Posts Categorized: What’s New

kchopson

How Event Professionals Can Think About “Reality” Technologies: Part Two – 3D Video

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, What's New.

virtual reality

There has been a lot of press lately about how technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Technology (AR) are going to change events. To best know how to utilize these technologies in a cost-effective manner it is best to understand that these tools are in a continuum ranging from the relatively simple and inexpensive to the complex and costly. To simplify this continuum, it might be helpful to look at these emerging “reality” and “3D” technologies in four different ways. This week we look at 3D video. You probably have experienced 3D in the movie theaters. In fact, 3D... Read more »

kchopson

How to get started with Conference Management Software: Part Six – Successful Event Email Marketing

Posted by & filed under Email - How to Use Effectively, Event Marketing, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, What's New.

This series has been reviewing how event technology can be employed at various points in the lifecycle of an association’s annual conference. After you have opened online registration and your online trade show sales, you can now start using event technology to drive revenue. In particular, targeted Email communications still remains one of the best ways to get companies and individuals to sign up for your conference. Event technology can help you communicate with potential attendees in a number of different ways: Scheduled Email Campaigns. Great event management software will let you plan out your marketing campaigns in advance through... Read more »

kchopson

How to Use Registration Data to Boost Conference Attendance

Posted by & filed under Data Analysis, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings, Meetings Technology, Online Registration - Keys to Success, What's New.

Reports

Did you know that your registration database of past meetings can be a goldmine of information that can increase your marketing efficiency and boost attendance at your next conference? If you have been using great online registration software to record your attendee data, you may have the keys to catapulting your registration numbers to the next level. Here are some ways you can use your registration data to reach your goals.Week over Week reports. It is common practice to see how your show is trending compared to previous years. Week over Week reports comparing factors like total registrations and revenue... Read more »

kchopson

How to get started with Conference Management Software: Part Five – Developing Your Conference Program Schedule

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Speakers, What's New.

Conference Campfire Session

Event technology can provide a bewildering range of choices for the meeting planner. A good place to start making sense of the range of options is to look at how software can be utilized at the various stages of the event lifecycle. This series has been looking at the the lifecycle from the point of view of an association’s annual conference. We are now at the point of looking at tools that can help you in your day-to-day work in the months leading up to the conference. About the time of your previous annual conference, you may have already opened... Read more »

kchopson

How Event Professionals Can Think About “Reality” Technologies: Part One – 360-Degree Video

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, What's New.

virtual reality

There has been a lot of press lately about how technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Technology (AR) are going to change events. To best know how to utilize these technologies in a cost-effective manner it is best to understand that these tools are in a continuum ranging from the relatively simple and inexpensive to the complex and costly. To simplify this continuum, it might be helpful to look at these emerging “reality” and “3D” technologies in four different ways. This week we look at the low-hanging fruit of reality technology – 360-degree video. What is 360-degree video? 360-degree... Read more »

kchopson

How Verifying Your Conference Attendees Can Help Your Bottom Line

Posted by & filed under Event Marketing, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Online Registration - Keys to Success, QR Codes, Trade Show, What's New.

Conference Attendees

In the mad rush to get ready for a conference, it is easy to ignore one of the most important metrics of show – namely, who actually attended. Planners often overlook this metric because the registration revenue is already in the bank so, in their overworked mind, it is not particularly important knowing who actually showed up. This is a major mistake because knowing your attendees from your no-shows is very important for your planning, marketing and bottom line. There are two things you should take into account when getting ready to verify your attendees. Know the difference between Attendance... Read more »

kchopson

Organizations on Twitter that Meeting Professionals Need to Follow

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Social Media, What's New.

Twitter has positioned itself as the social media place to go for meetings and events. Last time we looked at a number of the top meeting professionals you should follow. In addition, many of the industry’s top organizations and media companies have also latched on to Twitter as a great place to deliver their message. These companies have proven that if you follow them, they will keep you on top of the breaking trends. @BizBash BizBash is the place to go to get cool ideas for your events. @EventMB The Event Manager Blog is a standard of event industry news.... Read more »

kchopson

How to get started with Conference Management Software: Part Four – Opening Online Registration

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Online Registration - Keys to Success, What's New.

Event technology can provide a bewildering range of choices for the meeting planner. A good place to start making sense of the range of options is to look at how software can be utilized at the various stages of the event lifecycle. In this series, we will look at the lifecycle from the point of view of an association’s annual conference. In past weeks, we have looked at software that often goes live immediately after the prior year’s conference. In this part of the series, we look at tools that can help you in your day-to-day work in the months... Read more »

kchopson

5+ Meeting Pros on Twitter You Need to Follow

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Social Media, What's New.

