Tools: Event Technology Update
This just in: Technology innovation never stops. In the last issue of Rejuvenate, we shared the Tech Tools Planners Need Now. Already, there have been updates to tools we told you about, announcements from tech companies, new products and an entire event dedicated to event technology. Here’s some of what’s been happening:
Email marketing provider Constant Contact has expanded its event management product to include registration and promotion for online meetings and webinars through MeetingBurner, an online meeting platform. Information from MeetingBurner, including the event website, invitation, registration and post-event communications, flows directly into Constant Contact’s system.
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center enhanced its distributed antenna system throughout the 1.1 million sq.-ft. facility to extend and boost data coverage. Six area hotels have also implemented the Corning MobileAccess system.
Swissotel Chicago has introduced the Bonfire by Nervana app, which has custom information for meetings at the hotel including schedules, session descriptions, bios, and session materials in real-time. Planners are also able to collect attendee feedback and input immediately.
The email plugin Contactually launched out of beta mode last week. It now includes features such as Contactually for Teams, which allows users to see who their colleagues have contacted and share contacts, support for Microsoft Exchange, and an updated Gmail plugin with reminders and categories for contacts.
CrowdCompass, a mobile app made specifically for events, focuses on social media at events with a central activity feed. Its new feature, Click, is a photo-based scavenger hunt. Document sharing, sponsorships and notifications are other features.
In April, Google enhanced its cloud storage tool, formerly Google Docs, and now offers a more comprehensive tool called Google Drive. It stores up to 5 GB of documents, spreadsheets, pictures and presentations for free. Enhanced features from Google Docs include the ability to comment and reply to comments on any file, receive notifications when other people comment on shared items, install it on your Mac or PC, or use the app on Android devices.
