New useful event apps

In the event industry the use of technology is increasing. From meetings to exhibitions, event planner are using new technology to attract more people and to interact with them. Mobile applications for example have and will transform how events are managed.

More than 300 mobile event applications are available online. Event professionals have many choices regarding their conferences or events. They can find simple applications like an agenda or advanced one to create audience engagement during a conference.

Corbin Ball, international speaker, consultant and an expert when it comes to technology is reviewing in his article six new applications related to the event industry:

• ·       InitLive
• ·       ATIV Software
• ·       BlueStone Nexus
• ·       Listly
• ·       Conferences.io
• ·       Eventbase

InitLive for example is really attractive and easy to use (see videobelow). This cloud-based application helps event managers manage staff and volunteers. They can see checking and last minute schedule or even communicate with everyone before, during and after the event. The product is not on the market yet but has already been tested with a reasonable pricing. As a student you can get 25% discount.

All of these events tools are created to help meeting professionals to have a more effective event. Indeed professional applications have strong features with a wide range of tools and design.

Before the event, event managers can use those applications to obtain a quick and efficient registration check-in procedure. During a conference, with applications like ATIV Software and Conference.io attendees can now interact with a speaker, ask questions, vote for question and receive all the slides with notes. Regarding the Networking as it is an important goal when organising an event, applications like eventbase or BlueStone Nexus is helping delegates to create a network with other delegates. BlueStone Nexus is using the mobile phone to capture business card information in order to create an exchange between professionals. Eventbase is using the Beacons technology which is the new must have in the event industry. This app can put in your area of interest and know who is around you from 1 to 5 meters. The delegates receive a notification when a delegate share the same interest. This encourage people to meet and talk to each other.

These applications are just a few of many great other applications. They bring people together, add simplicity and fun in the event industry. They are the future! Don’t be afraid to use them!

Camille Salomon & Anthony Calzi

Sources:

http://www.corbinball.com/article2/36-mobile-and-wireless-technology/178-six-novel-and-useful-event-apps
http://www.initlive.com/

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The new Accor mobile application has been awarded !

Some months ago, AccorHotels launched a new version of its mobile application in order to improve guests experience. They have been rewarded during the "Trophee des Apps" ceremony.

This Application enables travelers, whether business or leisure, to optimize their time by getting all information on the same platform. I do personally use it every time I travel in an AccorHotels property.

How does it meet guests' expectations?

Guests have the opportunity to:

Select a hotel among a wide range of brands, all introduced on the App

Find information about hotel location, facilities and services

Book online

Discover the online City Guide to better prepare their stay

Manage their loyalty accounts

Learn latest news and offers of the Group

Since July 2015, the application is even available on Apple Watch. Romain Roulleau, AccorHotels’ SVP e-commerce and director of the “mobile first” program explains:

“By launching this AccorHotels application for Apple Watch™, AccorHotels is establishing itself as an audacious digital hospitality player.”

This application enhances the huge potential of AccorHotels Digital Transformation.

Of course, we hope that other features will be developed soon. Some competitor hotels provide guests with tablets so that they can adjust temperature or lighting in their room. In order to personalize their stays, customers can even sometimes beneficiate from an e-concierge which enable them to order breakfast in the room, make dinner reservations, to request extra pillows…without moving from their rooms.”

Indeed, the hotel group is doing its mobile revolution to keep one single app.
Customers have on average 23 applications in their smartphone, including 3-4 dedicated to travel: TripAdvisor, one online travel agency, and one to go around. The third or fourth may be the one of a chain hotel. Accor want to be part of this selection. That is why they will have one application for all trademarks of Accorhotels. The group will multippliate the reasons for a traveler to have the Accor Hotel app in his smartphone. Thus they can be differentiated themselves from online agencies.

The French group has integrated last years the service Wipolo, the startups they bought in 2014 and already added Uber upon check-in.

Tailored services are as well offered within the hotel, such as restaurant reservations, spa, room service ...

 Accor wants to offer a complete experience before, during, and after the stay of the guests.

Mobile, including smartphones and tablets, attracts nearly 40% of the global audience, and 12% of direct digital sales. The delta is explained. Travelers often use their smartphone on the move, in public places. They did not necessarily want to take out their credit card and enter their details, in transport for example. To improve their conversion rate, they will adopt the second half of the 1-Click payment, such as Amazon's bank details are already entered, the purchase is validated with a single click.

