Web Communities

Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., iCohere provides an online collaboration platform for conferences and events. Online communities can be set up for each event to exchange information, documents and discussions via a customized website. Through a secure login, participants can post messages and attach documents that can be edited and uploaded to the site for all members to access. “This reduces email distribution and puts all the information in a central repository,” says Lance Simon, iCohere’s vice president of business development.

iCohere’s mobile application provides a web browser interface that runs on any smartphone platform. Whether you’re an iPhone or BlackBerry user, the app will enable you to access the site and view documents and discussions on your smartphone. The application also features a media player that allows you to upload videos from any site—a public site such as YouTube or an internal corporate site. Like the smartphone application, the media player knows which platform you are running and allows you to view the video from your appropriate file format. “It was important that we didn’t create a new format, but used one that was accessible to everyone,” says Simon.

The site also includes a member directory that allows you to search for people in groups and keeps your contact information up-to-date. The site’s calendar function keeps all meeting deadlines in a centralized location and can be changed or edited by all community members. An email alert via RSS feed tells you when information has changed. The calendar can be synced to your smartphone and desktop calendar by clicking the iCal application. As with the smartphone and video applications, the calendar can be downloaded into any platform, whether you’re using Outlook or Lotus Notes.

Online Workspaces

New York City-based Drury Design uses Onehub as its collaborative portal and social networking tool. The company assigns a workspace for each proposal it receives, and everything having to do with that job is posted there.

“Workspaces are branded and then customized to the particular job’s needs,” says Jill Drury, founder and CEO of Drury Design. “Updates and file sharing are very easy; even large files can be downloaded without a problem.”
Each workspace is password-protected and can restrict clients from seeing confidential information, and freelance workers see only information for the job they’re working on. The portal also provides greater sustainability since updates to documents do not have to be printed, but instead can be viewed in real time as changes are made.

Busy planners have many passwords to remember, from their personal bank accounts to their computers to their smartphones. Agile Web Solutions creates passwords and then stores them directly in your web browser. You select one of your passwords from a menu and the system automatically takes you to the website, securely fills in your user name and password, and logs you in.

Stay-on-task Applications

Toodledo is an online to-do list that provides folders for organizing tasks by project and a time-tracker feature to monitor time spent on a project, which is very useful when billing clients hourly. The application’s hot list gives you a snapshot of the tasks that are due soon and have the highest priority. 2Do is a smartphone application that syncs to Toodledo and brings all your tasks directly to your mobile or iPad. Like Toodledo, 2Do groups projects and action items, then sends reminders when tasks are due.

Super Planner brings a variety of tools to your iPhone or iPad. The application provides calculators for venue capacity, staffing, catering, staging, projection and the dance floor. The catering feature calculates the number of hors d’oeuvres and drinks needed for various types of events, including the number of drinks per bottle for wine, champagne and liquor. The table grid feature lists the linen sizes for each table size and shows how many guests can fit at each. The iPhone and Android apps are available now; the BlackBerry version will be available May 15.

From collaborative online communities to on-the-go mobile apps, technology can make your life easier—or at least more organized.

Monica Compton, CMP, has 19 years experience as an international meeting planner. She is a writer and event-marketing consultant for
U.S.-based Pinnacle Productions, a strategic corporate events management firm.

• Always let your AV provider know if there is going to be any catering in a room. This includes buffets and serving stations, bars and especially served meals. Here’s the kicker: Give your AV company this tasty morsel of information before they set up the AV. Here’s why: AV setups often block access doors, usually on the wall where the stage is located. If that happens to be where catering needs to enter and exit, guess what? You’ve got a conflict.

• In addition to obstacles such as screens, drapery, scenery, projection towers, speaker stands, equipment racks and ground-supported equipment, there is also a string of cables and power cords that hook everything together, which can be trip hazards for servers. AV crews also need to have a place for empty road cases, most often stored behind the stage, drape or screens. It can be a major undertaking to reposition all it to make access for catering after it’s already set up (which, by the way, usually comes with added cost to you). An AV company can usually work around catering needs, even though a solution may not make either party completely happy.

