Here’s a roundup of some of the newest technology products to use at meetings, fund-raisers, conference and other types of events.
Klaxoon provides a variety of tools to facilitate information-sharing and collaboration at events. Planners can use the system to launch surveys, ask questions, create games, and prompt brainstorming. The system provides real-time results, so planners can track if attendees need clarification on content. The company is based in France, and expanded to the United States in June.
Beep is a beacon-enabled mobile app and attendee analytics platform. The system uses Bluetooth low-energy beacons to track attendee movement and dwell time, for example as they visit an exhibitor booth or attend a keynote session. Beep can also be used to send your guests location-based alerts and content, such as coupons, case studies, and website URLs, and can be set to trigger this content when they are anywhere from five to 230 feet from a beacon. Planners can access their event data in real-time from a Web-based dashboard.
Photo Butler is a new, free photo-sharing app for events. Hosts create a private album in the app and then invite guests to view and contribute their images. Those that choose to participate have all of their photos automatically added to the stream, without the need to text, upload, or email. The app’s algorithm pulls the best photos together into a highlight album.
Asembl is a new, free event discovery and promotion app. Planners create their event in the app, tag it with descriptive attributes (such as art and theater, fitness, music, etc.) and indicate the cost to attend and the target age group and gender. Users can then filter events based on attributes as well as by what their friends are attending. Events are displayed on a map so users can also search for events within a certain distance.
Ivvy is an event management system for venues and meeting planners. Based in Australia, the company has thousands of users in 13 countries, and this summer launched in North America. The system provides tools for planners to create custom websites, manage registration, coordinate hotel and airline bookings, coordinate speakers and sponsors, accept payments, and more. The venue capabilities allow planners to search, compare, and book event space, catering, and group accommodations by reviewing real-time availability, rates, and inventory. The venue component is available now in North America, and the planning tools will be available in the near future.
MoveShake is an app that allows users to design, create, share, and store virtual business cards. The cards are interactive, so clicking on the phone number in the image launches the phone’s dialer and clicking on the email launches the phone’s email client. Contacts be exported to a phone’s contacts and synced to the cloud or other applications. At events, presenters can give attendees their MoveShake ID so they can enter it in the app to immediately get their digital business card. Planners can also use the preload the app with cards from their sponsors, so those are immediately available to all attendees. And the app can be used to create digital badges to manage check-in.
