This is a guest post written by Emily Breder.  Emily is the blogger and Relationships Manager for eEvent.com, a comprehensive event platform that helps events go viral on the web through tracking social sharing. A prolific writer and blogger on many topics, Emily also works with non-profits and local businesses, specializing in helping Baby Boomers adapt to new media.

With all the buzz going around about QR codes and creating more engagement at events, it’s no surprise that people like Mike McCurry are looking for more ideas on how to use them. He offered me this opportunity to guest post after I mentioned a QR scavenger hunt in a previous post he wrote.  So I tracked down someone who used this idea a few years back at the National Gymnastics Championship in Hartford, Connecticut, USA Gymnastics’ Director of New Media, Kent Koven.

‘Hide and Go Seek’ Hartford Game

QR codes were still at a relatively young stage of adaptation (still somewhat true today), so in order to have the analytics tracking that they wanted, they used Microsoft Mobi tags. “We sprinkled the tags all over Hartford in key spots related to the competition and accompanying convention,” Ken said.

“Hartford is a very ‘walkable’ city. On one end is the hotel, on the other side is the Visa Championships Arena where the camps were, and in the middle was the statehouse, a central hub for fan activities like autograph signings. The game created a path through the city to get more people active.”

Each tag had instructions on how to download the app, so that even the casual passer-by could participate. The introductory mobile web page asked for a name and email to enter into the game, which had prizes that ranged from tickets to major events to sponsored merchandise signed by gymnastics celebrities, all accompanied by Visa gift cards of varying amounts. Each tag was labeled with a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal, which indicated its point value.

The game was announced by the emcee throughout the week and at the end of it, the prizes were handed out. “It was a big surprise when we discovered that people had been doing it in teams,” Kent said. It makes sense, considering the fact that smartphones still only have about 30% adaption rate in the U.S., to make it a group activity, but they had simply stumbled across it. “The winners were laughing and swapping stories and tips when we handed out the prizes.” Kent said. USA Gymnastics is going to try something similar again this year.

Use QR codes to Create More Engaging Events

You’ll probably have to work with a mobile developer if you want the kind of comprehensive analytics that USA Gymnastics had, but the program itself shouldn’t be too complicated. Here are some pointers and ideas:

• Gamify: Use points so that people can track their own progress and compare with others.
• Follow the White Rabbit: Theme out your game with popular, recognizable elements that can become viral. Encourage creativity online and ask people to provide quotes and stories related to the theme.
• Easter Eggs: Just like in DVD’s, plant your QR codes in key points and reward/recognize those with ‘Insider Knowledge’.
• Workshop follow-up: If your event is educational in nature, have each class/workshop plant a few QR codes in key places with topical questions.
• Social Connect: If you do a trivia contest, for example, have the answers posted on people’s Facebook page, automatically tagged with the event’s Fan Page so that other people can follow along.
• Bring it back to the event: Again, and again. If you use points, offer badges for people to add to their name tags and give them special access and opportunities to engage with the big names at the event. Throw daily ‘gamify’ parties and have the speakers attend, with the VIP lounge gradually getting filled as the event progresses. This works better with multiple-day events.
• Start it before the event! Plant the codes on your website and offer an advantage to those who share and get other people to sign up. The application I blog for, eEvent, has a gamification system like this built in already, which tracks all the information for you across all social media platforms.
• Throw in some random elements. At the Hartford event, they had a few people walk around with t-shirts printed with tags. The pictures of people taking pictures of people adorned with tags, posted on Facebook or on other sites, are great for promotion and post-event blogging.

QR codes make it easy for event guests to have that often-elusive conversion from online to offline, and back again. Experiment, and let us know what happens!

Recently I have been doing a lot of research regarding QR codes.  I am really excited about this technology tool, as in my opinion the possibilities, for its use, are endless.

Courtesy of Marsid M & M group

Last week I published a blog article introducing my first ideas on how to utilize QR (quick response) codes, for meetings and events.  Interestingly, this article received the greatest number of hits, of any blog post I have written, since I started my blog in 2009.

Either my blog content generally stinks (I’m pretty sure that’s not true) or QR codes are a topic of significant interest to people.    There are a lot of statistics available that suggests their popularity is rising, but that’s for another discussion.

Enhance the Impact of Utilizing QR Codes for Your Next Event

I am hungry to learn as much as I can about the best approach for utilizing QR codes.  As I am acquiring new information I’m thinking about how it would apply to the meetings and events business.  Here are 8 starting tips to enhance the impact of utilizing QR codes for your next event:

#1: Develop a Strategy First – As with any other business initiative, you will be better served to determine upfront what your objectives are for using QR codes.  As my lovely friend Midori Connolly says “technology is just a toy unless you find a useful purpose for it.”

#2: Deliver Significant Value – Any QR code should contain some sort of call to action, and should deliver access to information that is useful, or valuable, to the person scanning it.  For example, place a QR code on a promotional poster, for a conference, pointing the user to the conference registration page is very helpful.  This allows attendees to conveniently register for the event from their smartphone.