• Plan on space for catering and set some ground rules. Speaker stacks, equipment racks, camera platforms and stage pieces are completely off limits as serving platforms. Serving stations that are set up near or in front of technical positions can also cause some unraveling of nerves. Believe it or not, these things are common problems.

• Create an appropriate schedule. Catering needs time in the room to set tables and prep food and drinks. This can be a problem if AV gear is being set up and dialed in, or if there is a scheduled rehearsal or equipment check going on. Also, let your AV provider know of any changes to the room in advance, such as closing or opening of air walls, any changes in seating configuration or anything else that will affect room space.

• Remember AV gear such as cameras and technical positions always require cabling, which usually runs along the floor, taped down. These cables might need to traverse open floor space as well as doorways. AV companies will do their best, but often have few options when it comes to cable paths.

Scott Reagles is a production manager and video director for IPG (Initial Production Group), based in Denver. He focuses on bridging the gap between clients and technology. You can reach him at scott@initialpro.com. IPG is a full-service production company that has been serving the faith-based market for more than 20 years.

• Inform AV partners of changes to your program, and include them in meetings with your venue.
• Never sign a hotel contract mandating the use of an in-house AV company. Let it compete for your business as well.
• LCD projectors come in various lumens (brightness). The higher the lumens, the higher the price.
• Opting for front-screen or rear-screen projection depends on the space available, the size of your images and the set design.
• Wired microphones cost a fraction of their wireless relatives. You can get four or five wired mics for the cost of a single wireless one.
• Have an AV-equipped room where presenters can rehearse presentations to prevent last-minute issues.
• Plan for changes to your budget—labor, service charges, overtime, fees, etc. AV is most likely the expense that could negatively affect your budget if not handled properly.

Kevin Johnston, CMP, Executive Vice President of Collinson Events, is an active member of GMIC, PCMA, and MPI.

Audiovisual equipment can do a lot these days. But, with the exception of the flip chart, it will all need power. And believe it or not, it’s not as simple as just plugging stuff in.

Power Distribution
Think of electricity like you would water. In your house there is a water line that comes in and feeds everything from sinks and showers to ice makers and outside hoses. The water needs to have enough pressure so that the showerhead shoots water out rather than drizzling, but there also needs to be enough current or capacity so a shower and sink can be used at the same time. The icemaker doesn’t need much water, but the outside hose for washing the car does. You can measure the amount of water used by multiplying the amount of pressure by the size (or capacity) of a hose. You will get a lot more water out of a garden hose than you will a water dispenser in your fridge, even if the pressure is the same.

Electrical power is much the same. The right voltage, or electrical pressure, is needed for equipment to function properly. There also must be enough amps, or electrical current, to power up all the devices that need power at the same time. Some stuff needs little power, like a video monitor. Some needs lots of power, like lights. The total amount of electricity used, or watts, is the voltage times the amps. At home your outlets are 120 volts and most likely are on a 15-amp breaker. That means (doing the math here) that you can get a maximum of 1,800 watts from that outlet. So if your 750-watt coffee maker is turned on at the same time as your 1,500-watt waffle maker, and both are on the same outlet, a circuit breaker will trip, or something will eventually catch on fire. Confused? Don’t worry. Just know that power distribution is how everything gets the power it needs.

Hot, Neutral, Ground
Using our water illustration again, there is a nifty thing called a valve. That’s how you turn the water on and off (like the on/off switch of a light). When the water is turned off there is still pressure behind the valve, but the water doesn’t actually do anything until you turn it on and it can flow. And when you turn it on, the water has to have a place to go. Then, just to make sure there’s no mess, there’s a safety drain in the sink in case you forget to turn the water off. In electrical power the wire with the voltage is the hot leg. The neutral gives the electricity a place to go so it can flow, and the ground wire is the safety in case something goes wrong.

Phase
Most power distribution works using three phases, or hot legs. Single phase can be one or two hot legs. It is a little more complicated than that, of course. In short, it’s all about how much power is available. Three phases, more power.

