Simon on: What's your dirty little tech secret?

The news that Volkswagen fitted millions of its vehicles with a software-based cheating system made me think about the fact that a lot of us have dirty little tech secrets hidden in the closet.

Someone at Volkswagen did it deliberately but the CEO who resigned said he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing but he probably should have been aware! The most important aspect of this story for me is that these secrets can burn your house down because people become complacent.

When it comes conferences, actively looking at what you should and shouldn’t be doing is the key approach rather than waiting for something to happen which forces you to take stock of everything.

It’s no secret that online security is a gripe of mine, but for many it is just another thing on the to do list that continues to be put off until something goes wrong.

That’s the main lesson for me. Don’t put these technological issues off. Sort out your back-ups, ensure your passwords are stored correctly, and keep your data secure, because although everything may look great from the outside, those dirty inside secrets have a habit of biting you when you least expect it.

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: ITCM – Should we be using virtual reality in the events industry?

Hotel chain, Marriott recently introduced its new ‘Vroom Service’ which offers guests room-service delivery of a virtual reality (VR) kit, taking them to places including Rwanda and Beijing via a Samsung Gear VR headset.

But does this kind of technology really have a viable place in the events industry, or is it simply another gimmick which people will try only once out of curiosity?

To find out my thoughts, read the whole article as featured on ITCM by clicking here.

TalkTalk's pathetic attitude to security

Over the past few days it has emerged that TalkTalk have been subjected to a "sustained cyber attack" if you believe the way it's told in the news.

That may be superficially true but rest of the story may be a little less appealing for TalkTalk and it's customers. Based on a number of different security sources I've read, it appears that the site was actually attacked using a mechanism called "a SQL injection attack". The first thing to say about that sort of attack is that it is an incredibly basic attack that ANY website that uses a database should protect against and protecting against it actually isn't difficult.

The next important thing to know is that this isn't an isolated incident for TalkTalk. The rather incredible fact is that this is the third time they've been hacked and lost data in the past 12 months that we know of! For the most serious of those hacks (in terms of quantity of data lost) to have been because of some really poor programming proves that nobody at any level of their organisation is taking data security seriously enough and heads should definitely roll.

Based on data leaking out onto the internet, it looks like TalkTalk didn't actually encrypt much (if any) of the data - in fact there are already plain text passwords coming out in data that is reported to be from the attack. Given that the majority of people take a terrible approach to passwords mean that a very large percentage of those customers will have used the same password for other websites and that's where the real pain can start.

TalkTalk said "a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack - one that overwhelms a website with traffic, taking it offline - was used as a smokescreen for the attack" - the thing I find strange about that statement is that a DDoS attack is highly unlikely to have any effect on whether a SQL injection attack was possible so that explanation seems itself to be a smokescreen for the press and public.

The last bit of this whole situation that's bothering me is that the Institute of Directors have called for "urgent action to tackle cyber-crime" which the press seem to be reporting as if the Government need to do something. I don't know how the IoD actually meant it but it's actually businesses that need to protect themselves. 

This attack is like TalkTalk leaving the doors to their headquarters unlocked while the premises are empty all night and then being surprised when they return in the morning to find they've been burgled. There are definitely things that all businesses should be doing to protect themselves but if they can't get the absolute basics right then they're all screwed!

Simon on: Periscope - friend or foe for meetings?

Twitter’s acquisition of the live video streaming app, Periscope earlier this year seems to have caused quite a fuss within the industry – so I thought I should explore the facts.

I recently attended a presentation on the subject, where the speaker was adamant that the industry ‘must take the step with hybrid meetings.’ 

Hybrid events have been with us since the 1970s. The vast majority of events are now using video to engage a virtual audience and so should therefore be described as ‘hybrid’. The practise is in fact so commonplace that we need to lose the term ‘hybrid’ and start calling these events, simply, ‘events’.

Rant over, Periscope and its live streaming capabilities is a gimmick that I haven’t yet fathomed a tangible use for - especially when you consider that YouTube launched its own live streaming channel back in 2008, and look at the impact that had on the industry.

There are two possible avenues to take; the official route whereby organisers use it to stream live footage of their event, and the non-official use by members of the audience. 

Savvy organisers will not spend money on anything unless it enhances their event and I can’t see how live streaming will do that. It’s too late to use it to attract more delegates and it’s a fair-sized investment in time and money just to ‘create a social buzz’. 

