Welcome to this issue of Corbin's TechTalk Newsletter providing the latest in technology to nearly 9,000 events, tradeshows and hospitality professionals in over 70 countries. This issue is packed with articles, links, videos and ideas on how you can use technology to improve the business process for events and tradeshows. In this issue: - NEW ARTICLE: The Event Technology Revolution – Are We There Yet?
- NEW ARTICLE: How to Use Instagram to Promote your Event
- NEW ARTICLE: Tradeshow Exhibitor Trends to Maximize Engagement
- NEWS
- 15 LINKS FOR MEETINGS, BUSINESS AND FUN
- QUOTES OF THE MONTH
- RECENT ARTICLES WITH "QUOTES FROM CORBIN"
- SUBSCRIBE AND THE FINE PRINT
I recently attended an open-air concert in the small city where I live. Before the music began, I noticed what appeared to be three generations of women sitting in front of me (a teenage daughter, mother and an elderly grandmother). I heard a phone ring and watched the grandmother reach into her purse for her iPhone. She adroitly answered the call and then, as an afterthought, used the phone to take a picture of her family members before turning off the ringer and putting it back into her purse. This brief observation got me thinking. I have expressed many times through my career that technology must be easy enough for a grandmother or grandfather to use it in order for it to be fully adopted into the business process. Ease of use is the most important key to adoption! As I watched the grandmother user her iPhone, I pondered the question: have we finally arrived in terms of using technology? Has technology become pervasive enough and easy enough to use, that society has made it over this adoption hurdle? This article covers the key steps event professionals need to take to fully digitize the event planning process.
As of 2018, Instagram had an estimated 77.6 million active users. 500 million people use Instagram every single day; 71% of U.S. businesses use Instagram and 23% of Instagram images are more likely to get ‘likes’ vs Facebook images.Still not impressed? How about...1 out of 3 of the most viewed Instagram ‘stories’ are from businesses. With such massive and diverse public appeal, Instagram has enormous potential for business promotion and the event industry. For example, Instagram’s potential for interaction (content shares, ‘likes’ and purchases) is ten times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter. Using Instagram as a marketing tool for businesses and event promotion only makes sense. Instagram can help with more than advertising; it can increase event ticket sales and help you to sell out fast!
Industry trade shows enable companies to get the opportunity to make a lasting impact on potential clients, affiliates, and customers. Companies joining a trade show face the combined risk and opportunity of being compared with competitors and other booth designs in a live space. In a previous feature, we looked at IBTM World’s 2018 Technology Watch for some of the most innovative and engaging event technology trends last year. In this post we’re taking a closer look at the trends that are coming to define 2019’s trade show scene.  Does your company have a new, innovative technology product applicable to the meetings and tradeshow industry? Would you like to get substantial free publicity for it? And a free booth at IBTM World in Barcelona as well? Further information and application form HERE. The IBTM Technology Watch, established in 2000, is the original meetings technology award and one of the events industry's most significant award recognizing technology innovation - the "Academy Awards" of events technology. I am very pleased to I have been asked again to chair the judging committee (for the 16th year). This award is a great opportunity for technology companies to show their new stuff and get a free booth at IBTM in Barcelona as well. PCMA Announces BEAM, New Data Intelligence Service for Business Events industry BEAM (Business Events Analytics/Metrics) to provide holistic industry insights PCMA announced a unique, new product providing market intelligence and data analytics for the business events industry where professionals, organizations, hospitality providers and destination organizations can gain insights into industry trends and behaviors. B2B Event Survey: Complete an important short survey an receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card. ExpoIQ is conducting a survey to better understand B2B events (expos, conferences, trade shows) and see how we can improve them. "As part of this effort we would appreciate 2 minutes of your time to review the last trade show, expo or conference you attended. It'll only take 2 minutes...We are offering $10 for completed reviews that are reviewed and approved by us." If interested, click HERE. 15 LINKS FOR MEETINGS, BUSINESS AND FUNGot fun videos? Or helpful business or meeting planning links? Send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
5 Meeting Industry-Related Sites: - ReadyBid: New freemium RFP tool from the makers of RFPExpress and BidStork
- The Pulse Report - 2019 Event Industry Trends from EventBrite
- Zoi Meet - AI-powered subtitling software that can transcribe and translate up to three languages simultaneously in real-time.
