Going Paperless for your Events

With the coming of information era, wireless network applications and touch screen technology improvements such as the iPad, Kindle Fire and Android tablets, paperless intelligent meetings has become a new trend. Offering attendees all the materials they need electronically is becoming one of the main trends in event industry.

From the event planer point of view, when planning an event, they have to print out large copies of participants’ packs. Since paper documents are heavy, difficult to search, back up, share, and not environmental friendly, why not organize paperless events instead of traditional ones?

Source: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com

The Benefits of a Paperless Conference

Information at your fingertips

The participants can simply refer to the meeting content at anytime on the tablet devices. Event planer just need to provide your information and do not have to print copies of presentation slides.

Convenient

By using electronic materials, participants can have all the information on their tablet devices. So the participant can just carry the tablet devices instead of a conference booklet or bundles of paper.

Green

This is an excellent way to be eco friendly. Using electronic materials instead of paper documents will save lots of paper.

Cater for last minute changes

During the events, anything can change even at the last minute. Using a tablet device, changes can be made easily and quickly. You can manually cross items out from your system.

Take away

The paperless system can make it continent to participants who want to take away conference booklets and papers. They can even receive any notes they have taken.

Source: http://www.taiden.com

Strategies for creating a paperless conference

Create an event app

A comprehensive event app is necessary for a paperless event. The app will be able to provide all the updated information of the event and the access to download all the documents including presentation slides. It will be convenient to allow users to take notes and make bookmarks in the slides. The app should be easy-to-use and be able to work without Internet connection.

Reward attendees that support your efforts

It will be encouraging to reward attendees and exhibitors who support your paperless efforts. You can make a special icon on the badges or the booths to indicate their paperless choice. You can offer special gifts or even discount for their registration or booth.

Communicate more with attendees

You should communicate with attendees in advance to make them understand why you are making your events paperless. During the event, you should interact with them onsite and through event app to see what they need regarding to the paperless working environment. After the event you should ask for feedback and make evaluation.

In conclusion, going paperless is the trend that is worthy to paying effort for. And it needs the efforts from both the event planners and attendees.

Authors:

Hongyin ZHANG & Bao WANG

Sources:

http://www.groupdynamics.co.uk/articles/the-benefits-of-a-paperless-conference/

http://www.corbinball.com/articles_technology/index.cfm?fuseaction=cor_av&artID=8892

http://ativsoftware.com/2012/07/10-strategies-towards-paperless-events-conferences-and-meetings/

Smartwatch: a new way to change event technology

Smartwatch is a computerized watch with functionality that is enhanced beyond timekeeping. While early models can perform basic tasks, such as calculations, translations, and game-playing, modern smartwatches are effectively wearable computers. 

Source

Since smartwatches have been around for years, event technology companies have finally been put on notice. 

Here are the possible advantages of using smartwatches in events.

On-site registration

Similar to NFC payments, attendees could hold their smartwatch next to a registration terminal. Identifying information is passed, and attendees are instantly registered.

Breakout room homing beacons

At large events, finding your meeting or breakout room is hard enough, as you have to wade through a sea of fellow attendees. Now imagine your smartwatch giving you simple navigation through the halls.

Event notifications

Smartwatches are more effective at alerting people to notifications, and with a quick flick of the wrist, attendees will see what needs to be communicated.

Networking serendipity beacon

Like event notifications, you might not notice your phone if it’s in your bag or pocket, but you will certainly feel your watch’s haptic feedback.

In-session audience participation

Smartwatches can literally measure your heartbeat, so they are a natural fit for receiving notifications and glances on the pulse of your audience.

Smartwatches can impact events in many ways, but these impacts circle around a few key themes: glances, notifications, and proximity. As we see smartwatches showing up in ever-greater numbers, we should be thinking about how we can leverage them to create better experiences.

Sourcing:

http://www.conferences.io/blog/2015/04/15/5-ways-the-apple-watch-will-change-live-event-technology-forever/?utm_content=buffer6b63b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://www.techradar.com/news/wearables/best-smart-watches-what-s-the-best-wearable-tech-for-you--1154074

Booking Now - the new wearable technology trend

We live in an era in which technology serves the needs of travellers and companies. Nowadays, It has become critical to incorporate new technologies in the management of tourism businesses. IT technologies are a tool for improving the operations of facilities and allow companies to better understand and manage their clients (before, during and after their stay), and enable them to understand their competition better. An IT trend that evolves continuously is wearable technologies. Since the wearable headset has been introduced in the far 1960’s, Generation Y was not even born; so we can see the technology of wearable’s has passed through a fast development.

Booking.com is one company that understood that in order to stay highly competitive, it has to incorporate the use of wearable technology.