Some people may bemoan that delegate use will flout privacy and copyright issues but the tools to film an event have been in audiences’ hands since the first smartphone was launched in 2005, yet we don’t see many delegates filming then posting conference content on YouTube. 

There are other drawbacks too. Periscope is currently only viewable on a smartphone – so is a delegate really going to watch an entire conference (or even one whole session) on a tiny screen? And videos created via Periscope disappear after 24 hours, so anyone who misses the original broadcast may miss out on the meeting entirely.

For those championing the idea of driving awareness through the app – if you saw a snippet of a meeting’s content online, would you really remember it and be inspired to attend the following year? Probably not. 

But if the organisers filmed the event, posted it on YouTube and used all their channels to promote it throughout the year, then maybe it may influence you.

Before we all get excited about this new shiny tool, let’s use the tools we already have to much better effect.

Originally published in M&IT

Simon on: The importance of online security

News of the Carphone Warehouse and Ashley Madison hacking incidents has confirmed that online security is still coming up short - something that was further proved by a recent study, which found that the data scrambling systems used by millions of web servers are much weaker than they should be.

But continuous occurrences like these only highlight what the key message is here – make sure security is reviewed by people who know what they’re doing rather than just accepting that it’s okay.

This on-going issue of online security is unfortunately just an afterthought to almost everyone, from consumers to major companies and even whole industries.

I believe that one of the main factors in this problem is that companies tend to have a team of developers who are usually managed by people who just don’t know enough about security.

Of course something like ISO27001:2013 show which companies are taking data security more seriously. As we hear more about the breaching of businesses who handle our data, I think security standards such as these are a must have.

At the very least, I think it’s high time people take an informed interest in online security and make the conscious effort to actually protect their data properly by asking some basic questions of suppliers and systems.

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: Stand Out - Time to think about the security of wearable devices

Wearable devices have been hailed as the latest must-have tech with more and more smartwatches cropping up in the events industry.

While some are discussing their value, a study by Hewlett-Packard has uncovered some shocking issues as most of the current popular devices were found to have ‘poor’ security features.

To read my warning to the industry, click here.

Simon on: ITCM - Be responsible for event registration security

We’ve seen many major companies experience security breaches with the Ashley Madison hack even leading to suicides, so isn’t it time industries take a look at how it protects its customers’ data?

The events sector has seen an increase in the number of conference websites which requires its delegates to sign in, pay to attend, and book sessions, and while the companies behind the sites should be doing everything to keep data secure, some of the onus is on those registering.

When it comes to password choice, size really does matter, but websites still insist on implementing password limitations.

Read the whole article about the vicious password circle, as featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: Stop droning on about drones

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has finally created a drone code for those who seem hell-bent on implementing these unmanned aircraft here, there and everywhere – and about time too.

I have nothing against this technology. I myself am an avid hobbyist when it comes to drones and I’m the first to concede that they have amazing potential in all sorts of areas but conferences and other indoor events isn’t one of them.

It simply seems another case of pointless technology use – why risk endangering others, breaking several laws (and incurring fines or prosecution) and wasting valuable conference planning time filing flight plans, checking pilot licences and insurances when we already have video?

Video today holds all kinds of possibilities and the quality along with software advances means footage can be captured just as easily, and a lot more safely, using this method.

I think what gripes me most about the explosion of drone popularity and the shunning of video is that the industry hadn’t even mastered video correctly yet, but has moved onto something far more complex and dangerous without even considering the multitude of consequences.

Anyone can buy an off the shelf drone but with it comes a mass of responsibility – it cannot just be used at a conference for the sake of it, and really, is there anything that is going to come out of the conference that requires such an expensive and dangerous piece of tech to be used? 

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: When is a presentation not a presentation?

I’ve attended a lot of presentations at events over the years and it seems to me that the definition of a presentation is increasingly getting lost somewhere along the way.

The dictionary says a presentation is a “speech or talk in which a new product, idea or piece of work is shown and explained to an audience” but I’m seeing an increasing number of presentations that had a brief introduction and then the speaker told us to get into groups and discuss the topic.

I don’t believe people attending these sessions want this. I believe they want to hear an expert tell them things about a particular subject that they didn’t previously know and to provide them with ideas and data that they couldn’t get anywhere else.

The method demonstrated by these speakers who turned the session into a discussion is the equivalent of buying a book to find that after one chapter, the rest is blank and all it says is ‘discuss’.

It all seemed a bit of a cop-out and made me feel that the presenters didn’t really know the subject – it was probably easier for them to lead the group to a discussion as it absolved them of any responsibility. 