Cable
Just like the amount of water flowing down a river couldn’t run through a garden hose without blowing it out, a cable needs to be hefty enough to handle the power that’s running through it. Otherwise, it could burn up or short out. Big power requires big cable.

Rigging all starts with load ratings. This is how much weight something can safely support. Everything has a load rating, starting with the point where the object will be hung, called a rigging point (often just referred to as a point).

Every facility is different when it comes to rigging points. Some facilities have predetermined rigging points, others have a variety of steel beams in the ceiling to hang from, and some have very limited options. How many points are available and how much weight they can support will often determine what is possible for a production. A rigging point may be rated at only 200 or 300 pounds, or might support more than a ton. Even ground supported rigging has a load rating, which is usually no more than 500 pounds.

Once hang points and load ratings are determined there has to be a way of getting everything off the ground and into the air. The most common way is with chain motors. With a chain motor a chain is taken up and attached to a rigging point, usually with a wire rope called a steel. The motor then pulls itself and its cargo up the chain. Multiple motors can be hooked up to a single controller so they all go up at the same time. Chain motors have load ratings as well, ranging from 300 pounds to a ton or more.

The gear being hung has load ratings, too, including truss. Truss comes in different shapes, sizes and lengths. Truss is not only rated by how much weight it can support, but also how far it can span. Sections of truss can be bolted together for longer lengths. In general, the bigger the truss the more weight it can support. However, most truss is rated to span a maximum of 40 feet. That means no more than 40 feet between rig points (or grounds support points). So if you walk into a room and see a long stretch of truss in the air with a big smile shape to it (meaning that the middle is sagging), be afraid. Be very afraid.

How everything attaches to truss or to a motor is also rated. Ropes, steel wire, straps and fasteners all have ratings. Lights attach to truss with clamps and usually have a safety wire attached as well (often just referred to as a safety). Speakers and projectors often have rigging hardware built in with sufficient rating. All cable must be tied off and secured as well.

Rigging is serious business. A lot of facilities require the use of in-house riggers, and sometimes even in-house chain motors. All of which are not free, mind you. Just make sure the company you use is competent. Improper rigging can lead to accidents that hurt people. So don’t take it lightly.

Scott Reagles is a production manager and video director for IPG (Initial Production Group), based in Denver. He focuses on bridging the gap between clients and technology. You can reach him at scott@initialpro.com. IPG is a full-service production company that has been serving the faith-based market for more than 20 years. Reagles is presenting a session on audiovisual at 2010 Rejuvenate Marketplace.

For Planners
RFID location awareness
Radio frequency identification (or RFID) technology allows the tracking of an object’s location using radio waves with an RFID tag or label attached to the object. RFID was originally used to track consumer products, inventory and even animals, but the technology is expanding into various uses for tracking people, including meeting and event attendees. “Location awareness technology like RFID is becoming more prevalent at conferences and seminars,” says Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, an industry consultant and expert in meetings technology innovation. RFID enables planners to track the sessions people are attending, how long they’re staying in them and the people they’re speaking with.

“RFID is great for tracking attendee movement at an event, but its power is so much more than that,” says Ian McGonnigal, a senior vice president with Jack Morton Worldwide who focuses on cutting-edge experiential and digital marketing techniques. “It can also be used to help planners better understand attendance and attendee interactions, drive attendee networking, and even tie into signage and other digital experiences, which can be customized for each attendee. “In addition, it offers the opportunity to continuously improve your program in real time through the rich data captured via robust RFID implementations,” McGonnigal adds. His personal pick: Intelligent RFID from AllianceTech.

Kaon Interactive v-OSK
This is an interactive, three-dimensional touch screen presentation tool that allows for stunning virtual presentations. McGonnigal says the device has various potential applications for meetings and events. “The Kaon v-OSK is a great tool for making in-depth interactive presentations,” says McGonnigal. “Users can manipulate images with their hands, spin them around, or open and tear them apart. It’s useful not just for showing products, but also for demonstrating processes and displaying data in three dimensions.”

For planners, the device can reduce the amount of staff, products and equipment needed on site at an event, potentially saving money. Additionally, content created for v-OSK presentations is easily leveraged for e-literature and web content, further extending the ROI of your investment. Learn more on Kaon’s website.