Sending a customer to a webpage that is self-serving, boring, or pointless, will yield a negative result.  Make their time spent worthwhile.

#3: Optimize Content for Mobile Devices – When using a QR code to direct meeting attendees to a website make sure the site is mobile-optimized.  If you point them to a place they can’t see, or benefit from, you are wasting their time.

#4: Bigger is better – There’s a general rule that QR codes need to be at least an inch in size. QR codes can be any size, but the bigger, the better.  This is particularly true if meeting attendees will be scanning a code from a far distance.

One example of this would be a QR code posted on a projection screen. (let’s say for a speaker evaluation)  In this context a relatively large QR code will be beneficial, as then participants can scan it from across the room.

#5: Good Mobile Service Coverage – When planning use of the QR code be mindful of the location it will be utilized.  Put into perspective, posting an event sign, with an embedded QR code in it, in an area where cell phone service is unavailable would be completely useless.

#6: Test your QR codes!  – it is absolutely essential to test all QR codes before launching them.  Besides ensuring the code does what you intend, verify it can be easily scanned by participants. For instance, if you put the QR code up on a projection screen, make sure it can be scanned from where people will be viewing the screen.

Example Poster

#7: Include alternate access to the information provided – Remember, QR codes technology is still new, and some people are not able to utilize it yet.  Therefore it’s important to provide attendees alternative access to the information you are sharing.

For example, if you post a QR code on a promotional event marketing piece, accessing a website with important additional information, print the website URL directly beneath it. (see photo to right)

#8: Provide Education regarding Use of QR Codes – attendees will appreciate it if you provide some clear instructions, in a conspicuous place, (such as your conference website) on how to use this technology.  Post information on where to obtain QR code reader mobile applications.  For a listing of mobile applications please click here.

As with any new technology there is a lot of speculation as to whether QR codes will achieve mainstream adoption in the business world.  From what I’ve seen so far, I don’t see any reason why they won’t.

Question:  how do you see QR codes fitting into your event marketing strategy?  If you have already utilized them, for your conference, what type of feedback did you get from your participants?  Please share your comments below.

It’s really amazing what a person can accomplish when they have the right tools or resources for the task at hand.  Such is the case with mobile devices.  I recently abandoned my Blackberry (thankfully) , and entered the realm of Android phones.  With that transition has come a whole new world of awesome possibilities.

I made a pact with myself that every day I would learn about at least one new feature to use with my new phone.  Thus far I have done a pretty good job of living up to that commitment.  I spent some time this past week investigating QR (Quick Response) codes and other similar barcode based tools.  I am absolutely fascinated by what I learned.

For context a QR code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The information encoded can be text, URL (web address) or other data.

For a simple explanation of how the technology works please watch the following video created by my great friend Midori Connolly.  Midori also wrote a terrific blog post regarding the subject of QR Codes which is a great read.

I am surprised (pleasantly) at how simple it is to create and interpret these bar codes and there are a slew of free online tools available to do so.  Click on this link to access a website which will assist you in finding the best application for your mobile device.

Six Reasons Why You Should Use QR Codes for Your Next Event

I have been thinking about how I could weave the use of QR codes into an event strategy and realized the possibilities are endless.  So, here is my first stab at a list of functional reasons why you should use QR codes for your next event:

Reason #1:  An electronic conference brochure — On a press release, event poster, marketing video, email blast, promotional products, or even a Twitter/Facebook post include a QR Code with a link to a downloadable PDF brochure.

Reason #2:  Create a Link to Conference Website –Use any of the channels identified above to distribute your link to prospective attendees.  If your event registration and/or housing process is online you can post links to these locations as well.

Reason #3:  Conference Handouts  — Post a QR code on the screen in the meeting room and participants can scan whatever the session handout into their smartphone.

Reason #4:  Post Event Survey/Evaluation — Once again, post the QR code for link to the evaluation form on the session screen, and attendees can immediately provide feedback regarding the session they have just attended.

Reason #5:  Media Access — provide access to links for event music, video archives or pictures via a QR code.

Reason #6:  Share Contact Information — speakers, or exhibitors can post a QR code with their electronic contact information and attendees can scan it into their smartphone’s contacts database, or email it to a friend/colleague.  Attendees can exchange contact information with one another by scanning QR codes embedded on their phones.

These are just a few examples of how you can use barcode technology to enhance the event experience for your attendees.  Also, I should mention that QR codes are just one of several barcode based tools available.  Another tool you should take a serious look at is Microsoft Tag.

Question:  As you think about your own event design, how do you see incorporating QR codes and other similar technologies into your business strategy?  What would you add to the list I started above?

Over the past couple of TV Seasons I have become infatuated with an ABC series called “V.” While I sincerely doubt this program will ever win any awards, (who cares) it has, for some reason caught my unwavering interest.  Probably because the plot is a little twisted. (as I am)

One of the central characters in the show is the charismatic, yet manipulative alien leader “Anna” portrayed by the lovely Morena Baccarin.  Anna’s ability to maintain loyalty and control over her subjects is enabled by use of a telepathic pacification process known as the “Bliss”.

