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Welcome to Corbin's TechTalk Newsletter, in its ninth year of providing the latest in technology for events, tradeshows and hospitality professionals in more than 65 countries.
This issue focuses on a range of meetings technology topics including podcasting, email efficiency, and free software tools to improve office efficiency.
Change your email preferences at www.corbinball.com/contact.
In this issue:
NEW ARTICLE: Podcasting Basics for Meeting Professionals
Podcasting is a way for event marketers and associations to get messages out to new audiences, it is a way to build traffic to a website, and it can be used as a way to sell your venues at a small fraction of the cost of printing and distributing CDs/DVDs. And the good news is that they can be done very inexpensively.
This article will cover the four simple steps in creating your own podcast.
NEW ARTICLE: Free Software Tools to Increase Office Efficiency
This article will share some of my favorite software tools to improve office efficiency – tools that can directly help meeting professionals everywhere. And the good news is that all of them are available on the web and most are totally free.
TECHTALK READER EMAIL USE SURVEY
The results are in. 257 respondents indicate very interesting responses. We feel highly dependent on email, we check and respond to email messages very quickly, and, yet, we are not very stressed about it! See the article for full details and a recap of suggestions to manage your email better.
NEWS
More of Corbin's Articles in Spanish
Another article (20 Ideas to Increase Technology Efficiency) has been translated into Spanish with more to come. Thanks to Thomas MacFarlane from Event Planner Spain (www.eventplannerspain.com), for providing the translation services.
16 Web Site Favorites for Business and Fun
4 Meeting Industry Sites:
Itensil
http://www.itensil.com
This largely free wiki (online collaborative website), project management tool, document management tool, and team collaboration tool could transform the events industry. Itensil is in it's startup phase, and they are eager to develop meetings business. The paid version offers a few more features, but the free version still looks very powerful It will take a bit of work to get things going with this, but the ROI on your time could be huge! Down the line, the meeting planning processes built could be shared with others. Thanks to Peter Haigh, of Preferred Hotel Group for connecting me with this company.
Meeting Support Institute
http://www.meetingsupport.org/
Event suppliers portal with content (check out the knowledge base.)
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Future of Hotel Room Keys
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2008-02-04-room-locks_N.htm?csp=34
Open your hotel room with a blink of an eye? Interesting article on hotel technology. Thanks to Dave Lutz for the link suggestion.
Certain Software Blog
http://blog.certain.com/blog/certain-software
Interesting meetings technology blog.
2 Favorite Utility/Reference Sites:
Blackberry shortcuts tips
http://www.corbinball.com/assets/docs/Blackberry-shorcuts.pdf
Pages of keystroke shortcut for your Blackberry mobile phone. Thanks to Bob Donovan for providing this document.
Blist
http://www.blist.com/
Web list - a free online and very easy to use database. Still in beta, but very cool!
10 Sites for Fun:
Bill Gates' last day at work
http://tinyurl.com/2mwy64
Voyage through the universe -- Great Hubble photos
http://www.flixxy.com/hubble-universe.htm
Dubai skyscraper with rotating and energy-generating floors
http://www.flixxy.com/dubai-dynamic-architecture.htm
Tequila -- The self-confidence drug?
http://www.flixxy.com/self-confidence.htm
Cool and geeky home theaters
http://deputy-dog.com/2008/01/23/10-stunning-ultra-geeky-home-cinemas/
Tattoos and body modification (not for the squeamish!)
http://deputy-dog.com/2007/08/24/top-10-physically-modified-people-2/
A website you love to hate? Destroy it with...
http://www.bored.com/destroysites/go.php
Create you own newspaper headlines
http://www.getclippings.com/
Crystal glass street musician
http://www.flixxy.com/musical-crystal-glasses.htm
Airbus 380 Super jet 360 degree cockpit view
http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/cockpit1.htm
QUOTES OF THE MONTH
"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
-- Eden Phillpotts
SHORTSIGHTED TECHNOLOGY QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." -- Darryl Zanuck, Movie Producer, 20th Century Fox (1946)
RECENT ARTICLES WITH QUOTES FROM OR REFERENCES TO CORBIN
Welcome to the Webolution
http://www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003706874
Successful Meetings article by Ben Chapman on the importance of CVB sites to meeting planning.
Tradeshow Technology Trends
http://www.advatumdisplays.com/tradeshow/A-Trade_Show_Technology_Trends.html
Review of one of my programs by Linda Musgrove for Advantum.
Rates, Dates and Space: Real-time Meeting Booking? No Panacea Yet
http://www.procurement.travel/news.php?cid=meetings-RFP-real-time.Dec-07.20
Corrie Dosh's article for Procurement Travel Magazine.
How Will We Meet in the Future
http://www.fastcompany.com/profile-blog/how-will-we-meet-future
Kare Anderson's blog in FastCompany.com about social media.
Lost in Space!
http://www.meetings411.com/displayarticle.asp?id=9855
Ruth Hill's article for MeetingsFocus on Second Life.
The Impact of Meetings on Adult Education
http://216.138.82.115/CMS/mpiweb/mpicontent.aspx?id=13558
A recent article of mine published in the Meeting Professional.
SUGGESTION BOX
Please send along any questions, ideas, or suggestions on how to make this newsletter more useful for you:
contactcorbin@corbinball.com
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CONTACT INFO:
Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, MS
Corbin Ball Associates
506 14th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-6107
Phone: 360-734-8756
AIM/Skype: corbinball
Email Corbin
Web: www.corbinball.com
© Copyright 2008 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.
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Thanks to our sponsors who make TechTalk possible:
Certain Software®, Inc. provides innovative technology enabling customers to register people and assets online. Its flagship product, Certain Registration™, is the online registration solution used by the commercial and public sector. Certain Registration brings control, flexibility, security and value to managing meetings, events, training and more. Visit www.certain.com.
AllianceTech
Alliance Tech, winner of the 2006 and 2007 CEMA Summit Technology Shootout, is a leading provider of innovative software solutions and services for the meetings, conference and events industry. We put the power in your hands to measure attendee preferences, enhance their experience, and deliver more qualified leads from all your events.
Find out what’s on the minds of the leading convention housing experts. As housing specialists for more than 26 years, we’ve created innovative solutions that address housing issues before they even happen. To see how we’ll make your program succeed beyond every expectation, visit TPhousing.com.
WingateWeb is the leader in event data management technology and professional services. With emphasis on leveraging all event data using a single database, WingateWeb technology offers comprehensive solutions to complex event challenges. Powerful reporting capabilities quickly turn data into targeted leads. The WingateWeb platform enables event planners to manage their full spectrum of events from one console.
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.
PRA
Discover the PRA Advantage!
· One-stop destination management services: activities, event production, site inspection/selection, budgeting, logistics, supplier management, tours, transportation and more…
· Innovative program design and development
· Local knowledge provides an authentic destination experience
· Operational excellence, dependability and consistency in all locations
· Highly experienced single-point-of-contact
Total. Experience. Guaranteed.
www.pra.com
MeetPete
Blogspot for meeting professionals from Peter Shure
EIBTM Barcelona
2-4 December 2008
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.
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