Accor wants its staff to provide personalized service instead of being bogged down filling out paperwork to register guests.

Accor’s guests can do this advance check-in only if they’ve have booked their reservation directly through Accor or if they are loyalty program members or subscription cardholders.

On the day of the stay, guests receive a welcome text message confirming that the room key and room are available. The text may also provide practical tips about the property, such as ground transportation information and parking access codes, for example.

When guests arrive at the property instead of needing to provide credit card information and fill out paperwork, “the hotel staff is supposed to greet them immediately upon arrival in the lobby or possibly even in the hotel bar, hand them their room key, and answer any questions or handle special requests”, Accor says.

Christine Pouletty, who managed the project’s introduction, says early feedback shows that 93% of guests who used the service during a trial period indicated they would do so again. And, 40% of guests did the advance check-in with their smartphones, she adds.

“Queues are diminishing and hoteliers are more available for their guests,” Pouletty says. “They can devote themselves completely to their passion, the job of host.”

VIB Smart Bracelet as a revolutionary tool for the hospitality industry

Have you ever dreamt of leaving your hotel room without carrying money, your smart phone or your room keys? The Tecnalia Applied Research Centre has made this dream come true with the launch of its smart VIB (Very Important Bracelet) recently introduced at Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza and Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel.

David Godsall presents Palladium Hotel Group as a visionary in hotel technological innovation and in hotel guest services.

The time when guests were carrying everything in their pockets and losing their room keys ten times a stay is over! The smart VIB is an innovative wristband that guests can obtain in order to enjoy the hotel facilities at best, anytime and anywhere. Thanks to this new device, guests in Ibiza can now serenely go to the Hark Rock Café or to the Ushuaia Ibiza beach Club, pay for any product using the PayPal system (thanks to an assigned PIN code) and come back to their room with the use of a simple bracelet. They can also share experiences on social networks via the numerous hotel touchscreens. All this with guaranteed convenience, security of payment and protection of information at all times.

Source: http://diadao.blogspot.fr/2014/05/7-innovations-technologiques-hotels.html

However, this service is not free of charge as David Godsall noticed: VIBs are priced 29€ for the Smart VIB and 19€ for the Smart VIB Kids (for children under the age of 16). The more recent VIB packages (ZEN VIB, VIB Ballad, VIB Clubber) which offer guests various exclusive discounts and a range of added-value services, are of course more expensive.

David Godsall chooses not to reveal the VIB’s production cost but from our point of view the innovation has probably been very costly for Palladium Hotel Group. The Group appears to expect guests to spend more money in their establishment thanks to this smart bracelet.

For the author, this bracelet revolutionizes the way to manage CRM in the hospitality industry. In a festive destination such as Ibiza, this service makes perfect sense. But would it be as pertinent for a familial hotel to invest in this kind of service?

Cécile ROUX & Margaux SCHERER

http://www.loughboroughecho.net/lifestyle/travel/smart-vib-bracelets-in-ibiza-7685879

The new trend of virtual meetings

Virtual meetings and virtual teams have become more and more popular over the last decade.

According to Julia Young, from Facilitate.com, a virtual meeting is an event joined by attendees from multiple locations and which is technology-based. Attendees run the meeting through video platforms from their desk without travelling. It can be held in real-time or run by several times due to jet lags of attendees or lack of coordination of their schedules.

This new kind of corporate meeting is often considered as time saving and more effective as a virtual meeting tends to be short - it lasts in general around 90 minutes. When the meeting is planned, it is useful to determine the level needed for interaction; it will then determine the technological tools needed for this conference as technology must match objectives. Technology needs to be easy to use and accessible for all participants. Over the last decade, it has known some improvements: better connection speed, high-definition monitors etc. The result: while it remains very expensive (some video conference rooms cost until £300,000), technology enables savings in travel budgets, boosts productivity by letting people collaborate with one another from the comfort of their home offices.

According to CIO.com, several formats of virtual meetings exist and each of them has its ‘event specialty’:

· Live Meeting: best format for a presentation where one person will speak to a group with occasional participant questions using SLi.Do for example, i.e. live chats functionalities.

·  Group Support System (GSS): best format for problem solving or decision making where a team of people will work on a difficulty and come to resolution.