For the past year, or so, I have been pretty cranky, as it relates to my ongoing experience as a smartphone user.  For context my cell phone service provider is Sprint.  ( I have no beef with them)  When I renewed my Sprint agreement, nearly two years ago, my device of choice was a Blackberry Curve 8330.  While it seemed like a wise choice, at the time, it was clearly a mistake.  The simple truth is this phone is pretty dysfunctional, and unreliable, for any task other than email, calendar management, or of course phone calls.

Any social media application I have added to my ‘Crackberry’ has eventually had major problems.  I have sat at conferences, in total frustration, as my colleagues and business associates have all run circles around me with their Iphones and Android devices.

A Little Slice of Social Technology Heaven!

Obviously, at some point I could have opted out, and replaced that “dumb” phone with one that has some real functionality.  (at a hefty price tag)  Stubbornly, I refused, thinking I could survive till my contract ran its course, (July 2011) and save a few pennies along the way.    Finally, this week I said to myself, “enough is enough.”

Yesterday (2/24/2011) I truly entered the smartphone age.  I am now the proud owner of an HTC EVO 4G Android Phone.  Appropriately, I have nicknamed my cellphone “Anna,” as I have now found my smartphone “bliss.”

Wow… talk about a shocking transition!    My user experience with my new Android mobile device is like night and day, compared to that crusty ole Blackberry.

For clarity, I am not a Blackberry hater.  Early on, Blackberry (RIM) was the undisputed leader in the mobile device business.  Unfortunately their mobile phone technology has not kept up with the times, and companies like Apple and Google have, at least for now, passed them by.

Here are some interesting 2010 Market Share Statistics I found, courtesy of Jacqui Cheng, who, ironically, is Senior Editor for Apple.

My decision to purchase an Android phone was not driven by a preference of that technology, over Apple’s IPhone.  I debated the issue of which product to select for some time.  My choice was more driven by my need to maintain, an account with Sprint, which unfortunately is not presently able to offer an Apple option.  In my mind either product (Apple or Android) is a winner.  The clear loser is Blackberry.

Early Opinions of the EVO 4G Smartphone

While it is way too early, since I just purchased my Android Phone yesterday, for me to truly provide a fully experienced opinion, I will offer this early feedback, to any Blackberry user contemplating a change in devices:

• Social Media Convenience — My Android smartphone allows me to conveniently utilize social technology applications, such as Twitter, Facebook, or FourSquare on a mobile device, with a relatively challenge-free user experience.  Installation of applications is painless and intuitive.  And… the apps actually work (yay!)
• Screen & Keyboard — The significantly larger screen, with the added diversity of a portrait or landscape view, makes both the viewing and data entry process easier, especially for us guys with big fingers.
• Computer-like Experience — The Android operating system has the feel of a miniature computer, which makes me happy.  I love the PDF viewer, as I can upload business documents onto the EVO, and view them right there, which is both a convenient and compact feature.
• Email — Viewing and managing email is a dream come true.  Whereas with the Blackberry, I was not able to load my personal email accounts easily, due to the use of the enterprise system, that whole process, on the android device, was easy to setup and operates seamlessly.
• Lightning Fast Speed — I tested out the 4G speed and it is unbelievably fast.  Time will tell how broad and strong the coverage is, but I am encouraged by what I experienced thus far.
• Multimedia — With the 4G speed I can’t wait to play with all these wonderful features!

As with any technology, I am sure I will find pain points, along the way, with the Android phone.  It’s kind of like a relationship … you take the good and the bad when you sign up for the program.  I do think I made a good choice with the EVO 4G.  I believe “Anna” and I are going to be really good friends.  Right now it is truly a honeymoon!

Question:  If you are, or have been a Blackberry user, and switched over to another device, such as an Android, or Iphone, how would you characterize the experience?  What advice would you offer?  Please share with us!

Last night (Saturday, 6/26) I had dinner with a friend and client of mine at the 4th Estate Restaurant, at the National Press Club (NPC), in Washington D.C.  The NPC is a wonderful place, if you have an interest in News history, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this historic landmark.

This morning, feeling nostalgic, I grabbed a New York Times, and settled in at the Fairmont Washington Hotel restaurant, for a nice breakfast, and a trip down memory lane.  It was the first time I have read a printed version of a  Sunday paper in several years.

At first glance, the paper seemed pretty much the same as the past.  The layout of news content was not much different.  All my favorite sections were still there.  The one visible distinction was its size, as the paper was much smaller than I remember.

I quickly realized the reason for this change is a significant reduction in advertising inserts.  I also noticed the Times print price of $6.00.  Whoa!!!  Sunday mornings just aren’t what they used to be!

I remember, growing up, the ritual my parents went through every single Sunday.  For about $0.50, and with coffee in hand, both would bury themselves in the Sunday Tribune. (Chicago Tribune)  Usually, they would spend at least a couple of hours getting their news fix.  My mom, of course, would also engage in coupon reconnaissance, hunting for the best deals to equip herself for shopping the following week.

