We are thrilled and honored to begin writing the "Talking Tech" column for Meetings Media—"long-time readers, first-time writers," at least on these pages.
Christina is an award-winning journalist and Jeff has been published around the industry for 20 years or more. We will bring a cross-generational perspective to the column, which should bring some fun exchanges as the "young-upstart vs. old-fogey" on issues such as social media and technology in the workplace. As small business owners, we also hope to appeal to the ever-growing numbers of meeting professionals operating under their own shingles, and whose technology decisions directly affect their pocketbooks.
They say to write about what you know, so we felt event registration should kick off the first column (our company provides registration services to clients around the country from our base in little Wimberley, Texas, near Austin). Reams have been published on Web-based systems, so we’re going to take a quick look at some of the innovations taking place once the meeting gets under way.
A Better Way
We’ve advanced light years from sorting through index cards and typing badges on an IBM Selectric, which is precisely what got Jeff interested in technology. There had to be a better way, and there definitely is.
For smaller meetings, we print name badges on an old, relatively inexpensive HP 2840 color laser printer in advance, and print plenty of extra sheets with everything but the name and demographic information. On-site, we print "one-offs" on a small HP 1020-series laser printer. Believe it or not, this little printer (which HP discontinued) can accurately run through and print a single 4x3-inch badge without jamming. Tickets, certificates, name tents, etc., can all be handled the same way.
When working larger meetings, look into print-on-demand systems for badges and tickets. Computer kiosks connected to high-speed printers can be an investment in efficiency. You may pay as much as $500 each for printer rental and another $200 or so per computer, but you will eliminate time involved in pre-printing and mailing or shipping materials. You may also be able to reduce on-site staff, as attendees simply step up to a kiosk, enter a registration code or scan a barcode for self check-in.
Another advantage of on-demand printing is the elimination of those "A-D, E-H" lines. In fact, you may get rid of long lines altogether. According to Rosie Carrigan, vice president of sales at Anaheim, Calif.-based Expobadge, each computer can normally accommodate up to 250 registrants.
Bits and Bytes
Digitized information is also transforming another manual process in registration: the information packet. More and more, printed materials are giving way to handouts provided in USB flash drives, CD/DVD format or online. At worst, attendees look up the materials they need and print on-demand at stations placed conveniently throughout the venue.
Regardless of meeting size, with one of today’s powerful automated registration systems in place most information is a click away, even on-site. With a basic Internet connection at the event venue, you can access your complete online registration database, or you may opt for a server-based network if going online is an issue. Either way, you will need to do some planning and work with the venue for your Internet access and network.
Key questions
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What are the registration and related needs, and how can technology meet them? You may have a conference office, registration desks, exhibitor check-in, kiosks, etc. What are the logistics? What is your communication plan?
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What are stakeholder needs? Know your audiences, and plan carefully for the unique services they require.
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How many devices will be hooked up? Can check-in kiosks be turned into a cyber cafe after the initial rush is over? Are printers needed only for the computer(s) immediately adjacent, or do they need to be on the network?
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How will they be used? A registration kiosk accessing a local server is going to be faster than an online system, but may require sophisticated configuration and even on-site IT support.
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Are they networked?
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Maximum amount of data transmitted? Your vendors and venues can assist to make certain you have the proper Internet speeds and network infrastructure.
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Are there large applications running? Especially if those apps are not hosted locally, bandwidth on the Internet and across the network can be choked off.
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Does each device need its own IP address? If so, you might need to bring your checkbook. If not, networking is a fairly simple task once you receive the Internet drop from the venue. Some planners bring their own wireless routers, or use phone cards to access the Internet across multiple machines to save money.
Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoyed it and maybe picked up a pointer or two. Please let us know what you would like to see in future columns. Send a note to talkingtech@attendeenet.com and we will do our best to cover your tech topics in coming editions. Bye for now, y’all.
—The father/daughter team of Jeff Rasco, CMP, and Christina Rasco Adams are partners (along with son/brother Layton) in Attendee Management Inc., a registration services company based in Wimberley, Texas. Always looking for ways to gain efficiencies and effectiveness, they stay on the lookout for new technologies and ways of intelligent application to the global meetings and events community. They can be reached at talkingtech@attendeenet.com.