Pocket projectors
Also known as pico or mobile projectors, these are small handheld devices that enable users to project digital images onto any viewing surface, like a wall or screen. Pocket projectors first emerged in the marketplace a few years ago, and today’s models offer theater-quality video and lots of features at very affordable prices, generally in the $300 to $400 range.

Typically, a pocket projector is used in conjunction with a laptop, mobile phone, media player or other device to conveniently display photos and video stored on it. “You can run a small presentation from a projector you can carry in your pocket,” says McGonnigal. “This makes them ideal for informal gatherings at your event, like Tweet-ups, for example.” The power and resolution of pocket projectors are still in their infancy, he notes, but the devices will improve with better lighting and resolution innovations.

Holographic projectors
Think “Star Trek” or “Star Wars” for this one. With a holographic projector, images of products (and even people) can be displayed in full 3-D against a glass screen. The projectors are primarily used as eye-catching features at trade show exhibit booths, but McGonnigal notes that a newer technique known as Musion Eyeliner technology allows event hosts, speakers and instructors to be piped in virtually to a stage presentation via a holographic projector.

For Attendees
Apple iPad
As sort of a cross between a laptop and a PDA, the Apple iPad is becoming a practical tool for meeting and event attendees, says McGonnigal. While sitting in a conference session or meeting, a person can do almost everything on an iPad that’s possible on a laptop — take notes, do real-time research, conduct surveys, blog, interact with social media tools, and access documents and photos — but much more conveniently. “The large display area makes it unique, but it’s the wide variety of apps that are being developed for the iPad that I think are most exciting,” adds Ball. He notes Gowalla and Sipity, both now available as iPad apps, are especially relevant.

Inductive charging pads
Almost any regular meeting or event attendee can relate to the hassle of packing different chargers for a variety of mobile electronic devices. Now there’s a handy tool that could render the jumble of wires, cables and AC adapters obsolete — the inductive charging pad. Inductive charging is a method for charging cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and other medium-sized items wirelessly. An adapter with contact points is attached to the back plate of the device: When it needs a charge, the device is simply placed on a conductive charging pad that’s plugged into an electric socket. A variety of types of inductive charging pads are available, usually for $50 or less.

Near Field Communication (NFC)
NFC is similar to RFID, but instead of attendees being tagged or wearing badges, the technology is loaded into their mobile devices. Then attendees can share contact and other information with each other automatically. “Attendees can also interact with trade show booths and kiosks intelligently,” says McGonnigal. “All you have to do is hold your device up to other NFC-enabled devices and you can automatically receive contact information, relevant links, a presentation or collateral electronically.”

QR (Quick Response) codes
These are two-dimensional bar codes easily read by many types of mobile devices that store text information or website URLs. The user simply takes a picture of or scans the image of the QR code to display text or open a web browser on the device. The application of this technology to conference and event attendees is similar to NFC: Event organizers and exhibitors can post QR codes on signs or collateral at sessions or in exhibit booths, where attendees can scan them with their mobile devices to receive more information via text or to access a web page.

External battery packs
Staying connected online and engaged with social media throughout the day is integral. However, this requires lots of battery power. External battery packs are the most efficient way to keep mobile devices juiced all day. These handy devices connect directly to different brands of mobile devices. While attending the DMAI conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in June, Barry Lewis, director of marketing for the Grapevine (Texas) CVB, says he relied on his iPhone to keep him connected throughout the day. “However, I’ve learned from past experiences that battery power dwindles quickly, especially in a room where so many people are using the signal at the same time. I’ve invested in the Kensington Battery Pack and Charger for those times when I need extra juice. It gives me a couple more hours of phone usage each day.”

By Scott Reagles

Contacts

Have a list of those people you will be dealing with on site and their phone numbers. Make sure those people know how to contact you or those working for you. Also, make it clear to everyone involved who is in charge and who has authority over what.

Schedule

Make sure your AV provider has a detailed schedule, including times for the following: start and end of each session; when doors are open for the audience; meetings, rehearsals and walk-throughs; and any other times that AV crew or equipment will be needed. Also helpful are schedules of other vendors or crews that might cause any conflicts.