· Collaborative Document-Building Tools: tools such as Google Docs are best for a work product execution meeting where a team will work at developing a deliverable.

Rules of virtual meetings

Some rules for virtual and face-to-face meetings remain the same. Some key questions have to be answered by the event planner far ahead: What are the objectives of the meeting (communication, data gathering, idea brainstorming, problem solving, networking, decision-making etc.) and how is the event going to reach them? What are the technological tools needed for that meeting? What are the obstacles likely to occur? How much time do the IT team and the event planner need to prepare this meeting? Etc.

The audience needs to be kept interested and occupied all along the event for face-to-face events as well as for virtual ones. Thus, the event planner needs to vary the possibilities for the audience to participate and has also to evaluate his event and Return On Investment.

In addition, the event planner still needs to have a backup plan in case the technology fails.

According to CIO.com, the ground rules for a virtual meeting might include: to log in at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the meeting due to downloading time, to avoid disturbance and attend the meeting in a quiet place, to avoid multitasking while attending the meeting, and to turn off cell phones, emails and PDAs during the meeting.

The VirtualFinFair

The VirtualFinFair is, for example, made to create a unique customer experience thanks to the avatars, the virtual booths and even the scenery of the platform. Its objective was to animate a network of asset managers and finance experts by launching a professional fair where they can meet during a special day.

Virtual Finfair 2013 poster (source : http://e-merging.hyperfair.com ) 

During this event, the company staff has its avatars and appears on the booths to help visitors. Concerning the communication of the event, the usual strategy is used with social media posts, website news and invitations were sent along with a user manual to help future participants.

The fair is opened from 9AM to 10PM to allow visitors from all over the world to participate to the event. Exhibitors and visitors can wander in the alleys and exchange virtual business cards, interact with other participants and attend live conferences just like a traditional fair. In a few clicks, participants can download the documentation they are interested in, talk business in live without leaving their desk. Thanks to special hashtags, they can also express their feelings about the event on social media and share the experience with their community.

Advantages and disadvantages of virtual meetings

According to us, there are many advantages for companies to organize or attend virtual events:

• It is money saving: less HR and investments in venue, transportation & accommodation.
• Time-saving; it reduces travel and time out of the office for participants.
•  Boost of productivity.
•  It is an innovative product which makes the event more memorable and fun for participants.
•  It is more environmental-friendly as only a computer is needed for the event.
• It allows a broader geographical audience as the hours of the event are more flexible than a traditional one.
• There are also more detailed statistics in live time useful for event planners.

-       Concerning the disadvantages, we consider: 

•      Face-to-face meetings preference remains as well as the human dimension.
•      Participants tend to be less concentrated in front of their screens in the comfort of their offices.
•      There is less control possibilities over participation and success of the event (passive participation).
•    This type of meeting does not fit all industries. For example, for the agriculture/food sectors, touching, trying in live and smelling products is essential for purchase.

Finally, technology guru, Corbin Ball declared to Succesful meetings webmagazine: "Webinars and other virtual meetings are great for short information exchange," but "30 to 45 minutes is usually the maximum you can expect someone to pay attention to a webinar while sitting in front of a monitor. Meetings, on the other hand, take people to a more focused environment with fewer distractions. As long as attendees are informed, entertained, and fed, event hosts can keep them engaged for days. The opportunities for networking, brainstorming, and relationship building are usually far greater at face-to-face events than online."

To conclude this article, we can affirm that real face-to-face meetings are far from over. Hybrid meetings might be the best alternative to them. Indeed, more and more companies choose hybrid meetings, that is to say they create a virtual fair in addition to a traditional one. The Paris Art Fair is an example of hybridation allowing the visit of the exhibition online while the real one is taking place (source: leads-france.com).

References:

https://www.facilitate.com/support/facilitator-toolkit/docs/Six-Critical-Success-Factors-for-Successful-Virtual-Meetings.pdf

http://www.cio.com/article/2437139/collaboration/running-an-effective-teleconference-or-virtual-meeting.html

http://www.cio.com/article/2437735/infrastructure/for-those-who-can-afford-to-pay--the-video-conference-grows-up.html

http://www.my-marketing-manager.com/non-classe/marketing-evenementiel-le-test-du-salon-virtuel/

http://www.leads-france.com/salons-virtuels-la-nouvelle-tendance/