Talking tech

From humble beginnings in the days of simple flip charts in poorly lit rooms to interactive digital screens in futuristic buildings, technology is clearly taking hold of the meetings industry.

The original question when talking tech used to be: would technology herald the end of the meetings industry?

This question has now been firmly answered, according to vice-president of global marketing for Ungerboeck Systems International, Steve Mackenzie.

"There was a fear a few years ago that technology would overtake the meetings industry and face-to-face meetings would become a thing of the past," he explains.

"But the fact of the matter is that technology has only increased the number of meetings taking place."

Mackenzie's view is backed up by, US-based author, speaker, columnist and consultant, Corbin Ball.

"Technology is changing the way in which all data used in managing meetings is processed. The business process is going from analogue (paper) to digital (computer and web)," he explains.

"This leads to increased efficiencies on every step of the way from sourcing, attendee management, exhibition management, logistics, speaker management, budget tracking, scheduling, networking, virtual meetings, communications/marketing and much, much more."

Advances

The cause of this technology boom is a combination of forward-looking meeting professionals who utilise technology and a growing awareness of the meetings industry by large technology focused companies, according to Ball.

"In terms of general technology advancement, it is the research universities and corporations leading the way; all of these innovations spill over into the meetings and event space," explains Ball.

The technology ‘spill-over' for the coming year will be mobile phone advancements according to Ball and Mackenzie.

"Many advances will be refinements of existing systems, but we will likely see substantial new products benefiting the meetings industry in the mobile arena, including tools for networking, lead retrieval, GPS-based ‘way-finding' and sales," says Ball.

Agendas accessible via PDAs and phones are another area to watch over the coming year, according to Mackenzie.

These advancements are aimed at allowing users to conduct a more interactive and coordinated event or meeting using only their mobile phone.

Ball and Mackenzie agree that the future of the meetings industry in the region looks positive: "I think there are great opportunities for the Middle East," says Ball.

"Some of the finest meeting spaces and support infrastructure (such as airlines) that money can buy are being built there. The sky is the limit in my view."

Mackenzie acknowledges that that the Middle East market is still in its infancy, but believes that with time, the future will be bright.

"As organisers and venues get more experience with providing world-class events in the region, naturally the use of technology will become more prevalent," he argues.

"And given the fast-paced growth we are seeing for everything in the Middle East region, I am sure that very quickly we will see the use of technology leap-frog other more established regions."

Green

But both Ball and Mackenzie agree that if the Middle East is to overtake more established areas as a meetings industry hub, it will have to set out its green credentials.

The ‘green issue' is a tough topic to tackle when considering the meetings industry, but technology is an area that can help raise the ‘eco' credentials of the industry, according to Mackenzie.

"It can reduce the paper trail and integrate systems - for example, event management and building management systems in venues can be integrated whereby the lights/heating/air-conditioning will be automatically turned on or off based on session start and end times," he explains.

Ball is also optimistic about the help that technology can provide in green terms.

"There is the reduction in paper (although we haven't quite achieved this yet); remote offices (reduced commuting needs); and virtual meetings replacing some inefficient meetings," he says.

Jobs

Perhaps a more controversial area that technology brushes against is employment.

While Mackenzie is firm in his belief that technology will help create jobs in the meetings industry Ball sees gains and losses in terms of employment.

"Technology eradicates the inefficient, data-crunching, mind-numbing work and it opens up lots of new possibilities," he explains.

"In general, however, it will take fewer people to do the same amount of work due to efficiencies accrued.

But with so many companies launching technological products, it is not only people that may be made redundant, according to Mackenzie: "With such a proliferation of products for so many different processes and tasks within the industry and the ever-changing technologies, there will always be some that are redundant before they hit the market," he says.

Ball has a more philosophical view on the abundance of technologies hitting the meetings industry market: "The meeting industry represents a large economic pie," he says.

"There is room for lots of competing products. It boils down to choice and features. One person's redundant may be exactly what another is looking for.

The future

The future of technology in the meetings industry is certainly something to be excited about, according to Ball.

"Meetings technology is constantly exciting - it is always evolving and there are always new things bubbling up," he says.

"I am especially excited about the potential for rich mobile web browsers (such as the iPhone and its clones) and new GPS systems and other mobile technology that I believe will have a significant impact on the meetings industry.

Mackenzie believes that the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) - an initiative introduced by the Convention Industry Council - will benefit the industry when it adopts its set of best practices and industry standards: "Data can be exchanged electronically instead of manually making integration far easier," he says.

The attention-grabbing technology at the moment is holographic speakers and Ball views it as an area to watch.

"Telepresence, although not true holography, will be very big. Cisco and other major players are investing substantially in this," he adds.

Mackenzie views it as a novelty for now, but does see a future when the technology improves: "I am sure it will become a far more useful option to reduce time and travel costs for guest speakers, therefore adding value to the conference," he says.

Sectors

Technology enthusiasts have identified specific areas where technology is adding value to the meetings industry.

According to Sam Smith, marketing manager for Switzerland-based Spotme, there are a number of areas where technology is making its mark: "Primarily there are audience response systems - hand held tools whereby participants can respond to questions which are then represented graphically on a screen," he says.

"This allows participants to feel engaged in a session. It allows people to feel they have a voice, which can only help in reinforcing learning and listening.

The next area is collaboration systems, which have seen growing popularity in the corporate market, according to Smith.

"This technology allows participants to talk back, whereby their opinions can be projected onto the screen after a question has been posed by the facilitator," he says.

Many ideas can be displayed on-screen at the same time, which can then be categorised to promote discussions.

In other areas, networking technology is being developed in name badges whereby buzzers go off if you walk past a delegate you wanted to meet.

"In a meeting of 500 to 1000 people, you can select who you want to meet and the technology will alert you when you are next to them," Smith explains.

Website technology is allowing the meetings and conference experience to start earlier and end later, he adds.

"People can log in before an event and create their profile. They can then search relevant contacts who they would like to meet at the conference and arrange meetings or continue discussions after the event," he says.

It would appear that technology is exploring new ways to add value to the meetings industry, whether it is its green credentials or its interactivity.

But client demand will ultimately fashion the progress of technology, which can only be seen as a plus for the industry as a whole - unless you are put out of a job.