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: ITCM - Bells and whistles can't mask poor material

When is a presentation not a presentation? When the expert speaker turns to the audience and asks them to discuss what they think is the answer.

I’ve attended a great deal of event presentations over the years and it seems like this cop-out method is becoming increasingly popular.

A great presentation has a clear objective and strong content – it provides the audience with valuable information they previously didn’t know.

Bells and whistles won’t cover up a lack of poor knowledge.

Read the whole article, featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: ITCM - Are the questions essential?

When we read about successful registration strategies we often either have to overlook the hidden agendas subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) dropped into the article, or ignore the bandwagon trend that is the sudden must-have.

In this article I divulge the non-agenda answer to registration success – and I’ll give you a clue, it has nothing to do with the latest bit of shiny, game-changing gadgetry.

It is simply common sense – stick to the necessities.

To find out what these are, read the whole article featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: Indoor GPS

Indoor GPS seems to be a topic that keeps cropping up in the industry but personally, I can’t see what benefits it could bring.

I’ve been to a lot of events but I don’t recall thinking that the floorplan was too complicated to navigate. Most exhibitions are laid out on a grid which makes it relatively easy to find your way around.

I honestly wouldn’t bother using an event app’s version of sat-nav to get me from one stand to another – even if it knew where I was supposed to be next because of an appointment schedule.

Should an organiser really be encouraging visitors to their event to stare mindlessly at their devices rather than wandering around, seeing other exhibitors and potentially networking? There are already enough distractions on mobile devices anyway.

To me it feels just like TV manufacturers attitudes. Over the past 5-10 years we’ve seen more and more gimmicks that don’t necessarily add anything, but sound good when you’re looking at them in the shop. Then you purchase and when you get home you find that actually you don’t really use any of the new features.

My opinion is that indoor GPS is another pointless feature that will cost a lot to implement and provide no genuine benefits. Maybe someone will prove me wrong one day but I can’t see it yet.

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: ITCM - Make event apps a necessity not a novelty

As a nation of smartphone users we spend on average more than 43 hours each month accessing content via apps – so it’s easy to see why the events industry wants in on the power of mobile.

But when it comes to event apps there seems to be a few problems – said applications are ephemeral in nature and of the ones I’ve comes across, lack a clear purpose and benefit to the user.

So how do organisers transform event apps from a novelty into a necessity?

To find out, read the whole article featured on ITCM by clicking here.

Simon on: Data security in events

I know I bang on about data security a lot but it really is a subject that doesn’t get taken seriously enough.

I do believe that event websites are less likely to be targeted because of the short term nature of registration websites - that isn’t an excuse for not doing everything you possibly can to protect your data though.

Very recently a healthcare company in the US had a data breach and were sued by their customers. The healthcare company’s insurance paid out $4.1m in compensation, but an investigation revealed that the healthcare company had not done enough to secure their data and so the insurance company demanded the money be repaid.

Another recent study found that for the first time ever, bots are generating more traffic on the internet than people. A bot is an automated process that gathers information – Google use them to index web pages but criminal gangs are now using the same technology to look for personal information.

Our data is an important asset which needs to be protected. You wouldn’t leave your home or office unlocked when there’s nobody there so why leave your online information up for grabs?

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: Tech for tech's sake

Despite various claims from the experts that wearables will be a game-changer in the meetings industry, it would seem the tech continues to struggle to make an impact.

We’ve seen Google Glass be taken back to the drawing board after mankind refused to become a nation of glassholes, and now, even the mighty Apple has fallen foul in the smartwatch stakes. Its new wrist wearable fails to work on tattooed skin – sorry inked delegates, looks like you’ll have to get your notifications the old fashioned way on your phone.

Smartbands like the Myo which controls a presenter’s slides with a series of arm swipes and gestures is only going to unnerve a speaker, as well as leave room for more technical issues to arise.

So why are experts hell-bent on hailing wearables as the next big thing? Well, to me it is simply a case of tech for tech’s sake.

There still hasn’t been any real proof that wearable tech benefits the industry. Why? Because deep down in the realms of common sense we know that all the industry actually needs is great content and great speakers.

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: ITCM - Aerial drones at events

The first consumer drone event, the UK Drone Show 2015 is set to take place at the NEC in Birmingham this December, as radio-controlled aircraft continue to capture public interest.

But a lack of understanding and unawareness of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations has led to hobbyists running the risk of breaking the law.

When it comes to events, we've seen accidents occur and several demonstrations of how not to fly a drone - FOX & Friends anybody?

