| |
Welcome to Corbin's TechTalk Newsletter, in its sixth year of providing the latest in technology for meetings, hospitality and travel professionals in more than 60 countries.
In this issue:
Click here for a free subscription to this newsletter or, if you are already a subscriber, to manage your subscription.
New Article: What’s Hot in Hotel Technology – Direct from the Show Floor at HITEC 2005
The Hospitality Industry Technology Education Conference (HITEC), this year held June 20-23 in Los Angeles, is one of the best shows I go to each year to see what is new for meetings professionals. Yes, its focus is on hotels but the new technology hotels will be providing often has a significant impact on meeting planners and meetings. This article has the highlights.
New Article: A Frequent Flyer’s Guide to Reduced Travel Stress
My past eight years as a professional speaker has taken me to hundreds of cities and dozens of countries around the world. Here are a few of the tips I have picked up along the way.
Updated Article: Making the Most of Your Exhibit Opportunity – 10 Do’s and 10 Don’ts in Staffing Your Exhibit Booth (and Outside Your Booth As Well)
Julia O'Conner (www.tradeshowtraining.com) excellent article has been added at the bottom of this original article. Together, they give many suggestions for exhibitor at events -- in the booth and out.
Updated Article: 1980-2005 A 25 Year Timeline of Meetings Technology Innovation
Technology changes in the past 25 years have been astonishing. This article contains many of the key milestones with general technology events in "black" and meetings industry innovations in "red." Thanks to Ray Hall in Brisbane Australia for some key milestones in the early years of development.
News
Call for meetings technology innovation providers: Apply for EIBTM's World Wide Technology Watch Award.
I am happy to report that I have been asked to chair the judging committee for the third year. This global award seeks to recognize technology innovation for the meetings and events industry. The judging will be in September 2005 and the award will be given late November at EIBTM 2005 in Barcelona. Description, criteria and application form can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/95tar
Corbin receives "Speaker of the Year" Award from the San Diego Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (SDMPI)
In the Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Del Mar Marriott on June 20, the San Diego Chapter of MPI awarded me the "Speaker of the Year" for a presentation given earlier this year. I am delighted and honored to receive this award.
13 Web Site Favorites for Business and Fun
4 Favorite Meeting/Travel Industry Sites:
MeetingsRadio
http://www.meetingsradio.com
Bill Wulff, CMP provides one hour of live meeting industry issue talk radio every Monday through Friday at 9am Eastern Time (with replay on demand through the day).
Web based document printing in hundreds of hotels around the world.
http://www.efi.com/products/printme/
RFID (Radio Frequency ID) Conferences
http://www.rfida.com/nb/conference.htm
Great set of links about RFID and conferences using them.
TaxBack
http://www.taxback.com/
Running meetings in Europe? Streamline the VAT return with this company.
6 Favorite Utility/Reference Sites:
You Send It
http://www.yousendit.com
Do you have a large file to email? Most email systems block over 5Mb. YouSendIt.com allows you to send up to 1GB for free. Upload your file to their server and they send an e-mail to the other party indicating that a file is on the server to download. It is kept for a limited time (7 days) and allow only a few downloads.
WorldMaps
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm
Excellent compendium of maps, guides and links from around the world.
IHealthRecord
http://www.ihealthrecord.org/
For the frequent travelers out there, this is a secure and confidential interactive personal health record to share with a medical care giver in case of emergency. Thanks to Nick Topizez from PCNameTag for this link suggestion.
ZoomInfo
http://www.zoominfo.com/
"People information summaries" -- a search engine specifically designed for finding people in business.
Google Cheat Sheet
http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html
For advanced search queries using Google.
What Women Want Survey
http://www.chickenofthesea.com/Survey_Results.pdf
31,000 response to Sigmund Freud's age old question: What Do Women Want?
3 Sites for Fun:
Hubble shots to music
http://www.frontiermultimedia.com/deepspace.htm
Amazing scenes.
Slow motion video of jet breaking the sound barrier
http://www.galleryoffluidmechanics.com/conden/f14.mpeg
Mobile social software
www.dodgeball.com
Interesting use of cell phone and geolocation to see friends in a 10-block radius. Available in 22 cities in the U.S.
3 Recent Articles with "Quotes from Corbin"
RFID Raises Privacy Issue
Successful Meetings, May 2005
http://www.successmtgs.com/successmtgs/search/search_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000885461
What is That Going To Cost?
CIM Publications Germany, May 2005
http://www.cim-publications.de/en/zeitschriften/article.php?id=7529&mode=currentIssue
Pressure on planners is growing; internally from controlling, externally from the pharmaceutical self-regulatory code. Costs for meetings should be transparent and lower. Firms are looking for solutions.
Boot Up! Maximizing Online Registration -- How to Tell What’s Right for You
Event Solutions Magazine - June 2005
http://www.event-solutions.com/magazine/current_issue/jun05-onlinereg.html
This article, by Rachel Globus, covers many aspects of the decision process in choosing an online registration provider.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty."
--Author: G. Donald Gale
SHORT-SIGHTED TECHNOLOGY QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
-- Western Union internal memo, 1876.
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUGGESTION?
Please send along any questions, ideas, or suggestion on how to make this newsletter more useful for you.
CORBIN'S SPEAKING CALENDAR
My speaking and consulting schedule for July and August will bring me to Atlanta (twice), Toronto (twice), Miami, Couer d' Alene, Seattle, London, Paris, Canyonville (Oregon) and likely a few other places as well. Click the link above for specific details. I would love to make your city one of my destinations as well, so please contact me and let's set a date.