Load In and Load Out

Conditions for loading in and out are
important, especially when it comes to dock space and traffic. Too many companies on the dock at one time can lead to chaos. Also, room availability, amount of time required for set-up and strike, and the availability of in-house personnel
such as electricians and technical people
is important.

Room Dimensions and Details

Make sure the room where your event is going to be held is big enough for the attendees and all the equipment. AV gear takes up space, not just on the floor, but also in the air. Make sure you account for ceiling obstructions such as chandeliers, ceiling coves, air ducts and so on. How and where the audience is seated will also make a difference in what kind of AV gear should be used.

Power

Check to see if arrangements have been made for needed power drops and electrical service, keeping in mind that they are rarely free.

Facility Requirements

Many facilities have special requirements, such as putting covering over carpets, use of hallways and elevators, or hiring security personnel. Ask a venue if they have any such requirements and get them in writing.

Union Requirements

Find out if your event is in a union-contracted facility. If so, take time to know the rules and budget accordingly.

Speaker and Talent Requirements

Ask talent and presenters for their needs and requirements well in advance. This may include Internet accessibility, specific types of microphones to use, someone to operate a PowerPoint presentation and so on. Oh, and pass that information along to your AV provider.

Changes, Add-ons

Changes and add-ons are inevitable. Keep a detailed record and, if possible, get sign-off when it comes to changes. Confusion later just costs money and causes headaches.

Contract and Payment

This may sound trivial, but make sure you have a contract, that you know what the payment terms are, and that you understand what is included and what is not. Ask questions and get answers before your event.

Scott Reagles, an educational speaker at Rejuvenate Marketplace, is a production manager and video director for IPG (Initial Production Group), based in Denver. He focuses on bridging the gap between clients and technology. You can reach him at scott@initialpro.com. IPG is a full-service production company that has been serving the faith-based market for more than 20 years.

This is no ordinary newsroom. Yes, seasoned veterans operate high-tech cameras and production equipment. Men and women whiz by as they prepare for the live 6 p.m. broadcast. Editors and reporters turn around stories in hours as a full production staff gets graphics and packages ready. And make-up artists touch up anchors and panelists.

This impressive newsroom was a temporary setup for Adventist NewsLine, a half-hour live news show reporting daily from the 10-day Session of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Atlanta. A staff of producers, anchors, reporters, news directors, photographers and behind-the-scenes staff with decades of commercial broadcast experience moved into the Georgia Dome, bringing with them a shared sense of purpose.

“This is an every five-year reunion for all of us,” says David Brillhart, Adventist NewsLine producer. “We get to train young people who want to be in this business for 18-hour days, and we enjoy it. It’s different working with a great group of believers. There are tensions but we care for each other.”

David Brillhart and his team

From June 23 to July 3, Willa Sandmeyer, the broadcast’s news director, ran the show from the press level of the Georgia Dome as business meetings, elections, musical performances and division reports took place on the other side of the wall in the main auditorium from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sandmeyer approached the job no differently than any of the commercial news broadcasts she has directed during her 30-year career.

Sandmeyer began preparing for NewsLine almost a year before the event. She brainstormed possible stories and interviews that might occur at the session so the entire staff could hit the ground running in Atlanta. She used the denomination’s wide network of international missionaries and video footage from around the world, and researched inspirational stories that could be developed on site.

“To make something like this successful, it takes careful planning ahead of time,” Sandmeyer says. “You can’t walk in wondering what you are going to do. You have to know what you are going to cover on a daily basis.”

Each morning began with a devotional followed by a news meeting, and then reporters collected stories on the session floor in time for their noon deadlines to fill the 30-minute newscast, which featured two- to three-minute news stories, sidebar stories, panel discussions, world division reports and musical performances. Sandmeyer’s hard and fast deadlines ensured the broadcast ran smoothly each night.

Willa Sandmeyer edits scripts before showtime.