When I married, and started a family, my wife (now ex-wife lol) and I carried on that same tradition for many years.  So, what happened to this routine?  Why is it becoming less prevalent in our culture?  When was the last time you read a (printed) Sunday Paper?

Online News Content is a Real Force

I believe, and the evidence supports it,  we are transitioning from a “print news” society to one that, more and more, seeks their news content online.   In fact, for many of us,  our Sunday mornings now include a new element, social media.  To illustrate this here is a recap of my typical 2010 Sunday morning routine:

• Wake Up and make Coffee (same as always)
• Check Facebook … comment on friend’s posts, add at least one of my own.
• Check Email and respond
• Open Tweetdeck (Twitter) and check for personal messages, and new posts with Hashtag communities (i.e. #Eventprofs or #SOBCon) — post tweets of own as appropriate.
• Visit NewsReader (i.e. Blogline or Google Reader) to get caught up on blogs and newsfeeds
• Write Blog article for McCurry’s corner
• Eat Breakfast while watching Sunday morning TV Program such as National Geographic Channel or Animal Planet… etc.

It’s not shocking  to hear the Printed News Media companies are struggling.  (many are in bankruptcy)  It’s no wonder there are less ads.  Companies can’t justify the expense, because circulation is so anemic they don’t get the return on their advertising investment.

Many print media firms are wisely reconsidering their business models and entering (or have done so already) the digital realm.  With the uptick of online news options available, and the real-time nature of it, the temptation to bypass the traditional newspaper is just too strong for many consumers.

Besides, with online news, we don’t have to wash ink off our hands anymore … you gotta love that.

Question:  How do you spend your Sunday mornings?  Do you read a printed version of a newspaper?  What is your routine for getting your day going?  Does my story resonate with you?  Look forward to your thoughts!

Next week, on Wednesday, March 24 the IACC (International Association of Conference Centers) is hosting a Thought Leader Summit, which will be webcast live from the Workspring Conference Center in Downtown Chicago.  The theme of the event is “Incorporating Advancing Technology into the Meeting Experience.” It will focus on using conference technology to expand or enhance – but not replace – smaller meetings, average size of 25-75.

The seasoned panel of experts includes technology professionals from conference center properties and management companies, audio-visual companies, corporate education and the planning community – all of whom will bring varied perspectives to one of the hottest issues of the day.  Here is a list of the participating “thought leaders”:

• Eddie Turner, Principal, Turner Technologies, LLC
• Mike Dickersbach, V.P. Information Systems & Technology, Thayer Lodging Group
• Mark T. Greiner, Senior V.P. & Chief Experience Officer, Steelcase, Inc.
• Paul M. Leguillon, Technical Support Director, Q Center
• Steve Mahaley, Director of Learning Technology, Duke Corporate Education
• Michael M. McCurry, CMP, Strategic Account Manager, Experient
• Andrea Sullivan, M.A., President, BrainStrength Systems, Inc.
• Greg Van Dyke, Senior Vice President, Marketing, PSAV Presentation Services
• Facilitator:  John P. Potterton, CMP, Vice President, Education, Professional Convention Management Assoc.

Audience participants will be able send comments and questions to the panel in real time via Twitter, referencing the hashtag #IACCSummit.  To access the webcast please click here.

The following are the Learner Outcomes for this panel discussion:

• Anticipate and track how different presentation and collaborative technologies can contribute to—or detract from—the meeting experience.
• Develop strategies to complement the learning needs of meeting attendees through the thoughtful use of today’s technologies.
• Gain an awareness of how to create compelling learning experiences and build loyal customers through the use of social media before, during and after a meeting.

Please join us this coming Wednesday, for this outstanding event, and we look forward to your added contributions to the conversation!

About 10 days ago, I wrote an article which, in part, was critical of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) for deciding to charge “non-members” a hefty fee for their Virtual Access Pass (VAP) to the 2010 Meet Different Conference.  (occurred in Cancun, Mexico this week)

Learning can be Painful!!

Putting aside my disagreement with MPI’s pricing model, I registered anyways for the VAP and attended this conference as a virtual participant. I am glad I did, because, as it turns out, there were some good learning moments.  As a bonus,  I also made some new quality connections with other MPI attendees.

The virtual experience, from my perspective,  was by no means perfect.  In follow up, I promised to share my feedback with MPI, via this blog, and so, through the lens of a virtual attendee here are my observations, both positive and negative, of this Hybrid conference:

What Went Well!

• MPI “VAP” Customer Service — the MPI customer service team, led by Theresa Davis, did an outstanding job of embracing VAP attendees, as well as assisting them with their challenges.  The service was impeccable!
• Opening General Session – featuring Jeremy Gutsche, Innovation Expert was in my opinion the finest education moment of the conference.  For a more detailed recap of his presentation please click here.   His energy, knowledge, humor and connection with the audience (including us VAP folks) was compelling.
• Virtual/Face2Face attendees Interaction — MPI did a nice job of promoting use of the conference hashtag, #MD10.  For the three main days of the event (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) there was excellent dialogue amongst attendees using this Twitter conversation channel.