Twitter

Twitter has positioned itself as the social media place to go for meetings and events. The industry’s thought leaders have latched on to Twitter as a great place to deliver their message. The Twitter accounts we describe here represent some of these leaders. You should follow these folks to stay on top of the breaking trends. @corbinball No one tops Corbin Ball when it comes to meetings technology. Look for his feed to find every which way technology can impact meetings. @jeffhurt Jeff Hurt is the leading blogger for Velvet Chainsaw’s popular site. Jeff writes about all things meetings, non-profits,... Read more »

kchopson

How to get started with Conference Management Software: Part Three – Setup Online Credit Card Processing

Posted by & filed under Credit Cards, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Online Registration - Keys to Success, Trade Show, What's New.

Online Credit Card

As was seen in the first issues of this series, navigating through the myriad of event technology choices can be one of the toughest assignments a meeting professional can face. Just breaking down the possibilities into categories can be a daunting assignment itself. A helpful way to approach this problem is to see how software can be utilized at the various stages of the event lifecycle. Many activities for next year’s show begin right after the current one ends. To keep things simple, we will look at the lifecycle from the point of view of an association’s annual conference. This... Read more »

kchopson

How to get started with Conference Management Software: Part Two – Open Trade Show Sales

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Resources Trade Show, Trade Show, What's New.

Trade Show Exhibition

As was seen in the first issue of this series, navigating through the myriad of event technology choices can be one of the toughest assignments a meeting professional can face. Just breaking down the possibilities into categories can be a daunting assignment itself. A helpful way to approach this problem is to see how software can be utilized at the various stages of the event lifecycle. Many activities for next year’s show begin right after the current one ends. To keep things simple, we will look at the lifecycle from the point of view of an association’s annual conference. This... Read more »

kchopson

How to get started with Conference Management Software: Part One – Choosing Your Speakers

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Speakers, What's New.

Conference Campfire Session

Navigating through the myriad of event technology choices can be one of the toughest assignments a meeting professional can face. Just breaking down the possibilities into categories can be a daunting assignment itself. A helpful way to approach this problem is to see how software can be utilized at the various stages of the event lifecycle. Many activities for next year’s show begin right after the current one ends. To keep things simple, we will look at the lifecycle from the point of view of an association’s annual conference. This week we will look at choosing your speakers. Opening Up... Read more »

kchopson

Using Destination International’s empowerMINT Tool to search Meeting Destinations

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings, Meetings Technology, Product Reviews, What's New.

empowerMINT

Looking for a good destination for your meeting but need some basic facts like convention center capacity, nearby hotels and airport, and so forth? Fortunately, there is a great and free tool available called empowerMINT that helps you quickly get answers to your questions. Note that the empowerMINT website is for destinations and not venues. Destinations International (DI) represents the various destinations across the United States and is the organization behind empowerMINT. The Destination Marketing terminology evolved from the old concept of a CVB (aka “Convention and Visitors Bureau”.) DI used to be the International Association of Convention Bureaus (IACB),... Read more »

kchopson

2017’s Hot Food & Beverage Trends for Events

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings, What's New.

Bloody Mary

2017 is coming up fast and you are considering everything that can make your show as awesome as possible. Do not forget that the best way to add spice to your events is to have an unforgettable food and beverage menu. Fortunately, it is an exciting time in the F&B world, so there are many opportunities available to add that extra pizazz. Here are some of the top F&B trends in 2017 that can make your event “a can’t miss.” Keep it Local and Sustainable Supporting local markets just continues to grow in importance. The best part of local is... Read more »

kchopson

Great Resources for Event Professionals

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings, Meetings Technology, What's New.

One of the toughest tasks of an event professional is keeping up with the multitude of changes and trends that impact your job. Fortunately, there are a number of great resources that can keep you posted on the latest news and trends in the world of events, conferences and trade shows. The sites mentioned cover news ranging from new hotels to hot event technology. Most of these feature easy to access postings that you can read on your phone in the few moments when you have a break or are waiting for a plane. Event Manager Blog. This blog is... Read more »

kchopson

Will your meeting get hacked?

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Internet Security, What's New.

hacker

The widespread release of sensitive information such as credit card and social security numbers has grabbed headlines, disrupting business for several major corporations. Over the past five years, well-respected companies including Sony, Target and Staples have been hacked. As cyber criminals become more sophisticated, the impact of these breaches has spread beyond the general public. Recently, in one of the biggest, most spectacular U.S. cyber attacks, the personal data of 18 million current, prospective or former federal employees was successfully compromised. While it may be comforting to think hackers only go after big-name companies and organizations, it would be a... Read more »

But did you plan for Cyber Security?

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Internet Security, What's New.

cyber locks security

The meeting, events, and conference industry is one that hinges on meticulous planning. The level of preparedness we have observed in our three years providing Cyber Security to events has been nothing short of impressive. There seems to be a formal or informal contingency for nearly everything, with an event staff agile enough to handle almost any hiccup. So, why isn’t the same level of attention being paid to cyber threats at these events? “Cyber” is certainly at the front of the headlines, and the public is probably more aware now than they were before major companies in every industry... Read more »

kchopson

Ten Signs That You Are Using Sub-Standard Online Registration Software

Posted by & filed under Credit Cards, Event Rebels Blog, Online Registration - Keys to Success, What's New.