Indeed, Booking.com launched a new application for Apple watch on April 24^th 2015, the so-called Booking Now. This app allows customers to book their accommodation via the Apple watch by the new Apple technology ‘force touch’. Through the application the users are not only able to save the location of the hotel that they have chosen but also to “turn-by-turn navigation to direct them quickly to the accommodation” as they have announced on their newsletter. What is really impressive is the fact that the Apple watch “remembers” the hotel room number so as the travellers never forget it. Finally, the app is accessible in 15 languages and doesn’t contain any extra fees during the booking process.

It might seem that future business travellers will use smart watches for sure. But there are also some hurdles and worries that users should keep in mind. Right now the battery life is not enduring for a long time. There will be some development for sure over the next years, but right now the capacity is limited. As business travellers have to rely on their devices, right now it is not well thought in order to be effective to work with. Furthermore, the bandwidth has not been very developed yet. Lastly, there is always the security factor that plays an important role when it comes to new technology. The user does not always know who has access to the data he is exchanging with its device or cloud. Sometimes the company behind the software has access to the device and uses its data. There is also the possibility that the data is given to third parties for research or marketing purposes.

We will see in the next weeks and months how the technology is going to evolve and if leisure or business travellers are going to use wearable technology in the coming future.

Source: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7504251-booking-travel-app-for-apple-watch/

Pixe Social: Pic your audience!

Pixe

twitter.com

makes your attendees connected and fan to your brand!



Pixe Social was launched in 2013 and since this date, the company register an increasing  number of users. Also large events have made the choice to use this application to attract and to engage the attendees to their event.

For instance, IMEX America in 2014 which Pixe Social, with the ‘Encore Photo Booth app’ has boosted the number of Facebook fans to 17 415, for the event.  Pixe Social is a photo-sharing solution for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that you can use on your smartphone with, tablets with Pixe Snap or with Pixe Wall.

pixesocial.com

PixeSnap is a free app where the attendee can take a snap and share it during the event. PixeEncore is a way to make your attendee become an ambassador of your brand, you can change the back ground of the picture with the brand name and with a landscape for instance (thanks to the famous green background). PixeWall is like a basic Photo Booth where you have the name of the brand and the attendees come and make funny picture, and with Pixe Social there are simultaneously share on social media.

It is the same principle of a photo booth. The participant can share instantaneously their moment
For once, this app is very easy to use and the attendees doesn’t have to log in to use it. As it concern the event planner point of of view, again, for once, Pixe Social is useful and simple to design. It takes very few minutes to set up with your brand’s logo, to configure and to start using it.

The main features of the brand are related to the engagement for the brand and the CRM.
Regarding the commitment, you can make pictures with the logo’s brand (Pixe Social and the one of the company which make the event). You can share instantaneously share your photo via social media and through this promote the event and have the possibility to reach more likes for your brand (one last task for the busy event planner!).

As far as it concern the CRM, as you may increase the number of followers or likes on your social media pages you will be able to increase the number of e-mail addresses and your database. It is brief and very efficient. You may also encourage you customer to grow in the ‘pyramid of relationship’. A simple customer can become an ambassador. In terms of CRM, it allows your company to increase its customer’s and e-mail’s database.

Besides, this application, as many others, has its advantages and disadvantages.

+ You can use it in how many devices and events you want.
+ As you many now, as event manager or future one, WIFI in many venues is not 100% reliable. That’s why you can use Pixe Social offline.
+You can use it on any devices you want in any event you want. As you want!

But…(nobody’s perfect)

-You cannot insure good photo’s quality.
-Some attendees can be bored with all the this pictures.
-You may not want to give your contacts to have the photo. 

pinterest.com

It is a paying application and you can have an annual contract for less than $500 (or monthly agreement for less than $900). As it as been mentioned before, the app can be used on different devices (mobile, tablets, etc) for different  events.

Pixe Social is a useful tool obviously for event managers, who want to promote their brand, make the attendees loyal to the brand and increase their CRM database and for the attendees who wants to share their amazing moment to the events through the social media. It is a win-win mobile device application!

Source: http://www.pixesocial.com/public/enter.aspx

Eletrodes guide your legs through streets

The objective of this new technology is to guide people when they are walking around in order to encourage them to go in the right way without using a map.

The electrodes fixed on their legs simulate the human locomotion system and control the walking direction.

This invention is supposed to ease the travelers’ journey by avoiding them to always have to keep an eye on a map or a phone. It would be helpful for old, blind people and others that cannot find their way easily.

The electrodes affect a muscle named the sartorius that is located from the knee to the top of the thigh. This muscle receives like a soft electric discharge that will guide the legs to walk in a specific direction.

Students have tested this cruise control for pedestrians. They could notice that all the movements were made unconsciously; the journey is set up on a mobile phone, allowing the users to seat and have a break if they want to. Max Pfeiffer, a student of the University of Hannover works on this project and admitted that this new technology is difficult to accept. He insists on the importance of the wearable technology, the augmented reality and is confident on the fact that people will get used to the new technologies and will adopt them.

