Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

lbradford

Virtual Totebags Are Here

Virtual tote bags are here! Our newest addition to the virtual trade show platform allows attendees to collect and store exhibitor resources. What are exhibitor resources? For events using our virtual trade show platform, exhibitor and sponsor profiles include a “Resources” section where they can share all of the materials they would like to offer to their booth visitors. Visitors can view those resources directly from the company profile or add them to their personal tote bag to view later. This digital content replaces the materials that exhibitors would have displayed in a physical booth location. However, in a virtual... Read more »

kchopson

Using Twitter to Promote Your Conference Year Round

It goes without saying: You’re probably using Twitter to promote your conference. Conference and trade show organizers have long embraced the social media platform, which makes sense. Twitter is used by nearly 40% of Americans, and millions of young professionals – that attend lots of trade shows and conferences – use the platform every day. In other words, if you’re not promoting your conference on Twitter, you’re missing a massive opportunity to connect with and engage potential guests. Convinced you should be tweeting up a storm to promote your event? Well, to be successful on Twitter, you have to have... Read more »

kchopson

EventRebels Mobile Lead Retrieval App Video

EventRebels’ Mobile Lead Retrieval App Video ERLead is a lead retrieval app designed to allow exhibitors the ability to scan leads directly with their smartphones or tablets at a fraction of the cost of traditional lead retrieval hardware rentals. We’ve created a little video for exhibitors to show how easy it is! Contact us if you would like to find out more!    

4 Best Practices for Creating Social Media Content For Your Conference

Last week I shared the importance of creating a social media listening model. Now that you’re listening to what is going on during your conference, it’s time to think about the best practices for creating content to share with your event’s attendees. Here are 4 best practices for creating social media content for your conference. Prepare some of your content BEFORE you ever arrive on site Tweets with photos average 35% higher retweet rate than text alone. As the organization in charge of the event, you should be setting an example, not playing catch up, when it comes to shareable content.... Read more »

The Decision to Attend Study: Phase 1

Decision to Attend Study

The Decision to Attend Study, created in partnership by The Experience Institute, IAEE, and PCMA, has begun it’s Phase 2. Yesterday, Mickey Schaefer of The Experience Institute shared some of the key findings in Phase 1. We’ve taken the liberty of compiling those findings for you. Take a look at the major takeaways. Propensity to Attend The Propensity to Attend is High Across All Generations. 92% are likely to attend, with younger generations trending strong. Younger Generations Are Replacing Older Generation Attendees. As the older generations attend fewer events, the younger Gen X and Gen Y generations are filling the void. The... Read more »

Do’s & Dont’s: Lessons From MPI’s WEC 2015

We’ve just returned from Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress in San Francisco, CA. Here’s a few lessons we’d like to share with you. DO: Host your conference in San Francisco San Francisco was an incredible backdrop for this year’s WEC. From the sights and sounds, to the food and drinks, San Francisco didn’t hold back a thing! The conference took on a truly San Francisco feel as well. From it’s use of emerging technology, to incorporating iconic San Francisco brands, you knew exactly where you were. DON’T: Have clowns at your opening reception Although the decor of the opening reception... Read more »

Design Rebel: Summer Camp

Design Rebel: Summer Camp

There’s nothing that says summer time nostalgia quite like summer camp. The one time a year that we got to get away from our family, socialize with our friends who lived in different states, learn new skills, and party every night. Sounds a lot like a conference if you ask me. So, it should come as no surprise that more and more meetings are taking lessons from summer camp and applying them to their meetings. Here are just a few examples of how you can turn your conference into a nostalgic trip to summer camp for your attendees. Campfire Sessions Campfires... Read more »

Rebel Roundup: CES, Wi-Fi on planes, Attendee Subscriptions

This week’s rebel round-up includes articles about social media engagement, CES, wi-fi on planes, the future of event design, attendee subscriptions, and Cvent!  Enjoy! Using Social Media To Extend Event Engagement: Ideas And Insights From Oracle – Greg Oates (@GregOates) The Consumer Electronics Show will limit next year’s ticket sales – The Verge (@Verge) The Beginning Of The End For Terrible Wi-Fi On Planes – Buzzfeed News (@BuzzfeedNews) The Future of Event Design: What Will Live Experiences Look Like in the Next Few Years? -BizBash (@Bizbash) Should You Be Selling Subscriptions To Your Attendees? – PCMA (@pcmahq) Cvent acquires meeting tool SignUp4 for $22 million – tnooz (@tnooz) See... Read more »