Twitter Activity for 2010 MPI "Meet Different" Conference

• 

  Glenn Thayer

  Emcee (Glenn Thayer) — Over the years I have experienced many Conference “Emcees” and by far I am most impressed with Glenn Thayer.  In addition to having immediate stage charisma, which is important for the “Emcee” role, Glenn was very engaging with both the face2face and virtual audiences.  Glenn even posted many tweets before, during, and after the events.  I would recommend Glenn in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a highly engaging, charismatic Emcee for their event.

• Knowledge Session – “Hybrid Meeting Dissected and Demystified” – An outstanding session, led by Midori Connolly of Pulse Staging.  Midori’s approach was very interactive, engaging and she did a great job of blending the participation of the virtual and face2face audiences.  Questions/comments from VAP attendees were both encouraged and addressed!  Glenn Thayer assisted Midori being the Twitter Moderator, for this event.  That was a real nice touch!

Midori Connolly, "Hybrid Session Leader" Multi-tasking

• Audio Quality in all webcasts was excellent!
• Archives of the Video and Audio recordings – are available for access by VAP customers.  As far as I know copies of slide presentations are still not available.

What Didn’t Go Well

• Pathable Conference Community– Disappointingly, no access was granted to VAP attendees, to the Conference community site.  This was a large mistake, for two reasons:
  • The attendee segment (VAP Pass Holders) that could have most benefited from the social community, had no access.
  • Access to this community would have helped to build credibility for MPI, with non-member attendees, and facilitated relationship building, ultimately leading to possible new MPI memberships.
• Significant Internet Access Issues — The Internet connection crashed on several occasions, denying VAP holders access to the webcast content.  I also understand the WIFI in the Conference space was inconsistent, and failed as well.  This is a major problem that can turn a successful Hybrid conference into a disaster.  Thanks to the hard work of the MPI customer service team the glitches were corrected in a reasonable time period.
• Powerpoint and other Media Not Available — To our dismay slide presentations and other media utilized were not available to the virtual attendee, really diminishing the impact of the sessions.  When I last checked these visual aids are still not available post-event.
• Webcast Interface — A twitter chat interface was missing from the webcast window, creating an awkward user experience.  In order to interact in the hashtag channel attendees were forced to switch back and forth between Twitter feed and webcast windows.
• Speaker Communication with Attendees– With many sessions there was very little, if any  engagement by speakers with the virtual audience, leaving us feeling left out.  During group exercises VAP attendees were left in limbo with nothing to do.
• Breaks and Lunch — Once again, no engagement with Virtual attendees, or involvement/access to Iron Chef competition.  (that could have been very exciting for VAP attendees to watch)
• Sessions Offering Webcast –  Poor choices of sessions webcast vs. those not webcast.  For example, in the first track of sessions on Monday, both sessions featured material addressing C-Level Executives.  At the same time, a “Tweet Different” session occurred, which was less valuable to VAP attendees, when offered in an “audio only” environment.

Learning Lessons

So what are the real lessons with this experience?  Well, there are clearly some things that could be done differently, in the future, that will significantly enhance the experience for the virtual attendee.  Here are some thoughts:

• Selecting Sessions for Video Streaming– MPI should identify sessions for webcasting that will really benefit from that media channel.  Sessions where there is hands-on instruction, or significant interaction are great candidates for this type of broadcast support.
• Social Community Access — I can think of no downside to providing virtual attendees with access to the social community.  It will only heighten the overall buzz of the conference and create stronger connections between the virtual and face2face attendees.  Furthermore it will help to build a case for MPI membership, for non-members.
• Internet Connections and Bandwidth — There is no room for compromise with this critical element.  During site selection process MPI should identify the venue’s competency in this arena and plan accordingly.  Internet bandwidth is the lifeblood of any conference, with virtual components, and should be a top priority.
• Speaker Coaching — All presenters, regardless of experience should be briefed  and coached on expectations regarding attendee engagement and the importance of interaction.  This component of the event is as important as the logistics themselves.  If there will be group exercises, during a particular session, then the leader for that session should have some engaging provision which speaks directly to the virtual audience as well.
• Session Breaks, Coffee Breaks, Etc — I would recommend hiring a professional “journalist style” interviewer, to interview speakers and/or participants during breaks in the action, to enrich the experience for all concerned.  We did this with the Event Camp Conference earlier this month and received fantastic feedback from attendees.  An excellent resource is Emilie Barta, who is really terrific for adding value to webcasts and other virtual events.
• Slide Presentations and Other Media — Must absolutely be incorporated into the webcast, or the value of the session is diminished significantly.  There are applications available that will integrate slides, a Twitter Feed and the Video together on one page.  This is really a rich environment to provide to Virtual attendees.  An example of this type of interface is Twebevent, created by Robert Swanwick.

Congratulations to MPI for really making an effort to embrace the virtual attendee!  Hybrid events are still in their infancy, so there is a huge learning curve for all of us.

Question:  Do you have any suggestions to address the issues which arose with this conference, or any other Hybrid event?  If you do please bring them forth in the comments section!

