this year's runners-up, Teleportec (www.teleportec.com), can digitally teleport your image to any event, anywhere in the world. Imagine having at your conference a virtual keynote speaker whom the audience can see - and perhaps more importantly, a speaker who can see the entire audience. The Web site has a short video from a 2001 use of this technology, so take a look at what may be your first truly virtual session.
As technology provides us with an on-demand universe, where we can download nearly everything we want, when we want it, it's good to see that one of the winners brings this ability to our industry. Conference Archives (www.conferencearchives.com) captures and delivers content from your plenary and breakout sessions so that your attendees (as well as those who couldn't attend) can access the information following the event. Aside from audio and video capturing (including PowerPoint synchronization), Conference Archives can also help the planner create a custom on-site news program which could then be broadcast to the hotel's guest rooms for attendees to watch at the end of each day.
Newmarket International (www.newmarketinc.com), known throughout our industry for Delphi, was named a runner-up for its Meeting Broker electronic RFP tool. This Web-based service takes planner RFPs and integrates them into the Delphi sales systems. The result of such a tool is the more consistent handling of leads, as the routing of the information is based on criteria assigned by the property. If the hotel doesn't use Delphi, Meeting Broker can still be used on a subscription basis.
Validar Corporation (www.validar.com) is the final runner-up, selected for its fully integrated PC and Pocket PC lead retrieval applications. The product, known as Full Measure for Appexchange, comes on a USB memory stick, which plugs directly into your PC. The USB device is pre-loaded with your custom lead-retrieval software. Badge-reading hardware is included, and the data is appropriately mapped to the conference badge. So about that name ... the WWTWs just doesn't do it for me. Can't we just call them the Geekies or Techies? How about the Corbins? Perhaps it really doesn't matter. All I know is if they televised it, it would be one awards show I'd watch every year.
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