Modern Technology Use in Meetings and Conventions
Introduction
The culture of humanity has been changed by technology because innovation and creativity have led to the development of fast, new, and effective tools to carry out all tasks. One aspect of how mankind went about life that has been changed is on the meetings. Traditionally face to face meetings were held, and communication was done by using word of mouth with no equipment to amplify their voice or assist the speakers. But today, creativity has brought about tech tools that have made meetings to be more interactive, dynamic, and engaging. The thesis of this paper is to examine the use of this modern technology in meetings and conventions. In this, we will deeply look at the evolution of technology in the meeting industry, benefits, current technology trends, use of AV equipment, millennial behavior changing the meeting industry, and ultimately the technology trends been used in meetings after COVID 19 disruption.
Evolution of technology in the meeting Industry
Technological changes in the meeting industry have significantly taken place in the past decades. The first database software (MeetingPro) for the meeting industry was released in 1981 (Boshnakova, 2017). The software enabled the introduction of aspects such as the development of accurate attendance lists, big print name badges, and personalized confirmation letters. In 1982 video conferencing systems came into the picture; compression Labs sold video conference systems worth about 250000 US dollars, and they transformed how meetings were being held in this decade. Technological advancements went on, and in 1983 Delphi Management Systems, which was later rechristened New Market Software, was launched by Eric Orkin. It was the first group sales, comprehensive meetings, catering, and marketing software in the hospitality industry. Microsoft then released PowerPoint 1.0 in 1987, which had one transition and delivered only black and white images. In 1996, the first high definition television (HDTV) was broadcasted in the United States by WRAL-HD, and seven firms develop USB. In the same year, Cardinal Communications created the meeting industry mall, which was the first web-based meeting industry portal, and it was interactive.
In 1999, Bluetooth 1.0 was launched together with the first Blackberry mobile device Blackberry 850) (Albahar, 2016). In 2000, another technological advancement (virtual trade show) was developed. SpotMe made use of this advancement, in its trade show the firm introduced mobile networking device London which allowed attendees to view the contact information and pictures of the others who attended.
The year 2003 saw the development of Wi-Fi, and it was used in over 6000 hotels. In 2004, Facebook started, but it was only limited to Harvard students. Besides that, online booking for hotels also started with Hilton online bookings that year, exceeding those of their call centers. One of the most popular sites on the web, YouTube, came up in 2005, and Twitter opened in 2006. In 2007 there was the development of the iPhone by Apple, and after three years, they introduced iPad (Boshnakova, 2017). 2010 was not only marked by the introduction of iPad but also high definition video conferencing was provided, giving meeting planners the knack to transmit high-quality video signals at no fees in the events. In 2013 Apple introduced iBeacon in the World Wide Developers conference, and in 2010 Microsoft released a new operating system (Windows 10). Currently, mobile applications developed for trade shows and events have tremendously grown, and hundreds of firms are providing technological services related to conventions and meetings.
Technology has continued to change the business environment over the years. In the past, the information in meetings was delivered using flip charts, traditional blackboards, and paper handouts. However, in the contemporary business world, the information in the meetings is being given using sleek PowerPoint presentations (Cao, 2017). Technology has also transformed the way meetings are being planned, as planners now have to add a layer of connectivity and networking during and before the meeting. They do this by creating online communities and using social media tools. The hotel owners are not also been left behind in this race of technological advancement, most of them have invested large sums of money in equipping the convention rooms with equipment that will give their customers the option of hybrid or face to face meetings. The planners are also using customized websites to publicize the program information, travel details, conference material, and they are also employing online registrations software. Studies show in the current decade, the level of technology development in an event highly determines the attendees who will be attracted to the meeting. Besides that, the technologies which are currently highly used are virtual meetings, social media, and mobile applications.
The hotel owners are upgrading their room infrastructures to attract more customers, for instance, by coming up with ways of increasing the Wi-Fi speeds.