So the question is, do drones have a place in the events industry? Read the whole article, featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: The Meetings Show - Five things to get right in 2015

We're already a third of the way through a new year, and as January 1 rolled around, many a tech expert gave their view on the 'next big things' to watch out for in 2015.

But what really irks me is that the events industry can't seem to get the basics right, let alone be worrying about new annual trends to adopt.

So, I've listed the top five basics the industry needs to get right this year - the next big things can wait until 2016.

Read the whole article, featured on The Meetings Show, by clicking here.

Simon on: Technology and presentations

Since the start of another new year, we’ve seen industry experts give their opinions on what will be the tech trends to watch out for. However, some just seem to be throwing the latest gadgets into the events space for fun.

For example, the comment from the Jan/Feb issue regarding the Myo wearable armband, which will give presenters the opportunity to control slides, sound effects and visual effects with the sweep of an arm, simply struck me as misguided to say the least.

The average company bod making a presentation often struggles to press the right button to move their PowerPoint on one frame. Ask them to use slides, sound effects and visual effects, and they’ll be in real trouble – tell them they must control it all by waving their arms and some of them will freak out completely.

This is what’s becoming a classic case of tech for tech’s sake. To me, it seems totally pointless – there is nothing wrong with the wireless tools which are pressed once per slide, especially when you consider outstanding presenters like Hans Rosling use said standard clickers.

Some presenters would even go as far as to say that computers are temperamental enough. I imagine Martin Lewis (managing editor of this magazine) would agree with me, given that the last time I saw him presenting, his computer aide wasn’t playing properly – so adding another technological risk into the mix with a wearable seems just plain daft.

According to Myo creators, ThalmicLabs, the armband is claimed to let your content shine and leaves your anxiety behind knowing that you are in control thanks to its intuitive gesture controls. Waving left takes the presenter to the previous slide, a wave to the right jumps to the next.

But even Oliver Richardson of DB Systems who made the original comment, stated that with the Myo, ‘perfecting the right movements takes getting used to.’ When you pair that with the findings from a recent study conducted by human behaviour research lab, Science of People, the Myo seems even more of a ridiculous addition.

The study looked into the science behind TED talks, or more specifically, what makes them so popular. Half of the participants watched the videos with sound, half watched them muted before rating each speaker.

A correlation was found between the number of views on a TED talk and the number of hand gestures – the most popular videos had an average of 7 million views with speakers using an average of 465 hand gestures. The least popular talks had an average of 124,000 views with speakers on average using 272 hand gestures.

These natural hand gestures would surely include swiping side to side, so if the TED speakers incorporated the Myo into their presentations, they’d run the risk of jumping through their slides – not exactly the way to win over an audience.

The findings also showed that speakers who use their hands to illustrate and reinforce ideas came across as relaxed, confident and authoritative – something that would surely be lost if the speaker had to focus using gestures to control their presentation.

Originally published in M&IT

Simon on: ITCM - Low-cost spherical photography is a benefit

Meeting room at the Brooklands Hotel - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Spherical photography has moved into the mainstream thanks to digital technology, with even the smallest of businesses adopting the trend.

But can a 360-degree view of a room really benefit the meetings industry? I think it should - any venue with meeting rooms for hire can benefit from giving potential clients the ability to look around.

As for meeting planners, being able to see spaces in their entireties provides huge advantages at the researching stage.

Read the whole article, featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

If you’re only going to do one thing then you better do it really well

Unfortunately, this is a lesson that Skype seems to be struggling with. Given that its primary function is messaging (instant, voice or video) I can’t understand how they do a worse job of it than some of their competitors who only do those things as extra features.

I’ve been a long-time user of Skype and there are situations where it is quite useful. Unfortunately, as an instant messaging platform it has gone downhill massively for me recently.

There have always been times when messages didn’t arrive for a while (sometimes days) and then all arrived at once. I don’t use the notifications on my phone because it’s not clever enough to understand when I’m already using my laptop and have seen a message, or am actively in a conversation and so pings every single time someone messages regardless.

There have always been some drawbacks, but for a good while it was one of the best messaging apps out there, so I persevered.

More recently, I’ve had a problem with the mobile version continually setting my status as “Available” even if I wanted my status set as “Invisible” – that’s a new bug which irritates the hell out of me, but more importantly, it is someone else’s product which has really made realise how bad a job Skype sometimes does.