Have you heard of someone who bought an online registration software package that promised to deliver an attractive form and save time, only to find these expectations were not met? Did they get a lot of complaints from registrants? Was the software so limited that the planner had to spend long, late hours creating spreadsheets to manage tasks the software could not handle? Fortunately, there are some tell-tale signs that an online registration package is sub-standard. If you look for these during the evaluation process, you can be spared the pain of the unfortunate planner.Online registration form looks like a... Read more »

kchopson

Ten Ways to Use Facebook Live & Periscope Streaming Apps for Your Conference

Posted by & filed under Event Marketing, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Social Media, What's New.

Live Streaming Phone Apps

Live streaming apps have quickly been recognized as a terrific way to extend your meeting’s brand beyond in-person attendees. Twitter’s Periscope was the first to show the possibilities of live streaming events. However, the arrival of Facebook Live offers a chance to expand your show’s reach to Facebook’s giant ecosystem of over a billion users. The good news is you do not need to pick just one of these apps – you can use both! Since these free apps are a particularly good way to reduce expensive A/V costs, they will be particularly attractive to smaller meetings. Here are some... Read more »

kchopson

Is Your Online Registration Form ADA Compliant?

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Mobile Event Apps, Online Registration - Keys to Success, What's New.

Section508Logo

Is your website ADA compliant? Section 508 is the key portion of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) that deals with websites. The provision was enacted in 1998 to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. For years, developers have often created websites that are Section 508 compliant only if the site is part of a government contract or have an audience that requires these standards. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing amount of cases where websites that are not compliant have opened themselves... Read more »

kchopson

How to Find Great Abstract Peer Review Software for Your Conference

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Speakers, What's New.

Papers Falling

There are few aspects of speaker management that can be more painful than the process of conducting a peer review from an open Call for Papers. If the review is conducted in the classical way, the planners will find themselves buried in a bewildering collection of PDFs, Word docs and spreadsheets. Hours upon hours can be spent communicating with the review team, collating information and somehow trying to make sense of it all. In between all of this manual work is the need to give proper consideration to all the submissions and being fair in the final judgments of which... Read more »

kchopson

Use FOMO to Promote Your Conference!

Posted by & filed under Event Marketing, Event Rebels Blog, Social Media, What's New.

Have you ever experienced FOMO, aka the Fear of Missing Out? You may have gone through FOMO if your peers are about to have a great experience – and you may not be there. In fact, some studies have shown that millennials, in particular, are susceptible to FOMO. Largely as a result of social media, FOMO has become a widely discussed phenomenon. FOMO is not just about having fun. Fear of being left behind professionally by missing a great conference, for example, can have the same effect. The funny thing is that high quality face-to-face meetings, rather than being hurt... Read more »

kchopson

EventRebels Supports Stripe Payment Gateway

Posted by & filed under Credit Cards, Event Rebels Blog, Online Registration - Keys to Success, Trade Show, What's New.

Online Credit Card

EventRebels is now supporting the Stripe payment gateway, one of the hottest processors around. Stripe has a simple setup and pricing model. The product also makes it easy for newcomers to online credit card processing to get on the air. EventRebels supports Stripe for both their EROnline Online Registration and ERShow Online Trade Show and Exhibitor Management products. With Stripe, EventRebels now supports over a dozen payment gateways. This wide variety of gateways allows support for all kinds of customers ranging from organizations that are new to meetings technology to sophisticated conferences with over 10,000 attendees. EventRebels payment processing support... Read more »

kchopson

Stream At Your Own Peril, Part Two

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Mobile Event Apps, Social Media, What's New.

Live Streaming Phone Apps

This is part two of an article that originally appeared as the lead story for The Meeting Professional June 2016 issue. Click here to go to Part One Everything is About Communication The key to avoiding and surviving such lawsuits is to make the intentions of the conference clear. “My best advice is to alert all parties concerned that a live streaming app like Periscope is being used, where and when,” says Tyra Hilliard. “Disclose it in speaker and entertainment contracts and get permissions as needed. Disclose it in registration materials and ask registrants for permission to use their images.... Read more »

kchopson

How New Twitter Changes Can Help Your Event Marketing

Posted by & filed under Event Marketing, Event Rebels Blog, Onsite, Social Media, What's New.

Twitter

Of all the social media channels, Twitter is one that is best suited for reporting live happenings and news-worthy items. In fact, breaking television newscasts often consist of journalists reading the Twitter feed on their phone. Because of this ability of Twitter to function as a news feed, the social media product has become a channel of choice for events. Many meetings now feature live social media posts, often tied to the event’s mobile app and social wall. Besides being a key part of the onsite portion of an event, Twitter is now a major part of the pre-marketing of... Read more »