For now, the device was only tested on students that created the project and guided through sending message over Bluetooth. The objective of this cruise control for pedestrians is to lead to a mobile application. Navigation software could be set up in order to limit the use of the phone to encourage users to complete a journey by zaps from their mobile.

The scientist Pfeiffer compares it project to Google Maps saying that ‘ When I use Google Maps and I navigate somewhere, I am always pulling my mobile out of my pocket to check’. The main objective of the electrodes is to avoid this; the user just say where he wants to go and he will arrive there. This allows the user not to spend too much time on the screen of his phone to see where he has to turn. Then he has more time to enjoy the landscape and exploring the streets he is going through. The scientist also proposes that it could be use by groups, not only individuals. For instance when you are in a stadium or in crowed places.

Other technologies have been created to explain people precise skills; for the scientists working on this project, the electrodes will be used a lot by people and will have an important role in the way people travel and discover a new city.

Sources:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/new-invention-zaps-peoples-legs-with-electrodes-to-guide-them-through-streets-10172274.html?icn=puff-10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQjNWQb9Wg

Be Aware of the Security of Your Event Database

Linux Australia, the open source and free software user group announced that attendees’ personal information of two conferences was leaked, which may have included first and last name, postal and email addresses, phone numbers and hashed passwords. Joshua Hesketh, president of Linux Australia, strongly advised those who registered for the group’s Linux conference over the last three years and for Pycon Australia in 2013 and 2014 should change the registration password. Michael Robinson, program director, cyber forensics at Baltimore’s Stevenson University, who have read the investigation analysis report of this investigation provided some suggestions for event organizers on better protecting their attendees’ information

Be cautious about risky links

In this case, hackers unauthorizedly accessed to one of their servers through a malware. Robinson said that it’s more likely that an end user (may be anyone including a conference planner, registration assistant, systems administrator or accountant without a defensive computer) who had already connected to the network was duped to open an innocent link either from the Internet or an email and hence he unintendedly released the malware which laterally grant hackers an access to the server with all attendees’ data. What make Linux Australia vulnerable was that the attendees’ data from all conferences were all stored on one central server. If the server was compromised, all attendees from all of their conferences would be affected for several years.

Problem still exists even the server is taken offline

So far there isn’t a clear and effective improvement initiative for these type of attacks. In the report of Linux Australia, they decommissioned the hacked server, strengthened the security on the new one and installed several monitoring tools. Besides, in the future they will archive the conferences websites six months after a conference concludes and keep them on a separate server while delete them from the event management software. However, as far as Robinson is concerned, all that may be not enough. He explained that when a system get infected, the help desk will come along and make that one server offline. Nevertheless, if the hacker bypassed through the network, even the server is taken offline doesn’t solve the problem, since the hacker is still in the network and he can jump to another server and also hack that one.

Attackers target at conferences 

Nowadays events like international conferences and seminars have been treated as attackers’ new target. As event professionals we should be aware of how hackers may ruin the whole conferences. Wireless jammers can interrupt the network on site and related equipment. Hackers can download registrant information from personalized registration kiosk onto USB. Take it as an example they only need to spend $150 to buy a routers which can “steal” data from users’ devices. An IMSI-catcher can intercept cell phone data and “spy” on conference-goers. What’s worse, they use fake website to intercept registrant information which including their credit card numbers. And most importantly, social hacktivists always have the skill to “destroy evidence” to deny what they did.

Some simple remedies 

Event organizers normally are not professional to solve the hacker problems but some of the organizers choose to work with professional experts in order to build a safeguard system for protecting their attendees’ personal accounts and passwords, meanwhile optimize the event process. What’s more, there are other measures that organizers can instruct IT to isolate and encrypt the registrant database and training end users to avoid clicking on links of any kind unless they are absolutely sure of the source because “End users are the biggest threat to network security.” Information security is a very serious issue for every event since it links with the organizer’s reputation. Hackers may cause attendees’ confidence loss and a potential drop in future attendance. So it is a must, it is the lifeblood.

Recommendations 

Concerning to the security of database system, we suggest that database system should include physical integrity protection of government information, which makes sure it can against the destruction such as fire, flood, power suck etc. Also, we suggest to optimize the modification function of the information system. Since sometimes one part which is modified always easily affects other parts. Third, we should make sure the accuracy of each element. What's more, in terms of the user friendly, availability is crucial since it refers to allowing user visit the database and authorizing them to access the data. In addition, we suggest to optimize user authentication, to ensure that every user can be identified properly when they visit the data, by using some new technologies to block illegal users and protect information security. Last but not least, keep tracking who has visited the database would also be a necessary practice to optimize the database security.

Sources:

[1]http://www.eventtechbrief.com/page.cfm/action=library/libID=3/libEntryID=72/listID=1

[2]http://www.csoonline.com/article/2906653/data-breach/linux-australia-breached-personal-details-leaked.html