Business with a Twist by Rachael Cotton, Confex 2014

As I may have previously mentioned seminars aren't really my thing. But at the 2014 Confex there was a great one by Rachael Cotton from Alton Towers.

If the title itself didn't grab your attention, then Rachael’s engaging style of delivery sure did. The serious bits were interjected with funny anecdotes and well, let’s be honest if you work somewhere as cool as a theme park with a 14 loop ride, then you probably have the fun side of business down pat!

The key points from Rachael’s presentation to take away were:

• 60% of respondents said they would be more interested in attending corporate events if there was an element of fun added
• Fun sparks the imagination so don’t be afraid to use it
• Make sure you consider the delegates and make the day productive as well as fun
• Outdoor activities score very highly in terms of how to add fun

If you want to find out more about Rachael's presentation, check out the slides here.

So, what do you guys think? Would a corporate event at Alton Towers work for you?

On to the present

Hope you all enjoyed taking a look at some older photos of events from back when tech wasn't such an important part of life (Throwback Thursday). But what about now? How has technology woven its way into the business events industry?

• Event website - every bigger and most smaller events have discovered the power of having a good online presence in promoting itself.
• Online registration - whether through the event's website itself or popular sites such as Eventbrite, online registration is the easiest and most popular way of keeping track of potential attendee numbers.
• Email communications - emails are one of the quickest and most popular forms of communicating in today's world. The additional features such as voting buttons, read receipts or reminders help a busy event manager in organising their workload and making sure that the business critical tasks don't fall off the to do list.
• Document sharing - having platforms such as Dropbox, Cloud etc. make sharing and storing documents much easier. If done well, it can also reduce issues of version control which sometimes occurs in larger teams.
• Social media presence - it's almost essential to have a social media presence to promote and ensure audience engagement at the event. Social media is used by people of all ages and backgrounds now and makes an effective tool in reaching them.
• Webcasts - Essentially the broadcasting of the internet. Platforms such as Showcaster allow the user to either live stream or send on demand to a particular content source to many simultaneous consumers. 
• Digital networking - More and more people recognise the importance of professional networks and their relevance to business. Within the events industry, it is particularly important as many job offers are dependant upon personal references and word of mouth. Sites such as LinkedIn help to achieve this, allowing networking to continue past the initial meeting.

To find out an easier way of keeping on top of all these technology developments, check out this post about having a technology partner: http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/technology-partner

Also here we have a short clip of an interview with Jessie States - Education Content Designer, talking about the future of Meeting in Events. All credit goes to the YouTube Channel IMEXexhibitions, see the full video here: http://youtu.be/OQd7zxy_pwA?t=1m43s



So what are your thoughts on current technological marvels that allow this event industry to grind on? Have we missed anything vital? Share, comment, argue - Alls fair in love and war..

Event Tech Live

Looking for the newest tech to be used at your event?

Then make sure to attend Event Tech Live!

Event tech live is a new event that will take place later on this year stemming from the success of the Event Technologies Awards. The event takes place in central London on the 13th of November and is free to attend. Yes! FREE to attend!

This new event will be showcasing all the latest technology with live demos so you as the attendee will have a hands-on experience with the gadgets. There will also be Q&A's and educational seminars on the day to teach you all you need to know about the emerging new technologies.

Sound interesting? Head over to the official website http://www.eventtechlive.com/ to find out more and register for your ticket.

Event tech live is the only event dedicated to event technology in the UK and with there being no price to pay for a ticket what's stopping you from going?

Emergence of 'IMEXlive'

It is always an annoyance when there is an event you wish to attend but for some reason have to miss out. Now with the emergence of IMEXlive it seems that annoyance may just be a thing of the past.

Last year saw the launch of IMEXlive in Frankfurt and from the success of that came a new sponsorship deal. With this new deal IMEXlive is now going to be able to run for a second year at both IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America.

The platform is aimed mainly at those who cannot be at the event allowing them to have a feel real of what is going on. According to organisers it aims to tell the story of what s going on at the event through the use of pictures and videos. IMEXlive broadcasts live blogging along with a 'social media mash-up' in which viewers can interact withthe site using the IMEX hashtag. This all means that for those who can't physically be at the venue can still have the experience from the comfort of their own homes.

The 24 hour virtual window into the trade show had great reviews from both attendees and exhibitors.

“The new version of IMEXlive is a major development of the platform and 

allows us to give the online audience a real taste of the buzz that can be felt on the 

show floor," says IMEX’s Senior Online Community Manager Miguel Neves.

