meetsmart mobile - Patent approved!

meetsmart is pleased to announce the official approval of its trademark and patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

meetsmart mobile is the mind-blowingly easy conference navigation app & mobile show guide, developed by meeting planners. It works on all smartphones & mobile devices. It is built to monetize your meeting and engage your attendees.

http://meetsmartmobile.com/meetsmart/video.html

meetsmart mobile - the mind blowingly easy mobile show guide

meetsmart is the mind-blowingly easy mobile conference guide.

Specifically designed by meeting planners, its understanding of Conference needs is astounding. It hits the mark by delivering exactly what all the meeting attendee and the host organization expects - AND the meetsmart concierge staff does all the work. No added workload for your staff.

Quick navigation. Cross Platform. Powerful search. Lots of detail. Maps. Create schedules. Build sponsorship & exhibit revenues. Alerts. Analytics.

Special offer - book meetsmart mobile by December 31 and receive a complimentary iPad2! Email Larry Wilhelm at larry@meetsmartmobile.com or call 410-849-2177 for details.

64% of Meetings Are Using a Mobile App

With so much new meeting technology being developed it can be hard to know what’s worth investing your time in, and what will simply be a flash in the pan. Our clients rely on us to keep them abreast of trends and technology, so our team works hard to keep our finger on the pulse of the meetings and convention industry.

Earlier this summer, Conference & Logistics Consultants conducted a survey of over 300 meeting planners to gauge our industry’s comfort level with new technologies. A key finding of the 2011 Meeting Technology Trends Survey was that 64 percent of meetings are already using a mobile app, or intend to add one this year. Another 16 percent intend to add one within three years.

If you’re not thinking about a mobile app for your meeting, you’re being left behind. Attendees are clamoring for instant access to information, and ways to personalize their conference experience. Mobile technology is an easy way to provide both. Mobile conference guides run the gamut from inexpensive web-based platforms ($9 – 15K) to high-end custom native apps ($25 – 100+K).

The survey also revealed a lot of other interesting information, which we will put out in a white paper later this fall. Stay tuned to the blog or subscribe to our RSS feed for future updates.

Mobile App Success Story

meetsmart mobile and Meeting Professional International Southern California Chapter (MPISCC) implemented the new mobile app at the MPISCC 30th Annual Conference. By offering the app at the Conference, MPISCC gave their members:

- A smart, easy-to-use first mobile experience
- A great way to put Meeting information into delegates hands quickly & easily
- Generated new communication & increased professional interaction

meetsmart mobile received great reviews and MPISCC derived excellent benefits. Read the article here:
http://engage365.org/2011/04/mpiscc-meetsmart-mobile-a-conference-navigation-app-success-story/

meetsmart mobile is the only event navigation app designed by meeting planners. Attendees get a powerful information tool and associations receive the benefits of a very affordable revenue-generating tool which keeps them on the cutting edge of technology.

Meeting Trends: Mobile Technologies Are Green in More Ways than One

We are excited about the continued efforts across our industry to reduce the environmental impact of meetings and conventions. Our team often works with clients to incorporate common-sense green initiatives that also save money, such as using local suppliers to reduce shipping cost, custom-building menus to take advantage of local and seasonal ingredients, and managing power usage.

Small changes are important, but their impact is gradual. One big step that organizations can take to reduce their carbon footprint as well as boost the budget is to add technologies that reduce or eliminate the need for printed materials. Online registration virtually eliminates faxes, as well as reduces staff time and stress. E-marketing has become easier and more affordable – as well as more effective! – than expensive postcards and printed advance programs. And e-posters allow content to be captures and shared beyond the boundaries of time and space.

Replacing a printed conference program with a mobile app can easily save an annual meeting thousands of dollars in printing costs alone. In fact, one of our team members saved an association nearly $50,000 in printing and shipping costs by transitioning their meeting to a paperless format. By contrast, mobile apps start at just $5,000!

A comprehensive mobile app reduces or eliminates the need for printed materials of many kinds, including:
* Conference program books
* Exhibit hall maps
* Exhibitor guides
* Speaker biographies and session descriptions
* Onsite errata sheets to alert attendees about changes and last-minute additions

The C&LC team is proud that our meetsmart mobile conference navigation app is being used to support green initiatives. For additional ideas on greening your meeting, visit meetsmartmobile.com.