“We didn’t want delegates just sitting in a chair and internal shots of the Dome,” Sandmeyer explains. “We wanted to connect to the World Church members with the actions taken outside the Dome, committee events, the fun run, and share with them a rich variety of stories.”

Rajmund Dabrowski, communications director for the General Conference World Headquarters, spearheaded the production by the Adventist News Network (ANN), the denomination’s official year-round news service, which also provided articles, photos and a daily podcast covering the conference on its website.

“We wanted to do this with a journalistic foundation without it being propaganda,” he says. “We wanted to provide a realistic picture of the event. Naturally, as a church we are interested in projecting a positive image about ourselves, but if you read our stories there is plenty of controversy; [we] reported on varied opinions that the delegates had.”

The high-quality broadcast operated like a commercial broadcast from all angles, but it wasn’t just professionals like Brillhart and Sandmeyer putting it together. Aspiring journalists manned the cameras and collected stories out on the floor.

“We wanted to involve young people in this because they are Seventh-day Adventists so they care about the church, but at the same time they get training,” he says. “They get a chance in a 10-day period that they would not experience — the tension, the intensity.”

Full coverage of the General Conference Session, including webcasts of NewsLine, articles, photo galleries, podcasts and more are at news.adventist.org.

— Jennifer Garrett

Related story: Adventist on Adrenaline, a Q&A with GC Session planner Sheri Clemmer

First on the list of considerations is room layout. Having 500 people seated theatre-style is a completely different scenario than 500 people sitting at rounds because their distance to the screens is different. Ideally, people should sit (in relation to the screens) no closer than twice the height of a screen and no farther away than eight times the height of a screen. So, let’s say you have a screen that is 10 feet tall. That means you want your audience to sit no closer than 20 feet and no farther away than 80 feet from the screen. Why is it based on height, you ask? Because our eyes perceive more detail from top to bottom. That’s why TV standards are based on how many lines make up a picture. Those ads you see for 1080P HDTVs are for TVs made up of 1080 lines from top to bottom.

This guideline is subject to change, however. If there are going to be presentations with a lot of fine detail or small text then your audience needs to be closer, just like holding something closer to your face if it has fine print (reading glasses included, of course). In this scenario you may want to have your audience no farther away than five times the height of the screen. If you’re just doing cameras for I-Mag, you can be farther away. Being too close can be uncomfortable, which is why a minimum distance is also important. Screens should be high enough off the ground for people to see the entire screen (usually about 4 to 6 feet for a seated audience). Delay screen may need to be added if people are seated too far away.

Now, let’s take a moment to think three-dimensionally. In addition to room size and layout there is one key factor that trumps all others and is often overlooked, and that is ceiling height and ceiling obstructions such as chandeliers and ceiling coves. If the ceiling height is 18 feet and the screen should be at least 5 feet off the ground so people can see it, and you factor in a foot or so for drape, you now have a maximum screen height of 12 feet. Ceiling obstacles may determine where the screens can be placed So look up — it may just affect what you can and can’t do.

Scott Reagles is a production manager and video director for IPG (Initial Production Group), based in Denver, Colo. He focuses on bridging the gap between clients and technology. You can reach him at scott@initialpro.com. IPG is a full-service production company that has been serving the faith-based market for more than 20 years.

Who needs a printed version of the Bible anymore? You have your iPhone.

And a business card? Just give me your Twitter handle.

What about a map of the trade show floor? There’s an app for that.

Smartphones have transformed the way we get information, the way we communicate, and the way we interact at events. And this was even before Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as “the most important thing I’ve ever done.” The iPad, which came out in early April, may re-transform the way we look at meetings applications, but until then companies are trying to stay up to speed on the current ever-expanding technology.

The most recent articles in the technology section of RejuvenateMeetings.com will guide you through some of the latest trends and offerings to the world of meetings including custom apps that give attendees schedules, maps and Twitter feeds all in one place on their phones; audience response technology; hybrid meetings; social media; and more.

Or link to the articles in the package here:

Case Study: Implementing Social Media

Live From Chicago: Simply Youth Ministry Conference

Techies’ Dreams

Meetings in your hand

Survey Says

Q&A: Jessica Levin