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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Complaints on social media

A few people have argued against spending time on promoting conferences through social media because there is no evidence that it works. The difficulty lies in the claim that social media can be used to attract more delegates to attend a meeting.

It’s true that hobby events can generate huge activity. It’s also true that, in spite of determined efforts by some, this isn’t the case for professional conferences.

Look at the feeds for most conferences and they’ll be mainly made up of promotional posts from the organiser, notes from the organiser’s friends saying they’re excited to be going and posts from commercial organisations trying to get attendees to go to see them.

But one feature of social media is starting to play a role: it is increasingly becoming the first stop for anybody who wants to complain. 

And this is where a meeting planner can use it to advantage. If somebody is monitoring the feeds, these complaints can be spotted, acted upon and, most important, a response posted before the complaint gets out of hand.

The difficulty then becomes one of resisting the temptation to post a message reading ‘Did you bother to read the joining instructions?’. But that’s a different issue.

Originally published in Conference News

Simon on: No change for conferences

The most vocal critics of traditional conferences claim that formats must change because the world has changed since conferences became an established communications tool. 

This is like saying that the structure of the novel must change because today’s world is totally different to that of Charles Dickens’ day.

That is clearly a nonsensical argument: the structure of a story is still the same and, in the right hands, is still compelling. It may be delivered on an e-reader, but the process of telling the story has been unchanged since Chaucer’s time.

Obviously authors have tried to come up with variations to the linear story just as planners have tried to come up with new styles of conference. 

Some authors also experiment with the format by omitting punctuation or chapter breaks but their stories still use age-old techniques. As a result the traditional novel still holds sway.

It’s the same with conferences: there are many technologies being promoted as the latest game-changer but what the promoters overlook is that they’re just tools. 

At the heart of any conference has to be a clearly defined purpose. Only when that has been established should anybody begin to think about what technology (if any) is going to be used.

Originally published in Conference News