Tech Tuesday: The Future of Event Websites – No Coding Necessary

Event Rebels Tech Tuesday

Your event website can make or break your event registration. As the first line of offense when attracting attendance, your website is necessary to provide up to date information on your event, answers to frequently asked questions, and all the minor details one needs to know when deciding to attend your event like hotel, transportation, and the schedule of events. One of the biggest issues I encountered when working for an association was creating and editing our website. We just didn’t have the level of coding skill necessary. Even making basic changes required sending a request to our IT department.... Read more »

Mobile Monday: 365 Day Event App Engagement

Event Rebels Mobile Monday

Engagement 365 days a year. That’s the ultimate goal of every association or corporation that spends money on their event apps. Nobody likes a one time only use app. It takes up space on your phone and ultimately gets buried in a folder of apps that you no longer use or gets deleted completely. Neither of those situations is ideal for the app that your association just paid thousands of dollars for. If you’re just looking to create an app that provides information about your specific event, then a basic throw-away app is probably what you should get. But, if... Read more »

kchopson

Mobile Monday: ORI and EventRebels Announce Partnership to Provide New Seamless Event Analytics Solution

Event Rebels Mobile Monday

Herndon, Va. – April 9, 2015 – ORI, a market research and strategic business intelligence firm, and EventRebels, a leading provider of online registration, mobile and web software for conferences and trade shows, today announced a partnership that will enable them to offer meeting and event planners a new seamless event analytics solution to mine smarter and more actionable insights from attendee registration data and post-event evaluations. On the front end of this solution, EventRebels’ ER Online registration product for conferences and trade shows aggregates and breaks down demographics and other important data on attendees to help event organizers better... Read more »

Rebel Wanderer: The High Seas

In honor of the announcement that Dreamforce 2015 has partnered with Celebrity Cruises to provide hotel accommodations on a luxury cruise ship, the Dream Boat, as well as a little April Fool’s mischief, the Rebel Wanderer is presenting some aquatic venues to you today. The Dream Boat Of course we’ll start off with the Dream Boat itself. This year, Dreamforce has partnered with Celebrity Cruises to add accommodations right on the San Francisco Bay with a stunning cruise ship that will be docked at Pier 27 throughout the conference. Many of the spacious rooms feature views of the bay or the... Read more »

Rebel Wanderer: DMAI Destinations Showcase

This week we’re doing something a little bit different with the Rebel Wanderer, because today is DMAI’s Destinations Showcase. Instead of getting to experience one city, the Rebel Wanderer is going to experience them all. For those of you unaware, DMAI’s Destinations Showcase Washington, DC is North America’s largest one-day event exclusively bringing conference, convention, and trade show professionals together with exhibiting meeting destinations from the United States and beyond. In addition to the expo, there are education breakout sessions in the morning and a keynote luncheon. This year’s keynote address is being delivered by Marshawn Evans Daniels. Marshawn is a... Read more »

Tech Tuesday: Meerkat Explodes At SXSW

Event Rebels Tech Tuesday

“We’ve seen a lot of people taking it to conferences, streaming to more than 1200 people. Have you ever held your phone with 1200 people watching?” said Ben Rubin, CEO of Meerkat, the live video tweet app that has taken SXSW by storm. Meerkat lets users live-stream video over Twitter and interact with followers who are watching. “The mission of the app is to get live video to travel in the speed of tweets,” Meerkat CEO Ben Rubin said in an interview with USA TODAY broadcast over the app. Meerkat’s popularity is more proof that attendees of events and conferences... Read more »

Tech Tuesday: Is a Google Event App a Threat to Current Suppliers?