 "IMEXlive combines cutting-edge technology with creative human interaction 

to create a socially-driven platform that shows the online world what IMEX is all about".

IMEX Live is more than just an online stream of the event as it aims to interact with the audience and create the same experience as actually being at the event. This looks like a promising new technological feature that could enhance events all over the world. So no more missing out on the event of the year!

IMEX Live 2014 goes live on the 21st May and stays live for one week after the show so if you're not attending why not check out IMEXlive.

Head over to the website to find out more http://www.imexexhibitions.com/

Interview with an events professional

I know its crazy, 2 interviews in 1 day? But hey there are a lot of techie type people out there and they all like to talk. in this installment we have Michael Ball talking to us about technology and how it relates to his work.

Q: Let’s start off with a bit of an introduction for our readers. What’s your name and what do you do?

I’m Michael Ball, co-founder of Traverse Events and Senior Marketing Executive for TTG Media Limited.  For Traverse, I am one of the directors and also the head of events, meaning I run the logistical side of all of the events we do. But as it’s a small company, we all pitch in on what needs doing, be that sales, marketing, social media etc. I also do marketing for TTG Media, which is a travel industry media brand, which has a focus on events, running around 50 different ones a year, from small networking events to large awards ceremonies in the West End.

Q: How do you keep up with the latest trends when running events?

Mainly by attending other events, seeing what others do and then improving on it if we can. I think everyone in events does this, we have seen our conference format copied almost exactly in the past, and although it can be annoying, it’s flattering too. Plus anyone that copies what we do is an event behind, as we always change and innovate when we come up with the next one.  For smaller events, there are also the chances to come up with completely fresh idea, we did this last year where we created a drinks ordering system for at a conference using Twitter, so nobody had to get up at all. It can also be useful to attend bigger events, to try and take inspiration, an exhibition with a budget or £2 million is not going to be something we can copy, but the ideas are there, and that’s often all you need. Lastly, we always make sure that the event sponsors and partners are part of the event, rather than just brands that are represented, so we work with them to enhance the overall event and use their expertise and equipment when we can, it works out better for all involved that way.

Q: Do you feel it’s important to be up to date with the latest technology when running travel events?

Absolutely. Our events specifically are run for travel bloggers and start-ups. These people are used to seeing some new tech and software, so we always try and have something fresh there. This is where we often come up with our own stuff though. Paul, the other founder, is incredibly good when it comes to programming, and has built our Twitter and Instagram walls, by far the best ones you’ll see, as long as a Twitter leader board, which has been fantastic for driving engagement and exposure over social media for us and our sponsors. Plus, the attendees love it, as you can run competitions, post photos etc for all to see.

Q: What platforms of technology do you find attendees to these events interacting with the most?

As mentioned before, Twitter and Instagram at the events get the most coverage, then Facebook and Vine, usually when people have left or the next day.  It also depends on what’s on offer via the technology. So having a fantastic new photo sharing program is great, but you have to incentivise people to use it.  We also had Google Glasses at an event we did in November last year, they got a fair bit of attention as everyone wanted to have a go and have a picture taken with them on, me included.  Out next big event is going to be kind of anti-tech, as far as bloggers are concerned anyway. So there won’t be any flashy displays for social media feeds running, or super-fast WiFi, but we have some great ideas for this, such as ordering bacon sandwiches over twitter, or taking video with a drone camera.

Thanks Michael for your time! The next Traverse event is being held at Skylounge, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in London. For more info check out http://www.traverse-events.com/mingle/skylounge/ or tweet Michael on @michaeleball. 

Sumo Insight - Real time market research

During the Confex, Colin White from Sumo Insight held a seminar talking about capturing visitor opinion and ensuring that your business is close to its visitors. With only 40% of event organisers having experience of using events apps, this is a way of staying ahead of the game in terms of building a following for your events. More than ever before consumers are keen to participate in events and express themselves, what this does mean however is that your potential clients will be looking at as many options as possible as they become more and more demanding. 

In terms of events, this now means that marketing has become a 24/7 activity! With consumers constantly talking about what they are doing on social media and review websites, there is now an expectation for businesses to listen to these comments and react quickly. Quite often the events that go the furthest are the ones that take on board praise/criticism and react quickest!

Sumo Insight are a provider of the tools that can be used to harness this information and get results in the quickest way possible. By using surveys on mobile devices, this app allows users to immediately update their opinions of what they are doing at that time. Having this real time interaction with people giving feedback while still at the event allows for the best possible results, i.e. immediate reactions while it is still fresh in the memory. It also allows for conversations and discussions to be struck up during the event if quantitative data would be more useful to your projects.

