TECH BEAT

The Americas Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition, which will enjoy its Chicago debut June 11-13, will throw in a TECHbar to complement its Future Events Experience. The meetings-technology helpdesk/genius bar, an all-purpose Q&A for the curious planner, is a similar take on what the exhibition has provided in past years. This bar will be tended by representatives of The Meeting Pool, a new tech-focused consultancy and portal founded by planner/consultant Dahlia El Gazzar. According to El Gazzar, the TECHbar will cover everything from mobile devices to enterprise applications.

The TECHbar will be serving said knowledge on the trade show floor June 12 and 13, as part of the aforementioned Future Events Experience. This so-called FEE (an acronym I don't think they actually use) is a gathering area for the technology-focused suppliers and other forward thinkers to show their wares. The Spotlight Innovation Stage therein will feature presentations on topics including content marketing, mobile apps, attendee engagement, crowdsourcing, tablets and mobile devices, and general tech trends of the future. And the nearby New Events Solutions area will offer demos and hands-on interactive sessions.

According to the Spotlight Innovation Stage schedule, presentations will be 30 minutes long and feature tech experts like QuickMobile's Trevor Roald, consultant Samuel J. Smith, The Meeting Pool's Keith Johnston and Tony Lorenz of bxb Online, among many others. App developer Doubledutch will sponsor cocktails from 4:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, for the Extreme Tweetup, organized by The Meeting Pool and taking place in that same area. I'm not sure what makes a tweetup extreme. I aim to find out.

With spring now in various degrees of full swing, you're probably investigating or booking summer flights -- for vacation, for upcoming industry conferences or for some other face-to-face gatherings. We have braced for the challenges of high fares and budget cuts, but we may be faced with some stressful summer travel nonetheless. So a couple of items promising some relief, or insight into travel challenges, caught my attention.

First off, there is the question of when to book. You know those articles that promise the inside scoop on the best times to book flights? If you're like me, you read every last one of those articles, knowing full well that the complexities of carrier competition and price fluctuation make it nearly impossible for anyone to provide definitive information. But in the spirit of scientific discovery, here's the latest from CheapAir.com, which, by name alone, must have some degree of expertise.

The online search and shopping engine crunched the numbers from 560,611,868 fare searches over the course of 2012, for more than 11,000 domestic markets. And their numbers proved that indeed, it really doesn't matter what day of the week tickets are booked. While many airlines do frequently publish system-wide fare sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they also run many smaller, unpublished sales on other days. In other words, you never really know and no day provides significantly better deals than another.

In terms of advance booking, CheapAir's number crunching revealed the best time to book, on average, was seven weeks before the trip. CEO Jeff Klee acknowledges "a million caveats apply" to that number, and that it doesn't account for specific city pairs, time of year, day of the week you're flying and so on. That's purely an average based on the aggregate for domestic flight searches. Booking tickets at the last minute was the most expensive way to go, not surprisingly, yet booking travel seven months in advance also was very pricey. CheapAir's study found that prices steadily declined from seven months out until that seven-week mark, at which point they gradually started to rise again, shooting up dramatically just before the departure date (see graph from CheapAir.com, below). We are now seven weeks away from July 4th weekend, in case you were about to do the math, so act accordingly.

CheapAir.com recently has been touting a free new iOS app that, among other things, provides the ability to do voice-activated flight searches. In my own unscientific testing, I did find the company's search engine turned up some good deals that other sites did not. I'll be adding the app to my flight-research routine. Your mileage may vary with the voice-activated searches, however: No matter how many different pronunciations I attempted, "Guadalajara" was not recognized.

Beyond the stress of fare-finding, there lies the increasingly complex labyrinth of airport navigation. The opportunities for losing a bag, a camera, an iPad or a phone somewhere along the way have multiplied. The FinderCodes Travel Kit is meant to provide some peace of mind, in the form of waterproof tags with a QR code that contains your contact info. For $30 you get two large luggage tags, one medium tag for carry-ons and four adhesive tags for tech gadgets. Because the QR code links to an online profile to which you have access, you can update your information whenever it changes. It makes it relatively easy for someone who finds your lost gear to contact you.

