!['Into the Heart of Meetings: Basic Principles of Meeting Design' by Eric de Groot and Mike van der Vijver](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/heart_of_meetings_courtesy_of_mindmeetingorg.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change In Your Work and In Your Life' by Spencer Johnson](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/who_moved_cheese_courtesy_of_gp_putnams_sons.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Marketing Your Event Planning Business: A Creative Approach to Gaining the Competitive Edge' by Judy Allen](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/marketing_your_event_planning_business_john_wiley_and_sons_canada_ltd.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/quiet_the_power_of_introverts_courtesyof_broadway_paperbacks.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business' by Danny Meyer](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/setting_the_table_courtesyof_harpercollins_publishers.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Corporate Excellence: How to Maximize Long-term Productivity & Profits by Aligning Purpose, Culture & People' by Jim Harris](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/corporate_excellence_agr_press.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day' by Mindy Weiss](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/wedding_book_courtesy_of_workman_publishing_company.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day' by Michael Gelb](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/think_like_leonardodavinci_courtesyof_desll.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Think and Grow Rich: Your Key to Financial Wealth and Power' by Napoleon Hill](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/think_and_grow_rich_courtesyof_success_co.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Rework' by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/rework_courtesyof_crown_business.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['The Wiley Event Management Series' Special Events: A New Generation and the Next Frontier' by Joe Goldblatt](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/special_events_courtesyof_wiley.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice' by Todd Henry](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/accidental_creative_courtesyof_portfolio_hardcover.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work' by Shawn Achor](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/happiness_advantage_courtesyofcrownbusiness.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Meeting Architecture, a Manifesto (Volume 1)' by Maarten Vanneste](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/meeting_architecture_courtesyof_meeting_support_institute.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['StrengthsFinder 2.0' by Tom Rath](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/strengths_finder_courtesyof_gallup_press.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity' by David Allen](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/getting_things_done_courtesyof_penguinbooks.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life' by Andrea Michaels](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/reflections_of_successful_wallflower_courtesyof_outskirts_press.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market' by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/discipline_of_market_leaders_courtesyof_basic_books.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, Or Get Out of More Meetings' by Jon Petz](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/boringmeetingssuck_courtesy_of__wiley.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose' by Tony Hsieh](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/desliveringhappiness_courtesy_of_business_plus.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Bizzabo](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/09/appscreens_3.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Planners can also use the app to communicate with attendees and get real-time analytics on usage, while exhibitors can send Groupon-style offers through Bizzabo, such as providing a gift to the first 20 people who click on an offer in the app. Alroy said in the future planners will be able to use the platform to generate revenue from sponsors and exhibitors by providing them with more targeted leads.
![Shhmooze](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/09/shhmooze_whoshere_03.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Gallen said they are working on an algorithm that will provide what it calls “smart recommendations” of whom to meet based on the user’s social graph and interests. Shhmooze will also add tools to allow planners to add schedules, speaker profiles, logos, and other elements, possibly for a fee.
![Shpare adds an extra layer of networking assistance by offering a personalized list of the 20 people each attendee should meet at an event. The process begins when the planner imports attendee information into the online system. Shpare then pulls public information from each person’s Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts to create a profile for each attendee. A few days before the event, each attendee receives an email explaining the service and inviting them to edit their profile—for example, by adding keywords of specific products or services they are interested in. The system analyzes tweets going back three months prior to the event, as well as likes on Facebook and LinkedIn information (including prior work experience) to generate a list of the 20 best matches. The system does not share personal contact information; instead, attendees click on the “matches” they want to meet, and the system sends a meeting request to that person.Shpare is intended primarily for events with exhibitors and sponsors, who each pay a fee (typically 10 percent of their booth cost) to receive leads generated by the system. That revenue is shared by the planner and Shpare. The matching between attendees is included free of charge as long there are a minimum number of exhibitors and sponsors participating.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/09/shpare_site.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Presdo Match](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/09/web_meeting_request.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Attendees can also share the event through social networks, creating “attendee marketing,” said Ly. Planners can use the network to display session information and share speakers’ LinkedIn profiles, and they also receive reports on confirmed and requested meetings. The network is accessible as a Web site and mobile application, and planners can customize it with the event name, logo, and color scheme.