How far can this technology go? At the moment the sky appears to be the limit with new ideas for apps coming out almost daily, although you have to wonder at which point do people stop experiencing what they are doing in the moment and instead are just focussed on who is reading what they are posting on the latest social media! 

Social Media platforms link to Business. Mark Roberts opinion blog...

Ok so for those of you that have come here via my twitter account may realise that have slightly fibbed last night, in my defence it was quite late. Anyway, once again its interview time. Today I have managed to pin down Mark Roberts. Mark was kind enough to talk to me about social media and (here comes the lie) networking. I met Mark last November at a Young Peoples networking event, where he was helping at the YENA stand. Enough from me, here's Mark:

Q: Let’s start off with a bit of an introduction for our readers. What’s your name and what do you do?

My name is Mark Roberts and I am a story teller, I work in communications and that covers social media, PR and everything in the middle. I also have a role as an ambassador for the Young Entrepreneur Network Association and I will be launching events in Nottingham and Manchester in the next few months. I am also an active humanist, vegan and revolutionist and write part time for various publications for business and politics.

Q: And would you say you've been to/run a lot of business events? (ie. conferences, seminars, trade shows, networking mornings/evenings etc.)

It depends on your definition of a lot? I have a background in corporate events in the leisure industry, organising events for anywhere between 200 and 2000 people. I have been to more networking events than I care to remember, lots of different times, venues and lay outs. One of my clients for Seraph Social Media was a networking company so it was interesting to see how we were able to add to their overall market presence through social media. How could we get what happens in those 4 walls outside to the wider public without losing the integrity of the room. At the moment my event based work is for YENA, this is quite unique as it involves booking speakers that I think will help inspire the attendees and this is new to me.

Q: How do you think social media has impacted businesses as a whole and business events?

Social media has made a huge impact on the world of business. Put simply it has given the opportunity for businesses to engage with a lot more people. As a business owner getting market position and brand awareness are the ultimate goals for your marketing team and social media offers that opportunity like nothing else now. For events it is particularly exciting because it gives a unique way to engage with attendees before, during and after. With clever campaigns and a well thought out strategy events are able to very easily engage their target audience and deliver them outstanding service that will undoubtedly lead to greater sales.

Q: Why do you think it's important for businesses to have a good social media presence?

Communication is key, if you want someone to make a purchase from you then you need to be able to communicate with them easily and effectively. Social media allows you to just that. How many times does your phone ring from an unknown number and you just hang it up, almost a bit pissed off that someone is trying to ring and sell you something you have now already decided that you don’t want to buy? How many times do you get emails from Groupon or similar and now just hit delete and not bother to unsubscribe because it would take too long? That’s because in this ever increasing world of the internet, the most previous commodity to ourselves is our time. We don’t want people wasting it and we want to be more independent as a consumer. Social media has led to the ‘social sell’ where you build relationships with your fans and followers, making sure you stay on top of conversations and provide them with top quality content you know they will find relevant. Social media has helped the sale become a two way process, if you aren’t willing to give your time and effort why on earth should we, the consumers, give you any of ours? Long gone are the days of the phone call that leads to an instant purchase.

Q: Finally, where do you think social media and technology as a whole is going within business events? Will it continue to grow in significance or slowly start to lose it appeal?

I think technology is heading in a exciting direction. I think the key thing to realise is that Social Media is great for businesses to get in touch with their potential customers but I don’t think that will always be the case. The internet of things is just a hugely exciting thing. I was having a conversation with a peer last week discussing that it won’t be too long before our fridge will see that it is a Friday, it’s sunny, you’re low on wine and place an order for you. For the events world it will be about getting rid of the annoying bag people you get hit by when you walk in - no one wants that. No one reads it, its a waste of paper, time and any resource that goes into it. What would be much more effective would be a smart way to use NFC (near field communication) to log in, utilise Siri or whatever it might be then and help you make an informed personal decision about the brands and stalls that matter to you. For marketeers and sales people it is all about thinking outside the box and the event industry will have to change the same as everything else. Social Media integration will be another big aspect, utilising hashtags and tweet walls are already in use but events will have to start to look at how to grab social data through pixel conversions and the like to start building their own online communities. Too many people walk in to an event, disappear and only engage at the next one, 365 engagement has to be the aim for events. 

If you want to talk to Mark, or find out a bit more about him and his plans for the future follow him on Twitter @MarkyBobs86, his website www.markybobs.com and follow his writings on www.medium.com/@MarkyBobs86