Of course, basic luggage tags also make it relatively easy for someone to contact you -- and, in my experience, some airlines require a completely filled-in tag. But if you're hesitant to put your complete address on a tag, lest some crafty scoundrel rob your house while you're away, the FinderCodes Kit solves that problem. No contact info is visible to the finder online; the platform connects loser and finder without revealing details. (Plus, people rarely put luggage tags on gadgets, which is one intended use for the smaller FinderCode labels.)

FinderCodes just made the return of said gear a bit easier, too, with the addition of the Re-TurnIt feature. Now, anyone who finds the gear can bring it to a FedEx Office and use the FedEx Pack and Return service to send it your way. The QR code on each tag links to directions to the nearest FedEx Office. Once notified by FinderCodes, the owners of said items can authorize the shipping method via their online profiles. How many Good Samaritans will bother to get your gear to a FedEx Office? This feature is fairly new, so that remains to be seen -- and FinderCodes did not return my request for any data related to how many lost items have been returned through the system. Still, the Re-TurnIt capability seems an obvious benefit if finders choose to use it. So, even if $30 doesn't get you complete peace of mind in the event of lost gear, at least it provides some degree of hope.

Safe travels.

Marriott International unveiled a nifty mobile web app this week, made expressly for the on-site needs of planners during meetings at Marriott properties. Red Coat Direct, as the app is called, presents a straightforward interface to the planner, customized for each meeting: One can either make a request of the hotel or check on the status of a request already made. A series of options serve to guide planners through their requests, which could be for room temperature changes, coffee refills, additional dishes, meal time changes, easels, more tables -- pretty much anything a planner might require from the hotel staff during a meeting or event. (Marriott's promotional video provides additional glimpses at the interface.)

I would assume that many planners will still find it easier to pick up the phone and speak to his or her hotel contact. But the app aims to be more efficient than that. Requests made through Red Coat Direct automatically generate messages to the appropriate parties. For instance, your request to turn up the temperature goes to your hotels sales contact as well as the engineering department simultaneously -- as your contact responds to say "we're on it" someone from engineering is, theoretically, already warming things up.

Red Coat Direct is a mobile web app, so there is nothing to download. Any device with web access, including a laptop, can run the app. A few weeks prior to the meeting, the sales contact provides the planner with a link. There, everything has been customized for the meeting in question. The meeting rooms used are programmed into the app, for example, streamlining the request process.

Marriott has been piloting the app since Christmas 2012 at two of its meeting properties: the Tysons Corner (Va.) Marriott and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Planner response has been enthusiastic, according to a Marriott spokesperson, and has helped shape the app's development. This week the app debuted at 10 U.S. Marriott properties and will be put into action at 14 more later this month. A dozen more hotels will get the app in June, including one in Dubai and several in the U.K. (The list of properties is available online. ) By the end of this year, the app should be available at all Marriott hotels in the U.S.; by the end of 2014, it should debut at all of the brand's global properties, in 19 languages. Future plans entail adapting the app for Marriott International's other hotel brands, with different names and functionality to reflect the meetings programs of each brand.

We've seen instances of social media affecting meeting services at some hotels, where attendee requests or complaints via Twitter receive near-immediate attention from a hotel staffer. A number of Marriott properties do have someone monitoring social media for just such purposes, according to a spokesperson, although there isn't yet a companywide approach to such monitoring. This new app, however, takes the same ideas of mobile accessibility and near-instant gratification, and puts them directly in the hands of the planner.

There is no denying the convenience of webinars as a way to share and discuss ideas and information, and that convenience is no doubt responsible for their ubiquity in modern business. I regularly log on via webinar platforms for press conferences and technology demos, and the medium is particularly effective when it comes to the latter. I relish the opportunity to see new applications in action, and to be able to ask questions about them as I'm watching.
 