- Wordly: AI-powered simultaneous translation into 15 languages
- Showrunner: Conference video capture and distribution in a "box"
6 Business/Utility/Reference Sites:QUOTES OF THE QUARTER: "Laughter is the sunbeam of the soul." -- Thomas Mann “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdainn
SHORT-SIGHTED TECHNOLOGY PREDICTIONS: "Everything that can be invented has been invented." -- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899 "While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially I consider it an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming." -- Lee De Forest, 1926, Self-described Father of the Radio
RECENT MENTIONS AND QUOTES FROM CORBIN: Please send along any questions, ideas or suggestion on how to make this newsletter more useful for you: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. My July-September travel schedule brings me to Las Vegas (twice), Vancouver, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, possibly Belgium and a few other places as well via webinars. Click the link above for specific details and links. I would love to make your city one of my destinations as well,\so please contact me and let's set a date. SPONSORSHIP:
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CONTACT INFO: Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, DES, MS
Corbin Ball & Co.
506 14th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA
Phone: 360-734-8756 This newsletter and its content are proprietary products. All rights reserved. Please forward the entire letter to anyone you feel may be interested. | Thanks to our sponsors who make TechTalk possible: 
TrackMany™ TrackMany™ captures an undiscovered data stream at your events and serves up anonymous performance metrics like traffic patterns, visitor count, engagement, dwell time, age, gender and sentiment. Easy to setup and use, TrackMany™ generates understandable, real-time reports that you can act on to optimize and validate your strategies.  Ungerboeck Software has 30+ years of experience providing event management software to the world's top exhibitions, conferences and associations. Ungerboeck offers an industry-leading solution that contains a CRM system designed for booth sales, a comprehensive event registration system, modern CAD floor-planning tools, and integrated accounting. Visit ungerboeck.com for more information.  Attendee Management Inc. AMi breaks down the barriers to online registration, housing, travel and e-marketing. No license fees, no software to manage, just dedicated, experienced service. Pay only for what you need, and provide the solutions your attendees and clients expect. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 512-847-5174. CadmiumCDAt CadmiumCD we focus on the technology needs of event planners. We specialize in technology tools and services to collect, manage and distribute educational materials at conferences and events. Our services include: Call for Papers, Speaker Data Management, Conference Proceedings, Audio Recordings, Electronic Meeting Posters, Online Itinerary Planners, Conference Apps and Online Evaluations. Certain is the leading enterprise Event Automation solution that helps data-driven marketers and event professionals integrate rich buying signals and attendee insights into omni-channel marketing campaigns to improve sales and marketing results and deliver event ROI. Certain partners with hundreds of companies across tens of thousands of events with millions of attendees. Cvent is a leading provider of event management technology offering integrated solutions for venue sourcing, registration, event management, check-in, badging, mobile guides, RFID attendance tracking, lead capture, event feedback, metrics and analytics. 
Evenium
Evenium provides technology covering the entire event management value chain, from registration and check-in to interactivity before, during, and after your meeting. Evenium empowers professionals with the tools needed to design interactive events where attendees are captivated by engaging presentations thanks to the event app ConnexMe. Evenium solutions are used by more than 15,000 event professionals across the globe. 
eventcore
An exceptional user experience is the core of your successful event. Lose the workarounds, branding disappointments and errors that plague so many events, with a fully branded event registration built to your exact specs. Engage a team with true event expertise and the technical chops to solve your biggest registration challenges. by Centium Software is for event organizers needing a turnkey solution to efficiently manage events. Easy to use and mobile optimized, it features unique capabilities, including real-time data, mobile apps and multiple productivity tools in a secure cloud environment. It's an end-to-end solution developed by and for event professionals. You are “The Expert” – Let the world know. Ensure you are found by the news media and in Google search: * Get a SEO optimized press room. * Send News Releases that push out 10 ways including Google News. * The New York Times called it: "Dial-an-Expert" Save 15% here: The IcebergThe Iceberg is an industry-supported vehicle that is powerfully equipped to promote the global Meetings Industry effectively – both as a source of information and resources to members engaged in advocacy, and as a communications force in its own right, with media networks that can open up new audiences.. September 10-12, 2019, Las Vegas Experience the country's biggest trade show for the incentive travel, meetings and events industry! It's FREE and bursting with business, networking and education, including around 3,400 exhibitors from coast-to-coast and 150 countries. Build valuable relationships, and reap rewards that last the year—and your career. |