Well, the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) 2010 Meet Different Conference kicked off in great style on Sunday morning, with it’s opening General Session, featuring Jeremy Gutsche, Innovation expert & author of the popular book, “Exploiting Chaos.” For context, MPI’s event is taking place in Cancun, Mexico through Tuesday.  Unfortunately I am not attending the event face2face, but I am participating as a virtual attendee.

By most accounts MPI really fired up their audience with this first session.  From the moment Jeremy Gutsche hit the stage his energy was both engaging and entertaining.  By the way, the webcast video was of very good quality, and the audio feed outstanding.  There were some logistical issues with the Powerpoint presentation and other visual aids utilized, but that discussion is for another blog article.

The central theme, or thesis (as he described) behind Jeremy’s message is “by leveraging viral trends and methodical innovation you can generate ideas, harness creativity and ultimately exploit chaos.”

Gutsche’s message speaks to the power of innovation as a response to crisis.  Using a mix of humor and wit, he asserts that only by stepping out of our comfort zones and experimenting can we have our hand on the pulse of innovation.  The path to success is often wrought with challenges, and by trying new things we can navigate our way from failure to success. Its about identifying new opportunities.

One of the more nebulous comments made by Jeremy was his opinion that culture trumps strategy in its importance for business results.  It seems to me both play a critical role in innovation.  In my minds eye, there is synergy between culture & strategy… but strategy not grounded in culture would be agnostic.

On the subject of innovation Jeremy cites the following as integral to its process:

• Maintain an open mind — There is no point in innovation if you think you know everything… Keep yourself open to the complete possibility of what could be!
• Look outside your realm for cool things/trends  that could spark innovation — Cool is unique, cutting edge and viral.
• A methodical approach to managing inspiration unleashes ideas

“We know about trends but why don’t we do something about them.  You know about social media but why aren’t you leading in it yet?” – Jeremy Gutsche

Indeed, crisis does create opportunity.  During economic recession, consumers still buy things, they just change the definition of what they need.  They start to evaluate what is important … competitors try new things and tactics to draw business.  Naturally this scenario plays into the events business.

Think about how the influence of online education has impacted organizations like MPI, PCMA or ASAE over the past couple of years.  The onset of online education was at least at some level brought on by the disruptive influences of a tough economy and ensuing innovation.

Continuing the discussion Jeremy Gutsche discussed his thoughts on how to Exploit chaos.  ” Companies need to embrace change and create a culture of revolution.”

Here are some factors that are influential:

• Perspective - Identify what it is your organization is trying to do?
  • What is your mantra?
  • What do your events look like?
• Avoid Intentional destruction — this is the “black hole” your organization does not want to fall into.
  • Don’t get so caught up in what your organization does well that you overlook an opportunity to take things to a higher level
  • Smith Corona was cited an example as they got caught up in being the best typewriter company in the world, and became obsolete as a result!
• Failure – is the beginning of re-invention … a decent proportion of your creations must fail.
  • You Must find a “hill of opportunity, through failure” …
  • Failure is experimentation — try something new you don’t already do.
  • Win like you are used to and fail like you enjoy it.
• Customer Obsession
  • Make a cultural connection, don’t speak to a person, speak with them, interact with them… that is empowering.
  • Intimately understand your customers — Seek to gain insight into their needs
  • You need to observe your customers in their zone (world).  Watch for patterns and utilize that information to tailor your products and services.
  • Become completely irresistible to a specific group of people (targeted) and they become your evangelists

Closing out this fantastic session Jeremy shared his insights regarding “infectious marketing.”

There are three components to this process:

• viral creation
  • A product or service is so good that people talk about it immediately.
  • create something that connects  with people and the story will travel faster than ever before.
• viral medium– Messaging is key to creating a viral effect
  • portray your product or service as average and that is all it will ever be.
  • Very careful word choice makes a big difference in viral and WOM marketing

• well packaged story
  • What are seven words or less that define what your organization does? This will align your organization’s focus
  • Relentlessly obsess about your story!!! consistent answer becomes your organization’s mantra.

In summary, this was an amazing Opening Keynote Session, one of the best I have experienced in a long, long time.  Congratulations to the MPI team for a terrific job in developing this program.  Also, many thanks to MPI staff for their online customer service.  It  has been impeccable!

Stay tuned for more blog posts as this excellent conference unfolds!

Some remarkable advances have been made with technology since the dawn of the 21st century.  Personally, I love gadgets and think it would be fun to look back on this eventful decade of innovation.  Here are my picks for the “best of the best” through the last ten years:

Toyota Prius -- The First Hybrid Car

2000:

Segway PT

Hybrid Car — Toyota released the Toyota Prius, the first hybrid four-door sedan available in the United States. Hybrid cars use a gasoline or diesel engine to power a motor. When the power of the motor is not required to move the vehicle, the motor can shut off, saving energy, or can be used to generate electricity that is stored in batteries, and later used to power the car.  Between 2004 and 2009 it is estimated that 1.25 million of these vehicles were sold in the United States.  To this day the Prius is still the most popular vehicle of its kind.