It was in one such recent demo that I was able to see Personify Live in action, a new technology that has the potential to infuse web meetings with a whole new level of engagement. And the best part about it is that it doesn't detract from the convenience of the platforms we're already using for webinars -- it just adds another element. The webinar attendees (as opposed to the host) needn't download or add anything new -- they simply log on to a webinar on GoToMeeting, WebEx, Adobe Connect or Microsoft Lync the same way they always have.
 
The web host, however, can change the whole dynamic of the meeting by putting him or himself onscreen via webcam. Personify Live, at least in the demo I saw, very effectively removes the distracting background so that the host appears in front of the presentation itself. Think weatherman-style, but without the need for a green screen. The host, who sees the same image on his or her own screen, can interact with the presentation, pointing out specific points as he speaks.
 
It sounds simple enough, but the effect is surprisingly engaging. It adds the personal touch of videoconferencing, but without the need for any added software or hardware on the attendee's part. The host, in addition to using one of the aforementioned web-conferencing platforms to share his or her screen, need only to acquire a 3-D (depth-sensing) webcam and subscribe to Personify Live. Compatible cameras include the Microsoft Kinect (about $110) and the Asus Xtion Pro Live (about $180), and more are on the way. Personify Live charges $20 per month, per user (or $199 annually).
 
The webinar host must be using a PC with Windows Vista, 7 or 8, although a Mac version is planned for a summer 2013 release. And a free app turns your Apple or Android smartphone into a remote presentation control, making it possible to more inconspicuously advance slides.
 
Among big-name clients already using the technology are SAP, Oracle, the University of Illinois and LinkedIn, according to Personify CEO Sanjay Patel. New features in the works include support for multiple speakers and useful video effects, which should debut in the next six to 12 months. In terms of mobile support, attendees can view any web-conferencing platform that works with their mobile devices; Personify Live doesn’t change any compatibility. The Personify team is working on a version that will allow the meeting host to broadcast from a mobile device -- but that’s a ways off. First the mobile devices themselves must begin offering depth-sensing webcams.
 
Personify offers a free 30-day trial of the technology, so you can check it out and see whether the effects are as smooth and natural as what I saw in the demo. Feel free to post here or contact me to share your experience.

Launch.it, an online "news and information platform," as the creators bill it, essentially makes the online newsroom more public -- by adding social media and an e-magazine sheen to what typically would be just a storehouse of press releases on a particular topic. Recently, Launch.it began targeting exhibition organizers, working with them to a create a show-specific social platform that's part newsroom, part enhanced-listing directory. In this scenario, exhibitors pay to be part of this platform, designed to generate leads as well as disperse news and information throughout the community. For show organizers, it's a potential revenue stream: Launch.it sets up the platform for a fairly minimal charge, and shares the exhibitor-fee revenue with the show owners.

It's an innovative idea, and no one else appears to be doing anything just like it yet in the event space. Think event-specific social platform, but one that focuses primarily on the needs of exhibitors. It's similar to the enhanced listing opportunities in, say, mobile apps, but on a much more robust and interactive scale. It functions as a robust news site of its own.

Check out Eureka Park News, the news channel built for the Eureka Park TechZone at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show. (It's much easier to wrap your head around this if you see it in action.) Eureka Park showcases startups at CES; it's a chance for those young companies to meet venture capitalists, manufacturers, retailers, press and others to show off their companies and products. Launch.it charged the Consumer Electronics Association "a few thousand dollars," according to Launch.It co-founder Trace Cohen, to set up the Eureka Park News site, and then worked with about 140 exhibitors in the TechZone to get their information into the channel. Exhibitors each paid $100 to publish their news on the site. (Launch.it exhibitor rates thus far have ranged from $100 to $295 per show.)