Event Rebels Tech Tuesday

While little is known about the Google Event App, Google has published a new mobile events application on Google Play called “Interactive Events.” Here’s what we can tell you: 1. Google appears to have accidentally released the unfinished app and a true release date is yet to be determined. 2. Access to event information appears to use QR codes and confirmation codes for user identification. 3. Sync with Google Calendar will be an option. 4. Standard features like agenda, location, speakers, videos and notes are present. So, is Google poised to take down all the Mom and Pop event app suppliers on... Read more »

Mobile Monday: Attendees as Participants

Event Rebels Mobile Monday

As we continue to explore new engagement offerings for our attendees, it’s important to begin making a distinction between what an attendee and a participant is. While attendees in the past may have had a passive role at an event or conference, participants want to be involved and they consider themselves stakeholders. Crowdsourcing is a buzzword that is thrown around often when discussing participants in the event and meeting process. It will be interesting to see when an industry association like PCMA or MPI is willing to take the bullet and attempt a crowdsourced conference. The combination of social media and... Read more »

kchopson

Rebel Wanderer: Long Beach, California

As an old family home, I have many fond memories of Long Beach, California. I can’t think of any city with more beautiful street names – Bellflower, Cherry, Ximeno, Alamitos – it seems like every one is a gem. Having recently seen both “Gone in 60 Seconds” movies, I realized that the films were homages to this wonderful ocean-side city with one of the most bustling ports in the world. Downtown Long Beach Even when downtown Long Beach was considered an eyesore, the area had a certain special quality. It’s now defunct “Acres of Books” store was a popular haunt... Read more »

Rebel Wanderer: Charlotte’s Got A Lot

If you’ve never been to Charlotte before you don’t even know what you’re missing. I had the pleasure of learning more about this incredible destination from our friends at Visit Charlotte. I had no idea there was so much to do there. When they say “Charlotte’s Got A Lot” they aren’t kidding. This week we’re highlighting three unique venues we think you need to know about! NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame provides you with a venue where you can experience it all. Have a reception encircled by NASCAR memorabilia in the Great Hall, eat dinner beside a NASCAR Hall... Read more »

Tech Tuesday: Slo-Mo Is The New Photo

Event Rebels Tech Tuesday

We’ve all seen the party photo booths with tables full of props, crazy hats, and fake mustaches. In fact, you probably have a couple photo strips from your cousin’s wedding taped to your cubicle, right? Photo booths have been a popular party trend for a while now. But, there’s something new hitting the event circuit, the slo-mo video booth! More and more companies are popping up like The Slow Motion Booth and SloMo Lounge that offer this unique video experience. This innovative event entertainment activity offers broadcast quality, high definition slow motion playback by shooting video at 240 frames for per second using... Read more »

Rebel Wanderer: Boston

Boston may be covered in snow right now, but after being named the US Olympic Committee’s 2024 Summer Olympic Bid choice nobody can deny that Boston is a hot destination. I had the pleasure of visiting Boston for the first time a year ago for PCMA’s 2014 Convening Leaders and discovered that this historic city has a lot to offer. Boston Common The starting point of the Freedom Trail, Boston Common is the oldest park in the country. The park is almost 50 acres in size. Fittingly, many historic memorials fill the park including the Plaque to the Great Elm... Read more »

kchopson

Seven Hot Meeting Technologies to Watch in 2014

hot

The meetings industry is riding the wave of many exciting technology trends. Here are seven to watch – be ready to make them part of your meeting! Mobile Mobile is the dominant technology of the moment. For planners, the most important application is the meeting app. At a minimum, these apps need to be the go-to place for the show’s schedule, the individual’s itinerary and maps. Apps are also taking on many other duties: social networking, exhibitor/sponsor guides, speaker directories, audience response systems, surveys, and replacing traditional hardware like those used for lead retrieval. Responsive Web Sites An individual may... Read more »

kchopson

EventRebels API Documentation

EventRebels has two APIs. EventRebels XML API (API 1.0) EROnline Online Registration API documentation ERPeople Online Membership Management API documentation EventRebels JSON/REST API (API 2.0) Click here to view the documentation.