Tools that Gives the Audience a Voice...

With the technological advancements, the power is shifting from the speaker to the audience. Twitter, a Web 2.0 phone-based networked community, is a technology that allows them to speak their voice. The power shifting from the speaker to the audience is a trend that meeting professionals and speakers are starting to recognize and prepare for it. 

There are a couple of tools that are phone-based methods of engaging the audience to give them their say. One is Zuku which is a text message audience polling product. A speaker or meeting planner can set up an account for about $300 per year for unlimited use. For this, they will receive a phone-based audience polling and question system and a private webpage to set up and retrieve the responses. When a speaker or meeting host wants to receive questions or conduct a poll, all he or she has to do is ask the audience members to pull out their phones, and send a text message to a unique 6-digit short code. This message can either be a text question, or a numerical response to a multiple choice question. Responses are immediately tallied and displayed on a password protected page on the ZukuWeb website. This page can be protected to the audience on a screen for everyone to see just like a traditional audience polling systems, or reviewed by the speaker or moderator to respond to questions.

Another tool is VisionTree provides full audience polling, text questions, conference messaging, conference agenda services and more using the iPhone and other web-phone products. THey will come to your meeting, set up a local wireless network, and will pass out iPhones to those attendees who are not already carrying them. Questions can easily be submitted anonymously to the speaker. 

The Increasing Use of Technology is the Biggest Meeting Industry Trend

  The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International's (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings National and Event Technology Expo pre-show survey revealed that planners are noticing an increase in the amount of technology used for meetings, regardless of its size. The majority of meeting and event planners (57.5 %) are incorporating technology into their meetings with the use of online registration, followed by video conferencing (20.4 %), social networks (17.7%), and blogs (14.2%). Others mentioned the increasing use of electronic surveys, cyber cafes and podcasts. In addition, since the economy continues to be a big factor in meeting planning, planners are moving towards "greener" options for meetings. They are recycling, reducing waste by reducing the use of water bottles and cans, decrease on-site meeting materials, and relying on electronic information and meetings technology. 

       Technology was playing a role in the meeting industry, but now as technology is advancing as fast as it is, it's role in the industry has become even bigger. Also, because of the current economic status, meeting planners are looking to going green by recycling and even more heavily depending on the fast and advance technology. This goes to show that not only is technology becoming a big part of the industry but it is also becoming a huge part of our lives. 

(Certain) Airplanes Now Have Internet Access!!

        Aircell has launched a new technology, Gogo, that allows you to get broadband Internet Service on your laptop. But there is one thing that you cannot do, which is use this service for VoIP, the voice over Internet protocol services provided by companies like Skype. In other words, you cannot use this service to make a voice phone call because it will interfere with the avionics communications. Currently, the Gogo service is available on American Airlines for the cost of $12.95 for cross-country flights or $9.95 for those of three hours or less. By the end of the year, Delta Airlines and Virgin America plan to offer Gogo and Air Canada will offer Gogo on certain flights between Canada and the United States starting next spring. 

        I think that this is a huge breakthrough in the business world because when flying for a business trip since you won't be isolated from updated information while on the plane for hours. But, I believe that there is a pro and a con to this new Gogo service. For people traveling for business purposes, it is definitely a pro but for people traveling for leisure purposes, it is a con because now companies will assume that since there is internet access on airplanes that you know all of the updates. In other words, people traveling for leisure purposes can be bothered by their business. Of course, right now, there is a way to make it a pro for business and avoid being a con for leisure. For business people, they can deliberately book an American Airlines, since they are the only airlines offering this service so far. For leisure people, they can book on flights other than American Airlines because other airlines do not have this service yet. 

Blog 1 - Wi-Fi Service

As we have briefly discussed in class, I have found a short article talking about the Wi-Fi Services in the Hospitality Industry. The article states that Wi-Fi is the biggest technology demand in the industry right now. The American Hotel & Lodging Association has conducted a survey of hotel executives and the survey show that 86% of hotels now offer Wi-Fi. One-fifth of the remaining hotels plans to add the service within the next five years. The article also states that the number of hotels that are charging for their Internet services are decreasing. In 2004, 22% of hotels charged for in-room Internet access; in 2006, 19% of hotels charged for their Internet access; now only 16% of hotels charge. This article really shows evidence that the hotels know that they soon have to give away their Internet access for free, but they do not want to be the first to do so. From this article, I have realized that the guests will never be satisfied and will keep on wanting more and more. I wonder how much money does the industry need to spend to keep the guests content? How many more services will the industry need to provide?