A "Count It Down" top-10 list at the top of the channel's home page keeps tabs on the 10 most popular news releases, based on a combination of views, comments, how many times each was shared, ratings and "freshness." A news carousel rotates through those 10 stories, highlighting each in turn with a large photo. Clicking through to each story (press release) brings up a nicely presented page with the full release, complete with a lot of downloadable media: high-res images, company information, patent filings, YouTube video demo links, etc. An "Action Box" speaks to the lead-generation purpose: a "Buy it" button brings the viewer directly to the site where the product in question can be purchased; or, for products not yet on the market, an "Invest in it" button is more appropriate, and can link to a KickStarter page. You get the idea — perhaps a "Book it" button could be used for exhibitors at travel- and meetings-industry events. The info may also be saved or printed, and a "Cover it" button, for journalists, sends an email directly to the appropriate exhibitor rep for follow-up info.

Additional features include Facebook comments, which may be activated for responses to and questions about the release, directly on the page. Also, media, investors and/or enthusiasts can choose to follow a company or product simply by checking a box, easily getting themselves on a list to receive future updates. Each exhibitor has complete control over the information displayed in the platform, and can make updates at any time. Launch.it does not have a mobile app, but the site is built to scale to whatever device is being used to view it.

Launch.it has worked with about a dozen events thus far, beginning last June with CE Week in New York City. Founders Trace and (his father) Brian Cohen have a background in technology PR, and have thus far focused their efforts in the tech field and for tech events. But they currently are seeking to expand their horizons and partnerships, and are meeting with a number of industry event organizers in the coming weeks and months. Likewise, they're looking for potential synergies and relationships with other technology providers in the meetings industry. You can contact them, or simply keep an eye out for them at upcoming industry events.

Yasmo Live, which has produced apps for about 110 events over the last three years, has just unveiled a new, do-it-yourself version of its tool. And to promote it, the company is making the Instant App Creator completely free to use for a limited time. For at least a couple of months, according to Yasmo, planners can try it out for an event of any size -- even with sponsorship opportunities -- at no cost.

Yasmo Live is a native app, with versions available for Apple iOS, Android and Windows devices, as well as BlackBerry (although BlackBerry is debuting a new OS, unlikely to be compatible with apps for its current devices). And the new do-it-yourself version, the company claims, allows event organizers to create an app in less than 10 minutes.

The app's core feature is its location-based networking ability: It shows attendees the profiles of everyone in their vicinity in real time, and facilitates face-to-face interaction by making a meeting request very straightforward. It also levels the playing field in this respect, making it just as easy to approach the superstar keynote speaker as any other attendee. The profiles are basic: just name, company and title, so the creation of the profile is neither labor-intensive nor intrusive from a privacy standpoint. Attendees must send a connection request in order to see someone's email address and, optionally, links to Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Twitter pages.

The app's focus on networking brings to mind another new location-based app, Topi, which I wrote briefly about last month. A few differences between the apps stand out to me, though. Topi places a stronger focus on social media connections, importing profile data from attendee LinkedIn and Facebook profiles and using that data to create social groups based on professional and personal interests, hometowns and the like. Topi encourages banter among attendees on their mobile devices, allowing them to begin either public or private conversations through the app that could lead to in-person meetings at the event -- or at least continued conversation.
 
Yasmo, on the other hand, is designed to facilitate in-person meetings. "We're really focused on face-to-face interaction," says founder and CEO Areti Kampyli, who recently moved Yasmo HQ from London to San Francisco. "We want you to meet people on-site and talk to them, then use the platform or other social media to keep in touch after the event."

Both apps aim to offer the conveniences and utility of any event app, such as providing program and speaker information. That said, those extras appear only as PDFs or documents on Topi, which isn't the most robust and mobile-friendly way to get such info while on-site. Yasmo's program ("programme," actually, as vestiges of its UK origins remain) is more robust, easily searched and, in my opinion, much more attendee-friendly. There are some inconveniences. For example, it would be nice to be able to access speaker bios from within the program tab, rather than navigating to a separate speaker section, but Kampyli tells me that change already is being made.

Some other useful Yasmo features include audience polling and the ability to send in questions to speakers during sessions. The latter feature, says Kampyli, was one of the most popular at The Intersection, an innovation and social change symposium that took place at Google's headquarters in January. Eighty-six percent of the 325 attendees used the Yasmo app.

