Savvy planners are discovering there’s much more to mobile technology than simply texting. Just ask Brad Neuman, one of the pros at metroConnections. As a continuously evolving Twin Cities’ enterprise offering complete conference, event and transportation services for meeting + event planners nationwide, metroConnections is tapped into leading edge tech. They’ve got great ideas on powering up the portability of mobile devices, smartphones and other tech gadgets to keep your guests in the loop and your event running smoothly, while freeing up your time
Q. Tell me about metroConnections.
A. For 27 years, metroConnections has been a one-stop shop for all meeting + event planning needs. We’re headquarted in Bloomington, Minnesota, with three locations to serve our customers nationwide. Our Conference Division builds over 600 conference registration and mobile sites annually.
Q. How can planners use mobile technology more effectively at their events?
A. As people rely more and more on their mobile devices, one way to optimize that technology in the meeting + event planning industry is through the use of Mobile Websites. Even though most websites are accessible by mobile devices, they’re formatted for a computer or laptop. That means that if you access them from a mobile device, you have to do a lot of scrolling and formatting just to read the contents. A Mobile Website is built with the most important information regarding the event formatted specifically for a mobile device, so that it’s easy to read, clickable and provides a quicker snapshot of the info. In many cases, it replaces the typically printed on-site agenda.
Q. Who would be interested in a Mobile Website?
A. Mobile Websites are a fairly new offering and planners looking for an onsite solution at the event are using them more frequently, even if they already have a conference website. As any planner knows, things can change rapidly in the midst of an event. Mobile Websites are like a traveling information booth, updating attendees with up-to-the-minute changes and all but eliminating the need for staffing of an actual information booth at the event, at least during non-peak times. With a Mobile Website, your information booth is always open. It’s just one more way for attendees to stay updated on the conference while they’re physically at the conference.
Q. How else can Mobile Websites be used?
A. What we’re finding is that planners are following Twitter feeds of event attendees throughout the course of the event. The Mobile Website allows them to react and respond to attendees with immediacy. Text messages and voting can also be integrated as a complement to mobile websites.
Q. If I were planning a summertime team-building retreat, how could mobile tools prove beneficial?
A. In addition to Mobile Websites, we’ve incorporated smartphones and mobile devices into the mix at team-building events. For example, one group with whom we worked were split into teams of five, and each team received an iPod Touch and a digital camera. We pre-loaded a customized series of slides and images into the iPod Touch and they used these as guides on a scavenger hunt, similar to the Amazing Race competition. In the end, each member of the winning team received one of the iPod Touch devices as their prize. We can do this kind of thing for anyone, customizing tools and technology to fit a planner’s needs. We even offer texting capabilities so the planner can send a pre-written series of updates to hit mobile devices at scheduled intervals. This frees up the planner’s time and makes the event run much more smoothly.