2001:

Segway PT — Created by Dean Kamen the Segway Human Transporter is the first self-balancing, electric-powered transportation machine. It is a personal transport device that uses five gyroscopes and a built-in computer to remain upright.

iPod 1st Generation

iPod — On October 23, 2001 Apple Computers publicly announced their portable music digital player, the iPod, created under project codename Dulcimer.  One man that could be named the father of the iPod is Tony Fadell. Tony, a former employee of General Magic and Phillips, wanted to invent a better MP3 player.  He went to work for Apple Computers in 2001 as an independent contractor, leading a team of thirty people to develop the new MP3 player.  Within eight months, Tony Fadell’s team and PortalPlayer completed a prototype iPod and Apple polished the user interface adding the famous scroll wheel.

Apple announced in April 2007 that the 100 millionth iPod had been sold. Apple claims the iPod is the fastest-selling music player in history.  It is estimated that approximately 86% of MP3 player users own an iPod, an astounding figure.

Here are some amazing iPod Sales Statistics:

2002:

Camera Phones — Introduced to the North American marketplace in 2002, an estimated 80 million camera phones were sold in 2003, — 6 million in the U.S. alone.  By 2003 more camera phones were sold worldwide than stand-alone digital cameras.  At the end of 2008, the world-installed base of camera phones was 1.9 billion.

2003:

Itunes Music Store — the concept was simple:  sell songs in digital format for less than a buck and let buyers play them whenever and wherever they like—as long as it was on an Apple iPod.   Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO  spent the previous year negotiating an unprecedented deal with all five major music  labels and thousands of independents. His iTunes software, would become a gateway to the Music Store, where you could easily find and save music to your hard drive, CD or iPod music player—no subscription necessary, just 99 cents per song, or $9.99 for an album.  As of January 2009, the store has sold 6 billion songs, accounting for 70% of worldwide online digital music sales and making the service the largest legal music retailer.

2004:

DirecTV HD DVR — Rated by CNET as one of the top ten products at the CES 2004 show, this TIVO device took digital video recording to the next level.  The 250GB drive held 30 hours of high-def programming or 200 hours of standard TV.  I bought one of these puppies when they first arrived in the marketplace and it was one of the best a/v component purchases I have ever made.

2005:

YouTube — Created in February 2005, by three former PayPal employees, YouTube was touted as a cutting-edge video sharing service.  In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google.  Alexa ranks YouTube as the fourth most visited website on the Internet, behind Google, Yahoo! and Facebook.

Here are the 100 greatest hits on YouTube as seen through one user’s eyes… Some humorous moments for sure:

2006:

Wii — is a home video game console released by Nintendo.  A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.  As of December 2009, the Wii leads the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales.

2007:

The iPhone – who else, but of course Steve Jobs, CEO for Apple, Inc. to take smartphones to a higher standard.  This device, though controversial, is pretty, touchy-feely, and has a tremendous future.  Approximately 6.4 million iPhones are active in the U.S. alone.  33.75 milliion of the devices have been sold world-wide to date.

iPhone 2G

2008:

Amazon Kindle — With the paper-like legibility of electronic ink, long battery life, and the ability to hold thousands of pages, e-book readers were already quite handy in 2008.   But Amazon made them even more convenient by adding a free cellular connection for plucking newspapers, magazines—even entire books—out of the air in seconds.  A truly brilliant innovation!

The Kindle by Amazon

2009:

You Decide!!!  — Watch the Time Magazine video identifying the 50 Best Inventions of 2009 and then let us know what you think is the coolest gadget to hit our planet this year.

Is there a gadget, not mentioned here, but developed in the last 10 years, that has impacted your life?  Please share your perspective with us!

A Collaborative Blog Post:  Part Five

I remember in my “wonder years” that my dad read the newspaper every single day.  His routine was always the same; get up, make coffee, grab newspaper, drink coffee/read,  sit on the throne/continue reading (a guy thing), get ready for work, go to work.

Beginning in High school my day started to look like his, except of course I went to school, not to work.  As an adult, up until around three years ago, I started most of my days the same way as my dad had.  It was tradition … it felt good!

That has all changed now…. with the rapid emergence of social media and the Internet newspapers, for the most part have become irrelevant.  By the time a newspaper hits the street, the information contained in it is mostly obsolete.

Technology, including Smart Phones and news delivery channels such as Blogs, websites, RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook and other types of social media now make it possible to learn about news in real-time.  If you fold into the mix the ecological pressure created by “Green Initiatives” one could reasonably argue things look pretty bleak for the future of printed materials.

So, in this fifth of five articles in a series created in a Google Wave, my colleagues and I will address the issue:

What is your opinion of the future of Printed media? (i.e. newspapers, magazines, etc.)

The following individuals have been my “partners in crime” for this series of articles:

• Jessica Levin, President & Chief Connector, Seven Degrees Communications
• Midori Connolly, CEO and Chief AVGirl at Pulse Staging and Events
• Michelle Bruno, President, Bruno Group Signature Events
• Jeff Hurt, Director of Education & Events, National Association of Dental Plans
• Ian McGonnigal, Executive Director, Strategy – George P. Johnson
• Mike McAllen, Co-Founder, Grass Shack Events & Media
• Samuel J. Smith, Experienced B2B Marketing and Sales Professional
• Cameron Toth, Founder, Toth Communications

This project would not have been possible without their contributions and collaboration.  Many thanks to each of you… you rock!