![Hooked Up](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/11/goodguymobileinternet_3x5_300dpi_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Dallas-based Good Guy Mobile Internet offers portable Web connectivity kits. For $250 a day, each hub provides wireless Internet for as many as eight devices.
![Red Coat Direct](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/05/mtgs_app_iphone_1_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Marriott Hotels is rolling out the free Red Coat Direct app in all of its properties during the next several months. The hotel sends a personalized version of the app to planners three days before their meetings. They can use it to edit their meeting requests and preferences just before the event or while on site, for example to request an adjustment in room temperature or to change a meal time. The app remains available for several months after the meeting so planners can also use it to reconcile their bills. The app will be available in all hotels in the United States and Canada by the end of this year and in international properties in 2014.
![Retrace](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/05/techcomposite.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Retrace is a free app that launched at TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield in late April. The app integrates with Google Calendar for seamless scheduling and also records the meeting’s GPS location. Hosts add attendees via email and the app pulls in contact information that can include data from their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. The app is a hub for all the information generated at a meeting, including notes, tasks, summaries, and photos. In addition to being accessible through the app, the information can be shared via email and is saved for reference before future meetings.
![EXMO](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/10/organizer_website_dashboard.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
EXMO launched in early October and is targeted at events with fewer than 1,000 attendees. The app is self-service: Planners log into a Web site, input information regarding location, schedules, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors, and the system creates the app and a simple Web page that planners can promote in emails and through social media. For ticket sales, EXMO has a partnership with EventBrite so attendees can purchase tickets and planners can track sales through the app.
The system offers interactive features including real-time polls, feedback forms, push notifications, and integration with social networks. During an event, organizers have the option to share content on an “Activity Wall,” a large screen display of information such as announcements, polls, tweets, and photos. The app is free for attendees, and planners pay nothing to use the system if their events have 50 people or fewer. For larger events, planners pay $2 per person (and less as numbers increase) using a credit system that can be rolled over to future events.
![E-proDirect's EventAccess](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/10/img_0216_3.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
EventAccess launched in early October and is the newest app from E-proDirect, a marketing and technology company focused on the meetings and convention industry. For $2,500, EventAccess provides a multiplatform native app and a Web app in as few as three days. Planners provide content to customize the app, for example: a welcome message or video, venue information, links to registration and surveys, maps, schedules, and as many as 12 social media links. The app can become a source of revenue through the sale of banner ads or by charging exhibitors a fee to have an enhanced listing that could include a product video and contact information for a company representative. E-proDirect provides a revenue calculator to help planners estimate the earnings potential.
EventAccess also includes information about dining, attractions, and transportation within a five-mile radius of the event, using information from Yelp. Once the app is created, planners use a dashboard to update content and track data such as downloads and ad click-through rate. Clients also receive marketing support that includes templates for press releases and tweets, screenshots, QR codes, and a mobile-optimized landing page that can be shared in emails and on social networks.
![SignUp4](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/09/signup4_rappidapp3_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
SignUp4 purchased RapidApp last year and has integrated it into its event management system. As planners build their event Web sites in SignUp4, the system automatically creates the identical elements in the mobile app. When attendees register on the Web site, the attendee list updates in the app. The app also provides location services integrated with Google Maps and allows attendees to share photos with one another. SignUp4 plans to link the app with its travel management system so planners can see attendees’ itineraries and attendees can receive real-time updates on flight delays or other changes on their mobile devices.
![239 Bizbash 1](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/09/239_bizbash_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![167519793](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/06/167519793.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![3. Postano](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/01/dellworldpostano.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![5. EventMobi](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/01/eventmobi_direct_notification.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![At its Worldwide Convention, McDonald’s sent out a “What’s Hot” message every morning through its mobile app, which provided a preview of the day ahead and replaced the email blasts that were used in the past. The message received about 16,000 views each day.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/05/_dsc2186_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![At Engage!13, a luxury-wedding summit that took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, in December, designers from Gifts for the Good Life crafted birdcage lanterns to use as escort cards. The lanterns, which had guests' names and table numbers written in calligraphy, were hung on a wall of hydrangea.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/04/chellise_michael_photography__8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Rsvp Herobox02](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/10/rsvp_herobox02.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)