Benefits of using modern technology in meetings
The events industry is tremendously growing with one of the studies by the Meeting professionals’ international showing that meetings contribute about 115 billion dollars to the US GDP. The industry is not only growing in America but also in other parts of the world such as Japan, the U.K, and India. The growth has been enhanced by the new technology that is geared towards making events productive and meeting the consumers’ expectations. One of the advantages of the current technology is that it has changed the events industry in aspects such as the tickets are currently going mobile. The attendees of an event can now purchase their tickets using smartphones. The event apps used to do this have highly improved attendee engagement.
The use of technological equipment in planning for an event has also led to costs reduction. It is because technologies such as event apps have increased event attendance by about 20% and reduced costs related to attendance by about 30%. The new technological tools are also upping the audience engagement (Wei, 2017). The meeting planners are making this possible by integrating the use of beacons and audience interaction tools. The current modern tech tools have also made it possible for one to attend a meeting, even if they will be physically unavailable through the use of virtual platforms. The use of virtual reality makes one feel like they are in the room the event is being held (Laitinen, 2018). Besides virtual reality, the use of current technology equipment such as recording equipment is beneficial as the recordings will be used by those who were unable to attend the meeting at the time held. The current modern technology tools also help in directing the attendees who are not familiar with the venue. They are also making the booking process and checking in of the attendees easy.
Technology Trends been adopted by hotels and meeting planners.
For an event to be successful securing a venue, managing registration, and check-ins is not an easy task, but the new technology has come in to help event planners and make the events a success. Knowing the top event technologies in the current decade to make your meeting successful is important to increase attendance and meeting productivity. We will deeply look at these top technology trends been adopted by meeting planners and hotels from those used in preliminary planning sessions, during, and even post the event.
One of the technological trends is facial recognition (Hooi, 2018). The technological equipment records the facial features of the attended from the photo he or she uploaded during registration.
As the attendee checks in during the event, it scans his face. After the face matches, it automates other actions such as badge printing with the person’s name and sending emails of scannable lunch vouchers of each attendee. It is beneficial to the event planners as it speeds up check-ins. Besides that for the hotels, it means less manpower and costs will be incurred. Besides that, the venue becomes more attractive to the meeting planners than the ones without it. Another top technology trend is projection mapping.
In this, the graphics, videos, creative content, and animations are projected on surfaces (Calixte, 2017).
The structures in the venue turn to be vibrant, interactive 3D displays. It is a cost-effective way for the event planners as optical illusions can be created on anything, from landmarks to cars. For the hotel, projection mapping is a plus to them as there is no part of their hall that needs to be constructed or deconstructed to create optical illusions. Another technological trend that has been adopted in meetings is the conference smartphone application. The intention of using these apps in the meeting industry is to provide comprehensive itineraries, outline information on specific seminars, and provide access to the user to essential details such as the reminders of the date the event is happening. It allows those wishing to attend the meeting to interact with like-minded stakeholders. Event diagramming 3D is also another trend being adopted by event planners. The trend helps them get a detailed picture of how the layout of the event will be ensuring effective floor plans, lighting, cabling, seating, among other room elements. The 3 event diagramming software gives one accurate, collaborative, and customizable project planning regardless of the size of the venue or design. Meeting planners are also using Branded multi-use event apps. The apps add more value to the meetings by creating networking opportunities, peer engagement, and interactions. For instance, in its experience 17 events, the world of Harry Potter was brought to life using such apps, which weaved in gamification elements to facilitate learning, amaze, and engage the audience. The second screen has also been adopted in meetings and helps attendees follow the slide presentations, participate in polls, take notes, and take part in text-based questions & answers. It makes the meeting engaging, and attendees can view the videos, tables, and graphs without strain. There are also wearable techs that have helped in increasing the engagement and productivity of attendees. They include the smart badges and wrist bands utilizing near-field communication (NFC) chips (Ruiz, 2016). They help the attendees in exchanging information with their peers, accessing different areas in the event,
making cashless purchases, among other things. Another technology trend that is being used and helps the attendees navigate different event areas easily is the indoor wayfinding. The IPS (indoor position systems) use Bluetooth beacons to send out signals which are read by mobile apps (Challa, 2019). We also have the venue sourcing platforms which event planners are connecting with to find out the perfect site for the event they are planning for. Through platforms such as Cvent Supplier network, they can now easily send quote requests, RFPs, and be in a position to follow them through event management software. It is beneficial to the event planners as they can manage bids, track meeting expenditures, determine the availability of the venues, and build eRFPs. The RFID (Radio-frequency identification) is a low-cost trend being adopted by hotels and meeting planners to store admission information of the attendees to detect streamline access and fraud.
