Tech Tools — Which Ones are Critical to Your Conference?

On December 14th, the College of Continuing and Professional Studies is hosting a networking event at the University of Minnesota’s Continuing Education and Conference Center called Confident Presence for Networking: How to Build Relationships Anywhere You Go. The event promises to be extremely informative. While we all know that networking is crucial to career-building, we also know it’s not the easiest thing to do. Fortunately, technology offers solutions that go beyond the proverbial “Hi, my name is Bob” nametags.

Consider these tech tools for effective networking and efficient communication at your next conference or event:

Apps. With ubiquitous smartphone technology, downloadable apps are a life-saver for conference planners. Use them to send downloadable schedules, encourage social networking between attendees, push messaging, and more.

Virtual reality. Virtual reality can boost attendee engagement and get folks buzzing, especially with one another. The technology can be used for product demos, interactive education, and even sneak-peeks at locations or destinations far away from the conference.

Video conferencing. Video conferencing makes it possible for you to increase attendee attendance…without them even being there. Hybrid events are all the rage, incorporating onsite and online events that are all-inclusive.

Facial recognition. This type of technology coupled with social media tags photos of faces it recognizes, which gives your event broader reach. This expands even more when people share these photos with friends.

Kris McNeely, Content Editor | meetingpages | kris.meetingpages@gmail.com

As a freelance editor and writer for more than twenty years, Kris McNeely has had the opportunity to write and edit everything from non-fiction books to blog posts, web content to white papers, ads to articles. She was named an Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month, has been featured in multiple anthologies, and was selected by Amtrak Railway Service as one of five travel writers from among a pool of 1500 applicants nationwide. In her free time, she likes to jog, garden, travel, and spend time with her two kids and three grandchildren.