Now for our thoughts on this topic:

Ian – I think content of all kinds is going through an evolution.  Print media is a victim of this evolution.  Will print go away?  I don’t think so.  It will always have its place.  I’m still not comfortable bringing my Kindle to the beach. “The medium is the message” is less of a factor in this day and age.  But the role of content will always be prominent.  How content monetizes itself however will continue to change dramatically.

Midori –> Ian: Haha! You’re right Ian – I still love folding back the pages of a paperback and brushing sand out of the spine…or the smell of a new book. Equally love the feel of a new magazine and the way beautiful colors and images reveal themselves as you turn the pages.

Mike – I don’t see printed media going away.  Take a step into a Barnes and Noble and see how many magazines they have.  Seems every niche has a magazine or two.  People still like the tactile feeling of holding something and bringing your computer or kindle to the beach really isn’t very sexy. (unless your last name is McCurry)   Seriously, I think giving your content in as many ways as possible is the way of the future.

I can record a video interview share it on Youtube, rip the audio and share it through iTunes, then transcribe it and post it as a blog post.   I can then send it to an industry magazine (like my event solutions column) and have it in print, I can bring several of these transcripts into a book of interviews, that book can then be turned into a major motion picture.. So the future is definitely changing for content and how we consume it.

Jessica – Newspapers may have a limited shelf-life simply due to the speed at which we need and currently receive information.  I still enjoy reading a book (although, I might enjoy a Kindle).  I have stopped getting most paper versions of industry pubs because I find I have already read a lot of the information online. I’m not sure if we are really talking about “paper” versus a more portable delivery of information.

Samuel – I think that we are going to continue to see more two-way media. If you take CNN.com for example…  You can read the news, watch the news, comment on the news, rate the news and even create the news.  You can upload pictures, stories and videos.   I think that we are going to see more of this in the future.   Having said that – I still enjoy reading books. I read more than 15 this year and don’t have plans to slow down.

Cameron – Paper is almost an outdated concept. That being said, I love my Time Magazine subscription and I just bought three books off of Amazon.com.

I don’t think publications will go out of business if they are good at what they do, but the mediums are definitely changing. As soon as I have a tablet or Magazine substitute that is as satisfying as the printed paper version I will relish the opportunity to save trees and the company will love to save money on delivery, paper, manpower etc.  After all news people should be in the business of delivering news not the medium that it is printed on.

So, I am excited that in the future I will order my books and have them instantly. But, I will need something that I can read in the tub, car, doctor’s waiting room, airplane, bus, train, beach, park, etc. I don’t want to have to look for batteries, be afraid of electrocution, or be told by homeland security that reading my “paper” is a national security risk which is all too common when traveling internationally and trying to read some news on your smart phone.

Midori – Let’s not forget what the term media means: media is simply a delivery mechanism for information or data.  Choosing the medium for transmitting that information is dependent on your intended audience and overarching marketing plan.  Assuming that social media could eradicate any other form of media is a bit naive.

However, SM will surely impinge on the power and reach of traditional media. I expect it to steal just enough market share to force the owners to adapt their revenue models and evaluate how to capitalize on new mediums of delivery of the information they own (and they’re not going to give up their billion dollar kingdoms without a staunch fight I’m sure!).

Jeff – Disruptive innovation is forcing media, not just print, to redesign traditional business models. I think we’ll continue to see the rise of free information online and people willing to make micro-payments for exclusive, unique, more in-depth and rare content from media. I also think we’ll see the rise of localized media content sponsored by local business and customized for the reader.

Michelle – I believe print publications as an advertising medium are in trouble because they cannot duplicate the effectiveness of the measurement tools and metrics that online media can deliver. As for print content, It is already going away. Newspapers and magazines are dropping like flies because of all the reasons already stated. Consumers want their information fast, free, brief, relevant and uninterrupted. Newspapers come close, magazines don’t cut it. The Internet does it better.

McCurry – From my vantage point I see the newspaper companies shifting their focus from print to electronic news… effectively they are already doing this as most, if not all of them have web versions of their newspapers available.  As revenues (and therefore readership) continue to decline with printed media, these companies must create a different business model for operating or they will go out of business.  (This is already happening with some major companies either in bankruptcy or their doors are closed)

As Jeff pointed out the reality of disruptive innovation, combined with heightened sensitivity to ecological concerns is changing the way news is delivered right before our eyes.  With regard to books and magazines, I believe, in the short run they have staying power, because consumers do enjoy recreational reading in places where electronic reading is either not possible or impractical.  In the long run I believe some type of technology will emerge that will put the final nail in the coffin of printed media. (such as hologram type media)  That is probably not going to happen in my lifetime though!

What are your thoughts regarding the future of printed media?  Do you know of some new technology being researched that could change the way we view the news, magazines and books?  When do you think these changes will occur…. Do share with us!!!