Use of AV equipment in meetings
Audio Visual equipment have also been highly used in the meetings to make them interactive and productive. The AV equipment, just like other technology equipment, are evolving, and each decade is marked by new AV products, for instance, currently, we have the new Shure’ sMV88 digital stereo condenser microphone. It offers high-quality digital recording when capturing video and audio interviews, lectures, and performances. It is also iOS compatible, allowing the meeting planners to share the recording with those who were unable to attend the convention. Another collaborative AV equipment is the throwable mic. Just as the name suggests, it is a wireless microphone that can be tossed by the speaker to any of the attendees (Hume, 2018).
The mic makes the meeting to be interactive and adds a little sweetness to the traditional Q&A session. The mic has a magnetic locking mechanism that keeps the mic intact even after it is tossed, and the inner capsule does not pop out. Besides this AV equipment that makes the meeting interactive and exciting virtual reality using Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, VR or
PlayStation enhances attendees’ experiences and also helps those who want to attend it without physically being there.
Millennial behavior changing the meeting industry
The largest segment of the labor force in most countries in the current decade are the millennials. Therefore the most significant number of potential attendees in any meeting are the millennials. Thus there is a need to understand them since the meeting industry is shaped by the attendees to cater to their preferences for the meeting to be successful. The meeting industry has, therefore, significantly changed to accommodate their behaviors. So what do they exactly want?
One of the things that they highly value and want to be integrated into the meetings is networking. They also highly value experiences even than material goods and want to share these experiences on social media platforms.
They also prefer face to face meetings and are technologically savvy. These characteristics have profoundly redefined the meeting industry as it has to suit their needs and preferences.
Adoption of various modern technology trends after COVID 19 disruption
One of the things, in most conversations today, is on the disruption caused by COVID- 19 in the globe. The event planners and professions in the meeting industry are also claiming that they, too, have been affected by the pandemic. There is a need to make tough decisions on what will be the next step on the set meetings, and if a pressing issue comes up in the organization, how will the meeting be organized? Studies show that from the onset of this pandemic, more than 100 events have been canceled, and waking up to the news of postponements has become a norm. The meeting organizers have found themselves in a
tough situation as, on the one hand, they have to uphold the safety of the attendees, sponsors, and staff. Still, on the other hand, they have to meet their financial obligations and minimize losses brought about by the COVID -19 disruption. Thus some of the meeting organizers have adopted various modern technological trends to redesign the meetings and reduce losses that would have come up if the meeting does not take place. One of them is redesigning the meetings from face to face meetings to virtual events (Porpiglia, 2020). In the past couple of weeks, most conventions and meetings have been redesigned as virtual events.
If a firm can adopt, it is the most incredible alternative in these tough times and can reach a broad audience even than that of the traditional live events. Some of the meeting planners are also redesigning meetings into hybrid events.
It is a mixture of virtual and live components. In this, a small number of people can attend the meeting in the physical venue while the larger audience attends the meeting virtually. The logistics in such an event are complex than those of a virtual event. It is because they require two types of infrastructure; digital and physical.
However, there are advantages such as the organizers can easily modify them to virtual events if need be and will attract sponsors who would not have been attracted to a life event during these challenging times.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the technology used in the meeting industry has greatly evolved from the use of flip charts to the use of technologies such as sleek PowerPoint presentations. Technological advancements are beneficial to the meeting industry as they are making meetings to be more engaging, interactive, and attendees get to network with others. The changes have been influenced by various factors, such as the millennial characteristics, as they are the primary attendees of most conventions in the current decade. Different equipment have been adopted to match their interest, including the AV equipment such as the throwable mic. Besides that, currently, there is a disruption that has been brought about by Coronavirus pandemic changing how meetings were held a couple of weeks ago. Some of the meetings have been canceled while other meeting organizers are redesigning them to virtual or hybrid events.