CORBIN'S PROGRAMS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
TESTIMONIALS
CORBIN'S CONSULTING AND WRITING SERVICES
SPONSORSHIP: Want to help sponsor Corbin's Tech Talk Newsletter sent to thousands of subscribers in 60 countries interested in meetings, events, trade show and hotel technology?
E-mail me at: contactcorbin@corbinball.com
PRIVACY STATEMENT: We respect your privacy. Your, e-mail address and any other information will never be sold, traded, rented, bartered, or given away. Nor will it be used for any other purpose than to communicate with you. Period!
TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.corbinball.com/contact/
You can also change your preferences at this address.
LIST DIFFICULTIES? Send a message to: info@corbinball.com.
REFERRALS: If you know of anyone that would benefit from my free email newsletter (sent every two months) containing the latest in meetings technology in clear language designed specifically for the meeting professional, please forward this newsletter on.
CONTACT INFO:
Corbin Ball, CMP
Corbin Ball Associates
506 14th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-6107
Phone: 360-734-8756, Fax: 508-632-7730
Email Corbin
Web: www.corbinball.com
© Copyright 2005 Corbin Ball Associates.
This letter and its content are proprietary products. All rights reserved.
Please forward the entire letter to anyone you feel may be interested.
|
Thanks to our sponsors who make TechTalk possible:
DotCom Your Event
Searching for an affordable and secure Event Registration Solution?DotCom Your Event specializes in pre-show, online and onsite registration solutions. From our fully customizable Conference, Gala and Proposal Management Systems to our inexpensive, feature-rich, "event ready" software the Event Wizard, our web-based solutions are guaranteed to maximize your time. Visit our website today to learn more about our free trial, free checklist and our free lanyard offer.
Meeting Planning Boot CampTM Customized Courses
Customized courses for Meeting Planners and Suppliers. Please visit our website for a list of available training. Special rates for bookings by December 2005. Boot Camp trainers also offer professional out-sourcing for meeting planners. Call 480-874-1851 for more information.
Convention Strategy (CSI) provides a complete attendee management system utilizing RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. Delivering a suite of solutions for show management, including exhibit lead management, real-time exhibit hall entrance monitoring, and education session attendance tracking. New reporting capabilities allow increased booth sales and higher attendance!
Barton & Barton, Ltd. specializes in marketing, public relations and sales for meetings and trade shows. Our unique selling approach and senior sales partners can take your mind off display advertising, sponsorships and exhibits for your annual meeting or trade show so you can concentrate on your attendee or member needs. Expert onsite floor managers are available to help with exhibitor relations at no additional charge with any representation agreement. Please visit our website or call 847-698-5069 to set up a consultation today!
nTAG
nTAG Interactive provides a complete system for on-site event management built around our break-through interactive name badge – the nTAG. The nTAG system improves attendee networking and automates polls/surveys, agenda management, card exchange, taking attendance, and messaging. Customers include GE, MasterCard, IBM, WellPoint, Lucent, Accenture and many others
a2z Inc: a2zFloorPlan - a2aShowEZ - a2zShow
NEW – Take a look at why so many show organizers are switching to a2z's dependable web-based, real-time floor plan management, booth sales and expo software to increase booth sales and cut their work and headaches in half. Visit our website (www.a2zinc.net) for details about our new purchase and lease options, FREE demos and estimates - 410-740-9200.
Travel Planners, Inc.
The million things that could go wrong won't when Travel Planners is your housing provider. Put an end to attrition. Forget about "bookarounds" and customer complaints. With 25 years of experience, Travel Planners can create an error-free Master Plan for you. Get a free copy of our Anti-Attrition Plan at www.tphousing.com.
Conferon
Trying to wade through the swamp of attrition and "rooms outside the block"? Let Conferon's experts help. To benefit from the industry's best buying power, contracts and practices, contact Conferon at info@conferon.com or call 330-425-8333.
RFID Name Badges from Dietze Enterprises, Inc.
Improving on the capabilities of lead generation and session tracking systems that use 2-D barcodes or magnetic stripes, RFBadge (patent pending) delivers Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to show managers and their exhibitors. RFBadge provides enhanced security, identification, data exchange, attendance verification and exhibitor lead retrieval in a low cost, easy to use system.
EIBTM -- 29 November-1 December 2005 -- Barcelona Spain
EIBTM Is The Premier International Event Dedicated To The Global Meetings And Incentive Industry. EIBTM attracts 5,000 industry buyers and 2,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries. Over 2,500 buyers at EIBTM are top-level decision-makers bought to the event as part its Hosted Buyer Programme®.
ConferZone
ConferZone is the first objective e-conferencing resource that tracks the latest technology and trends in the marketplace. ConferZone provides information on Web conferencing, video conferencing, voice/audio conferencing, collaborative conferencing as well as expertise on hardware, equipment and consulting services.
Attendee Management Inc. (AMi)
AMi breaks down the barriers to online registration, housing, travel and e-marketing. No license fees, no software to manage, just dedicated, experienced service. Pay only for what you need, and provide the solutions your attendees and clients expect. Contact info@attendeenet.com, or call 512.842.1612
CardinalWare
CardinalWare is a 4th Generation Content Management System that fully integrates management of information, personal profiles and distribution. Whether you need a new or better Website, online marketing and communications tools, integration with other data, or anything in between, CardinalWare may be right for you. Visit our Website or call us at 888-755-7075. |