I learned of the competing system because my family use Facebook chat and so eventually I relented and installed the Facebook chat app on my mobile – I was very pleasantly surprised. Messages are pretty much instant and while we were away recently I tried to do a voice call to a UK landline using Skype - it was so poor quality it was unusable. I immediately switched to Facebook chat and that worked perfectly and was lovely and clear.

Facebook chat also won’t ping my mobile if I’m using a browser to talk – I can also mute notifications for a specific conversation for period of time too – all really sensible and useful features.

Why is it then that Facebook – who only do a chat app as a secondary feature – can do a far better job of it than Skype? It’s a shame that Facebook chat isn’t really suited to a business environment – I just hope Skype pulls their finger out soon and catches up with the best in the market.

Simon on: The Internet of Things

According to one industry expert, the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to have a massive impact on the events industry as we know it.

So is this network of things embedded with electronics, sensors and connectivity exchanging data and interoperating within the Internet infrastructure really going to impact events anytime soon?

It’s very unlikely.

Currently the IoT is domestic as opposed to business. There are smart homes but when it comes to the office, there’s realistically not that much available.

It’s also of little interest to the events industry other than perhaps iBeacons, yet they are not online, so don’t really count as the IoT. Even then, organisers have to rely on an accompanying app which according to one study - only 8% to 12% of attendees typically download.

So without a huge percentage take up on apps, iBeacons not really being part of the IoT (even if they could be useful in the right environment), is the IoT really going to have a major impact on the events industry?

Right now I can’t see anything that offers real benefits to attendees. Don’t get carried away by commentators who don’t really know what they are on about.

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: ITCM - Real-time voice translations make progress

Science fiction is once again influencing reality as Microsoft takes inspiration from Star Trek's Universal Translator.

The preview programme for Skype Translator allows English and Spansih speakers to have a conversation in real-time, in both audio and text.

Although context may prove to be problematic, the Skype Translator is a wonderful use of technology. There'll be obstacles, but even Star Trek didn't have it all figured out.

Read the whole article, featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: App overload

App overload is now common because so many aren’t good enough so don’t get used or need updating so often we ditch them. Yet they’re still being hyped.

A recent example was a promotional video for an American convention centre: it was full of hype yet utterly pointless.

The app in question was just for the convention centre, so an attendee has to install that app AND the event app - a great route to failure.

Worse still, the app didn’t offer any real benefits. Sure, you can see a message pointing to a Starbucks a few metres away or watch augmented reality videos if you stop at a sign. The only useful feature was a local transport map which you could probably download easily from a website.

Technology should streamline everyday tasks, enhance activities or make something that was difficult, easy. It shouldn’t try to replace sensory functions like vision.

When it comes to conferences, forget the gimmicks. If you absolutely have to have an app, make sure it provides material that adds to the conference.

Originally published in Conference News 

Simon on: ITCM - Conference content & curation

Conference organisers are missing a trick - when it comes to content, the curating of digital assets post-presentation offers a multitude of benefits.

If compelling content has been delivered, it's only common sense to utilise it (as we all know content of such a high calibre can be quite the rarity).

Don't let the age-old fear of giving everything away for nothing get in the way - Monty Python sure didn't.

Find out just what Monty Python did by reading the whole article featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: M&IT - Big data, again

The predictions are in - 'big data is the one to watch in the meetings industry in 2015.'

*Sigh*

The term 'big data' is one that continues to wind me up as it is brandished by those who either don't understand it or choose to deliberately misuse it.

So what's the real definition?

Big data is an all-encompassing term for sets of data which are so large and complex that traditional processing methods are rendered inadequate.

To see big data put into perspective when it comes to meetings, read the whole article featured on M&IT, by clicking here.

Simon on: Distractions vs. Content

In our lives today we are constantly surrounded by distractions with the majority of them being digital. It’s begun to impact on everything else we do and, quite frankly, we need to learn how to disconnect.

At a conference, phones pinging or even just being available to Google something can easily claim our attention. We should really be focusing on what’s being said, but having our phones, tablets or laptops out can make it difficult.

Whether it’s instant messaging and email, or silly games and web pages, our digital devices have numerous ways to distract us with new methods coming at us all the time - but it’s not all our fault though.

Conference content needs to be gripping – probably more so than ever before – and that would make it easier to stay engaged. If someone gets bored by the session that they’re in then distractions will rule.

Delivering content that people can get excited about should enable organisers to have disconnected attendees. Yet it’s also important to help your attendees choose the right sessions so they don’t sit there wishing they’d gone to a different one and start looking for tweets from attendees of that session!

Originally published in Conference News