One thing IMEX America
has done for event professionals like me (buyers of services besides hotel
rooms) is expand the number of technology exhibitors and attendees. Of course,
you still have all of the registration companies and mobile app companies who
are racing to become all things to all people. However, I found 5 companies
offering very special and very needed services to our industry.
CatchTalk.TV is a
free-to-use video platform for professionals. They aggregate and host
high-level B2B video content from conferences, events and summits, making
high-quality content from industry leaders easily accessible to you. Whether
it’s a recent talk or industry-specific opinions you seek, CatchTalk.TV can
provide it. You simply sign up with your LinkedIn profile. You will receive
personalized recommendations to content that is most relevant for you, saving
you time and keeping you up-to-date with business trends. http://www.catchtalk.tv/
Crowd Mics turns iOS and
Android devices into wireless microphones. Guests can simply talk into their
smartphone or tablet and are instantly broadcasted over the sound system. No
more passing microphones or telling your guests to get up and go to the
microphone in the middle of the room! Crowd Mics can also be used for sharing
text comments and polling. Wi-Fi connection is all that is needed. http://crowdmics.com/
Evenium's ConnexMe is a
web and mobile application that allows guests to interact with other guests,
take notes, share and promote their experience during events. Guests have
access to the guest list and are able to communicate and share information with
other guests by synchronizing their social networks. Imagine a fully integrated
system that connects your content to attendees and attendees with each other! http://evenium.com/ng/public/corp/products-connexme.jsf
InitLive takes a
mobile-first approach to managing teams on the ground. InitLive manages
scheduling and communication so the team can focus on other tasks. Through this
application, managers and volunteers have access to dashboards to keep them
updated on information. These dashboards are used as a gateway to access
details surrounding the event. Managers and volunteers will also have access to
a master schedule as well as individual schedules for the event. Thanks to this
application changes can be made without having to re-print schedules and any
changes made on the web will be immediately updated in the app. http://www.initlive.com/
AVforPlanners has been
around for a year or two but their concept is so disruptive to the way planners
typically source AV, it has taken them awhile to educate the industry. They
offer a simple three step process: Free equipment & labor RFP builder, nation-wide
AV company directory, and a comparison evaluation of AV proposals. I wish they
had been around when I was an in-house planner! http://avforplanners.com/
If you are searching for
a partner to help you with your event content marketing process, click on the
SocialPoint link above. I’d love to chat with you about social networks (public
or private), learning games or experiential marketing for your event or trade
show booth.