Yasmo still provides a more full-service option to customers who request it. Topi, which will formally post its pricing later this month, will charge event organizers $5 per user, per day.

AllSeated, an online service that consolidates guest-list and floor-planning tools, really needs to be seen in action. Among the many technology-related press releases I receive, this one, at first, went in to my "might be useful" pile; the demo, however, convinced me that AllSeated is a well-designed, robust piece of technology that can truly aid in planning and collaboration. Plus, it's free -- to planners, venues, event hosts and vendors.

Designed by Israel-based developers, AllSeated began as a project to assist an in-house employee with wedding plans. And to some extent, it is still wedding-centric -- co-founder Daniel Anisman often referred to the event host as "the bride" during our demo -- but the platform is equally applicable to charity galas and corporate events, with some interface tweaks applied to cater to each event type. AllSeated officially launched at BizBash in November, and its user base has been growing rapidly.

The platform is meant to ease logistical planning efforts among planners, venue representatives and event hosts (or brides, as the case may be) by giving each the ability to log in to a central platform, and to make changes everyone can see in real time. For instance, let's say the planner has booked a wedding at the Plaza in New York. Because the Plaza is already part of AllSeated's inventory, the planner can select from a drop-down menu the appropriate event space within the hotel and bring up a map of the space. There are currently more than 100 venues in the system, and that's growing quickly; if a venue doesn't show up, a planner need only send a request. The AllSeated team generally gets maps and floor plans pretty quickly from each venue requested, and loads them in short order.

If the map is pre-loaded, that's ideal; but if not, that needn't slow down the planner much. Floor plans can still be built from a variety of templates, or designed in custom fashion. It may not reflect the precise layout of a room, but it's one way a planner can get started. And the Floor Plan interface is wonderfully slick, all drag-and-drop convenience; table sizes and shapes can be easily selected and changed, and positioned and repositioned to one's heart's content. AllSeated has been styled based on a lot of venue feedback, and the resulting detail is evident in the Floor Plan tool. All of this resides online -- no downloads are required -- and, in the demo, at least, the tool was very responsive.

Now, based on the restrictions provided by the venue, the ability to change the floor-plan layout may be limited to the venue rep, or just the venue rep and the planner -- but the event host can potentially have access too, leading to a true online collaborative brainstorming effort. The planner sends an email invitation to the event host, who gets access to the event site and subsequently creates a guest list. That list, conveniently, can be either be created within the tool or imported from Facebook, Gmail or an Excel spreadsheet. Guest responses can then be tracked and seen in real time by all interested parties. And, since every aspect of AllSeated is interconnected, table assignments for each guest can also be reflected immediately on the floor plan. Using the interactive floor plan, it's easy to see which tables are filling up and which still have space, and any user can generate reports that reflect such details. Plus, the floor plan can be printed, which is especially useful for other vendors -- caterers, photographers, the setup staff, etc.

AllSeated is also integrating with a growing list of related suppliers -- they won't say who just yet -- but, for instance, an attendee check-in tool has integrated so that on event day, the floor plan can be updated in real time as guests arrive.

The interface design is clean and logical, so that this functionality, as well as a number of additional features, all blend together well without being overwhelming. As useful as the platform appears for pre-event planning, the real-time, collaborative aspect makes perfect sense for on-site use as well. Anisman told me the mobile apps should be ready in about 3 to 4 weeks; there will be native downloads for both Apple iOS and Android devices. This strikes me as a great iPad-based tool for a team to use on-site, assuming the iPad interface is anywhere as slick as the web-based one.

AllSeated is funded by private investors, and Anisman said that money won't be an issue for at least a couple of years. That's good, because at this point the tool has no revenue stream -- it's free for everyone to use. The group's primary focus is to introduce the product to the mass market and to grow the venue database. As that grows, along with the number of registered planners and event hosts, "event marketplace" opportunities to connect people will open up, according to Anisman, and with that a number of potential money-making models.