Welcome! Tech or no-tech?

I know, corny title. But I’m a bit rusty, long time since I added a post.

As we are looking back at the past half year and getting ready  for exciting things this fall and winter, my usual summer job is preparing the annual trend view for my company. 

What are the big trends and developments in meetings and events? Where will we stand in, say, 2017?  And, more importantly, how can we act upon the big changes? 

What do we need to do to ensure that all visitors, exhibitors and organizers will experience their best event ever in the years to come?

Needless to say, event technology plays a big role in the trends. Whether it’s about ROI, big data, wearables, beacons, apps or social media: we all seem to agree that meetings will be affected by technology more than ever before. On every level. Or do we?

This week I read two news items that seem to tell two different stories.

In Cupertino, CA , the Aloft hotel started experimenting with robot service.  An experiment in which a robot is used to deliver “razors, toothbrushes, smartphone chargers, snacks and even the morning paper” to any of the rooms in a matter of minutes. It uses wireless to operate the elevator, and can sense it when the hotel room door opens. It does not ask for tips, but for a review on social media, and apparently does a dance when it receives a mention…Wow.  Any ideas for the event industry? I could think of a few…

On the other side of the world, in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum (contemporary art museum) decided to get rid of the electronic  turnstiles in the main entrance and instead have museum staff welcome visitors, check their tickets and give a personal, human welcome to the collection.  This is in line with the museum director’s vision of an open and inviting  environment. Any ideas for the event industry? I could think of a few…again.

So which would you prefer? Robot service or a personal touch?

In my opinion? I want best of both worlds. When I go to an event, I want both the personal touch AND the amazing technology. Wow me, inspire me and make me feel at home. And I think I am not alone here J. So my trend view will feature both tech and no-tech developments: it all comes down to a memorable and meaningful event-experience.

Note to tech: IF we get robots, can they be retro? Almost human :-)

See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/12/technology/hotel-to-begin-testing-botlr-a-robotic-bellhop.html?_r=0  for more details on the Aloft robot.

Outside looking in

The Dutch have interesting habits and ideas… I’m sure many are all too familiar.

But did you know that we often leave our curtains open in the evenings? When you walk on the streets at night, you can have a peek at families eating dinner, sitting in front of TV’s and other screens, celebrating birthdays, and so on.

 It all stems from a Calvinistic past, when the citizens felt a need to show that they were leading honest, sober lives.  But even in 2014 we do it. We’re on display, you can see what we are up to. Apparently we still  want to show the outside world that we are happy, responsible people living good lives in nice homes. And we have big windows, too.

I was thinking about this in relation to hybrid events and streams. In a way organizers are inviting us all to have a look,  using a screen as the window, and showing passers-by their content and products. 

In my experience – it is by far the best way to let a wide audience experience who you  are, and might result in a future face-to-face visit. 

Inspired by the window you show. No need to keep the curtains closed!

Anyway, I am looking forward to PCMA Convening Leaders, FRESH Conference and other events that are kind enough to invite me to have a look in their homes…and even join in the conversation with the people that are there. In that respect, hybrid events are even more inviting than an open window – they are opening their doors.

Evolutionairy Road

These days it seems almost impossible to take things slow. We are following trends and new ideas like greyhounds, hoping to be the first to catch on to the latest app, the breaking news, the next big thing. Always on the go.

I must be getting old, but I have the feeling we do not allow ourselves the time to focus anymore. To slow down. To see clearly where we are going, and still look at the scenery along the way. Allowing for distractions, even. Because these might just add new thoughts and meaning to whatever goal we have in mind. Allowing a little bit of trial and error.

Hah! That reminds me of our road trip to Italy this summer. Our car broke down three (!) times on our way from Amsterdam to Ancona, but we had the best view of the Adriatic see. And some quality time to reflect :-)

Well , I am planning to stop and use my breaks a little more from now on.  Smell the flowers, see the sky, so to speak. How?

Using event  research in a more relaxed manner. Sure I know my goals and the objectives, and I will still deliver on time. But hey, if I spend a few extra  hours to look at reports more closely, add new angles or combinations, I might stumble upon an idea that is worth investigating. Small and slow. The dirt road just might  be the connection we were looking for.

Using social media in a better way. Planning time during the weekend to really read those blogs. Think about their content, see who can benefit from them, and pass them on. Not just retweet, but making it personal. Adding thoughts, asking feedback. More with less.  

Using event technology more based on personal need. To use as a reference after the event, for instance. Allowing myself to follow sessions as I see fit, ignoring networking tools once in a while and just enjoying the conversation. Or the white space. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love event tech, but not when it dictates the way I should connect. And, especially, the pace I should do it in. Even at events, it is worth to take it slow now and then. One great conversation might teach me more than a quick scan of the entire room...

So there you have it. Relax! And allow yourself a few mistakes. With the speed that we are going now, there is plenty of time to  adjust. Happy travels!

