Looking back – security matters
Security has always been an issue in conferences. In this blog I’m looking back at some of the more memorable examples of the use – and abuse – of security at the events that I organised.
Not all tech is successful
Virtual events have been around since the end of the nineties but they’re no closer to being the force they were supposed to be.
Older people and technology
There’s an assumption in many parts of the meetings industry that older people are anti-tech and therefore can be safely ignored when discussing issues relating to technology. People should bear a couple of facts in mind: first, older people are often the ones who, if not actually making purchasing decisions, hold the purse strings. Second,…
Management needed for exhibition stands
In 2013 Julian Agostini posted a blog in which he outlined the shortcomings of some exhibitors and asked whether trade exhibitions were likely to become redundant, like long division and the ability to read a map. The basis of his argument seemed to be that exhibitors at shows with a hosted buyer (HB) programme don’t…
Google Glass – gimmick or breakthrough?
In 2013 a number of people were claiming that Google Glass was going to transform the meetings industry. For those who don’t remember this technology, it looked like a pair of glasses with an added bit to the right. This bit included a small glass rectangle that was in view while the headset was being…
So much misinformation
I wrote this blog in 2013 but it’s still relevant today: look at the tech that people have promoted as being important to the events industry apart from Big Data – Blockchain, AI, holograms and so on. Some of it is entirely irrelevant to us at present and although things like facial recognition might grow…
Best not to be an early adopter
Just recently a few voices have been raised claiming that people in the meetings industry should become early adopters. In some industry sectors, people wear the label ‘early adopter’ as a badge of honour: they see themselves at the forefront of whatever technology excites them. These are the people who can be seen queuing outside…
LinkedIn Events closure: probably doesn’t matter
So the LinkedIn events function has been discontinued? In all honesty, it probably doesn’t matter because it’s unlikely that it ever helped to attract any attendees to any conference or exhibition. In that respect it was no different to the events function in Facebook. There will be some who are probably already composing their rebuttal…
The role of technology in events
Having been an organiser of product launches and conferences, I’ve always known that it was a stressful occupation. At the same time it was hugely satisfying and I always thought that I was incredibly lucky to have such a great job. These days, though, I have enormous sympathy with organisers. Apart from all the stresses…
Conference App recommendations
A correspondent on one of the discussion forums that I watch recently posted a message asking for advice about having an app created for the conference that he runs. Surprisingly, he wasn’t buried under a deluge of messages from apps developers. I provided a fairly basic response: Before you make a decision, you need to…
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