Meeting Trends: Using Mobile Technologies to Boost the Bottom Line

If you have a smartphone, you’re probably familiar with mobile apps that save you time, simplify mundane tasks, or just entertain you with movies or games. We rely on our phones for much more than just talking or texting.

In the last year, mobile apps have also emerged as an innovative method of both generating revenue and reducing costs for meetings and conventions. In fact, a leading meeting industry publication has dubbed 2011 the Year of the Mobile App. Savvy organizations are realizing that mobile apps return a great deal of value for a relatively small investment.

The question we often hear from our clients is, How can we maximize our investment in meeting technology? Mobile apps are extremely attractive to conference sponsors, who realize that conference delegates spend countless hours on their smartphones – both during conference sessions, as well as in their free time.

Technology sponsorships offer much richer delegate engagement than traditional sponsorship opportunities. A mobile app used throughout the conference draws hundreds of page views, while single-use items like food & beverage or disposable giveaways are quickly forgotten.

Sponsors are willing to invest $10K - $25K or more to get their logo and message in the place that attendees are already looking. A single sponsorship pays for the app several times over – bringing in additional revenue well beyond the initial investment. Additional sponsorships and ads can also be sold to produce even more profit. Small investment, big return!

Computing in the Cloud: What's it all about?

The recent article in Meeting & Conventions Magazine talks about "cloud computing". The word 'cloud' has been coined to describe using Software as a Service or SaaS. SaaS means using software applications over the Internet through your browser rather than purchasing and loading software onto your computer. This is the future of sharing information and technology. No longer are we constrained by specific hardware or operating systems. Information in the 'cloud' is available 24/7 and 365 days a year. It is accessible from any type of computer, on all mobile devices and it is accessible from anywhere.

Meetings & Conventions calls this change a "dynamic shift" in mindset. The major software developers are moving their software solutions to the 'cloud'. Companies are storing their information outside of their offices because the it is available with ease and real-time sharing of the data is more efficient than ever.

No wonder that Conference & Logistics Consultants chose to build its new mobile conference navigation app, meetsmart mobile 'in the cloud'. Every conference organizer wants to know that their meeting data can be accessed easily and won't be disrupted by programming or platform issues. Conference organizers work every day to avoid surprises. What planner would want to have their conference navigation app derailed by a phone manufacturer upgrade right before their event?

"Cloud computing" is the way of the future. Manage your costs, keep control of your data, minimize software issues and put your information into all the hands of your audience. meetsmart mobile: Meeting Technology by Meeting Planners.

Tech without the Trauma

There was very interesting and valuable information collected by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings National Pre-Show Survey.

"According to the conference’s survey, respondents feel technology is most helpful in the planning industry for online registrations, social networking, eRFPs, e-mail blasts, marketing, blogs, conducting virtual meetings and utilizing e-commerce through online stores. Respondents suggested that technology saves time and enhances organization, while at the same time streamlines business processes, more accurately capturing or manipulating information and allowing a database of legacy data to be built. It also allows a wider audience to be reached, they said."

Technology touches our lives more and more every day. It can be overwhelming sometimes, but when approached with some guidance it is so surprising how the benefits far outweigh the initial reaction of hesitancy or stress.

Our team at Conference & Logistics Consultants team is helping more and more clients everyday find a friend in technology. Take a minute and visit our "Tech without the Trauma" information: http://www.gomeeting.com/tech/

Personalize your Convention Experience with Boston’s iPhone app

Today, the Boston Convention & Exhibit Center announced the launch of a proprietary application for iPhone and iTouch users that combines center navigation with a robust set of add-ons including built-in social networking capability. Named “myBCEC,” the application is a personal concierge for your phone with information about wayfaring around New England's largest building, local restaurants, hotels, and retailers, transit and travel information, and a custom Twitter client designed specifically for events.

The iTunes application description notes that “the myBCEC app is a mobile concierge for visitors to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, one of the Top 10 convention centers in the nation. The myBCEC application combines networking and navigation in one united platform." Features include:

• Wayfinding around New England’s largest building
• Nearby restaurants, hotels, retailers,
• A Twitter client customized for events
• Real-time transportation information for departing flights from Logan Airport, MBTA (subway) alerts and traffic alerts; and
• Visitor information about the venue.

With this app, Boston is leading the way in becoming more accessible to visitors through their mobile devices. Other centers are sure to follow. The app is compatible with iPhone and iTouch, and available to download for free at:

itms://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mybcec-for-boston-convention-exhibition/id347104218?mt=8