A day in the life……

Making a case for role-rotation. An all-day role rotation. On every platform.

For better hybrid events.

We all heard about job rotation. In a company, people from cleaning and sales, procurement and security, catering and traffic – you name it - change responsibilities for a day and get a better understanding of the challenges, perks, needs and gains of  a certain role within an organization.

How would this translate to events? Given the fact that we have organizers AND delegates in the same “company”? And, to make it even more challenging: given the fact that we have participants online?

I know that organizers participate in events as delegates and that delegates can be caterers in their day-to-day job – but that is not what I mean. I mean a deliberate change of roles for a day. For a specific new stakeholder group: the hybrid event organizers. 

Do we really know how a virtual delegate spends its “event day”? 

The thing is: we don’t see them at the event. So how can we “get” their involvement? I think that there is still a gap we need to close.

How can we close it? By stepping in the shoes of our virtual attendees. Totally. Change places. Learn about their knowledge of programs and tech. Their workload and anticipation. Their knowledge and expectations about virtual events…and invite them to step into our shoes.

So if you would participate virtually instead of organize.. realistically? Take it from someone who’s been there:

- you are working partly during the event and missing some sessions

- you often do not know beforehand which platform you will be required to have

- you will miss the first moments because of tech hick-ups – yours.

- you will not know beforehand which gaming aspect is used and what you need to do for it. ( Let alone how much time you are required to spend on it)

- you will not know beforehand who else is participating and how to get to know them

Would that change your perspective?  Working away and stopping to dowload programs, finding a way to follow a schedule that requires an all day involvement in between meetings and lunch?  Would it make you design "light" hybrids?  

I'd love to hear....

Engaging all senses – virtually

Hybrid visitors, virtual participans, online attendees… is seems that more and more events are in need of connecting  their audiences in other ways than classic face to face encounters.

A new kind of events in need of a new kind of meeting perception?

Sure.  

Not in the least because an online attendee has a different experience of an event: some of the senses that “make” the event are lost. What about smell, taste, touch? Is a virtual attendee resticted to vision and hearing?  Are we missing out?

Some days ago I participated in a brainstorm about the senses for virtual attendees. A brainstorm that was mainly virtual in itself: we used Google Hangouts to connect  event professionals from different countries .The summary is on youtube and blogs, but there was one discussion in particular that  sparked my imagination.

We were talking about the loss of some senses for virtual attendees and came up with the “Virtual Handshake”. A way to make you feel welcome in the event.  Anyone used someting like that before? A toolkit with components of all senses, partly  send to you via oldfashioned mail, to give you an extra “feel”of  an event?

Message in a bottle?

Just imagine. You are attending an event online, and you have your “Virtual handshake”. The kit has a pen of the venue, napkin, USB,  maybe some Catalist Ranch style goodies or so,  all stuff that an attendee uses at the venue. 

And then the kit has an online  part as well; including an instruction how to get the screen the way you want it, how to give speakers a virtual handshake (would love to see some alternatives to the smileys ), how to engage with the other attendees (explain Hangouts!!), choice of break music, suggestions for snacks and drinks…… all sent to you well before the event starts.  

How would that change your participation? Feel more included and make you stay online longer? Give a sense of belonging? Have a better experience?  Engage all senses?

Would love to try it one out some time!

Are we on the same page ?

This week we had a tweetchat with European event professionals. It is a small chat we just started, but already it has given me lots of food for thought.

We were talking about scares for the events industry and @triqle mentioned seeing a “larger and larger 'imagination gap' between tech possibilities & planners”, which triggered something that I have been chewing on for a while. Are we all on the same page when it comes to event technology and social media? Or at least reading the same chapter of the same book? I wonder…

Early October I participated in a meeting with European association executives. During one of the discussion sessions we formed groups to talk about social media.

I was prepared to have in depth discussions about the use of various platforms, tech needed for specific issues, mobile and hybrid solutions, but found myself talking with quite a few associations who were just beginning to find out about new technological possibilities, never saw a tweet and not sure about the impact of a Facebook page. Never had the need for an app for their event, but in a way feeling that they should investigate. What if their members expected this?

Well, they do. Most of them. Soon.

Even though it seems that we are all using roughly the same new technologies (and I am not an early adaptor in most of them), in fact we are not. Planners, associations, exhibitors, event organizers and their visitors all have very different skills and needs when it comes to event technology, mobile platforms and social media.  New segments in visitor needs, new ways to deliver content, a whole new chapter… and a need to see that we are probably not all on the same page.

It is time to address the "information and imagination gap" and start segmenting: I would love to see events where the same content could be custom made to appeal to all delegates: in classic conference setting, in unconference rooms, as a game, online, in an app, streaming… it would be really something if event technology could be tailor made for each delegate: content and community as you like it.

And if you don’t know where to start  find a tech interpreter: the only way to  make sure that to bridge the imagination gap, we should at least be reading the same book. With a sequel, of course.