Welcome to Corbin's TechTalk Newsletter, in its fifth year of providing the latest in technology for meetings, hospitality and travel professionals in more than 60 countries.
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Table of Contents: NEW ARTICLE: RFID - What's In It for Me? NEW ARTICLE: HITEC (Hospitality Industry Tech. Ed. Conference) Highlights NEWS 16 WEB FAVORITES FOR BUSINESS AND FUN NEW ARTICLE: How to Preserve and Distribute Meeting Content after Your Event NEW FORM: Site Information Request Form Template NEW ARTICLE: 33 Teleconferencing Tips for Meeting Preparation UPDATED ARTICLE: 39 Ways To Use the Internet to Promote Meetings RECOMMENDED RECENT ARTICLES WITH QUOTES FROM CORBIN QUOTE OF THE MONTH CORBIN'S CALENDAR and the fine print.
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Thanks to our sponsors who make TechTalk possible.
Please click on the links below and tell them "Corbin sent you." | | Great Online Registration Software RegOnline is a leader in the registration business with innovative technology, great pricing, and a support team that you will want to tell your friends about. RegOnline will make your event management lifeeasier. Get Corbin's article “Improving Event Management with Online Registration” published only at the RegOnline.Contact: www.regonline.com or 1-888-351-9948 x3 |
| Hawaii Convention Center
"Where Business and Aloha Meet." Designed to create a uniquely Hawaiian sense of place, the Hawai'i Convention Center is the perfect place for meeting of virtually any size or occasion. | 
| BEYOND REGISTRATION
eMeetingExperts takes meeting planning beyond registration with ePlanner(TM). Manage budgets, room block, air/ground travel, breakouts, and a/v while creating a complete meeting plan, Personal Agendas (TM), name badges and more! Tightly integrated with Microsoft Office, you can exchange data with your current registration or meeting planning software. Imports e-itineraries! For more information or a FREE TRIAL, visit www.emeetingexperts.com.
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| Travel Planners, Inc. The million things that could go wrong won’t when Travel Planners is your housing provider. Kiss attrition good-bye. Forget about “book arounds” and customer complaints. With 25 years of experience, Travel Planners can create an error-free Master Plan for you. Get a free copy of our Anti-Attrition Plan at www.tphousing.com.
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Conferon
Trying to wade through the swamp of attrition and "rooms outside the block"? Let Conferon's experts help. To benefit from the industry's best buying power, contracts and practices, contact Conferon at info@conferon.com or call 330-425-8333. | 
| ConferenceDirect
ConferenceDirect is Meeting Planning Made Simple. We offer comprehensive services for all your meeting needs, no matter the size. Our team of professionals can provide: site selection and contract negotiation; conference management, housing and registration services; and meeting management technology. Visit our website at www.conferencedirect.com or call us at 877.262.2076.
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| Ungerboeck Systems International (USI)
USI’s Event Business Management Software (EBMS) is the premier internet-enabled, internationalized, and fully integrated system used by associations, conferences, exhibitions and venues on six continents. EBMS covers the entire business spectrum from Membership, Complete Event Management, Registration, Housing, Exhibit Sales, Service Orders, Exhibitor Directory & Floorplans, Sales, Speakers, Abstracts, Project Management, Purchasing, Budgeting and Complete Financials.
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| EIBTM -- 30 November-2 December 2004 -- Barcelona Spain
EIBTM Is The Premier International Event Dedicated To The Global Meetings And Incentive Industry. EIBTM attracts 5,000 industry buyers and 2,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries. Over 2,500 buyers at EIBTM are top-level decision-makers bought to the event as part its Hosted Buyer Programme®.
|  | ConferZone
ConferZone is the first objective e-conferencing resource that tracks the latest technology and trends in the marketplace. ConferZone provides information on Web conferencing, video conferencing, voice/audio conferencing, collaborative conferencing as well as expertise on hardware, equipment and consulting services. |  | Attendee Management Inc. (AMi)
AMi breaks down the barriers to online registration, housing, travel and e-marketing. No license fees, no software to manage, just dedicated, experienced service. Pay only for what you need, and provide the solutions your attendees and clients expect. Contact info@attendeenet.com, or call 512.842.1613 |
 | CardinalWare
CardinalWare is a 4th Generation Content Management System that fully integrates management of information, personal profiles and distribution.Whether you need a new or better Website, online marketing and communications tools, integration with other data, or anything in between, CardinalWare may be right for you. Visit our Website or call us at 888-755-7075. |
NEW ARTICLE: RFID -- What’s In It for Me?
RF (radio frequency) tags and RFID (radio frequency identification) will have a significant impact on society in general and on the meetings industry in the next few years. This article will cover the key facts to know.
NEW ARTICLE: HITEC Highlights The Hospitality Information Technology Education Conference (HITEC) is the largest exhibition and conference focusing on hospitality technology. If you are interested in how technology will be changing the meeting industry through our hotel partners, this is a terrific conference to attend! I just returned from this year’s conference in Dallas with a number of things that are of interest to meeting professionals. Here are some of the highlights.
NEWS:
Tech3 Partners
I am pleased to announce that I am joining a consulting alliance with Jeff Rasco and Rodman Marymor called Tech3 Partners. Although Corbin Ball Associates will remain a separate entity, this alliance will allow greater depth and reach for consulting services. More information can be found in the MeetingNews article by Mashall Krantz. Also, please check out our combined site: www.tech3partners.com for ongoing information.
Meetings Consolidation White Paper Will Be Available September 1st.
The meeting industry's most comprehensive analysis of the top meetings consolidation, procurement and event marketing tools will be available September 1st. If you work for a corporation with substantial meeting spend, this report is a" must read." Consolidation and strategic meetings management can save you up to 30%! This extensive and unbiased report will give you the information to make the right choices. Report cost: $895 plus S/H.
EIBTM Worldwide Watch for Technology Innovation-- Call for Innovative Technology Providers I have been asked to serve for the second year as chair for the judging committee for EIBTM's Technology Innovation Award. We will be looking for recent innovative technology developments or product breakthroughs that will have the most significance within the meetings, incentive and business travel industry. Even if your product is not yet marketed or developed, EIBTM Worldwide Technology Watch can provide your company with early exposure, allowing you to develop the product further and sell it into the meetings and events market. Entry deadline is 6 August 2004 with the award being presented in Barcelona during the EIBTM show 30 November-2 December 2004. EIBTM Technology Village I will be attending and assisting with the EIBTM Technology Village in Barcelona in the late fall this year. It is one of the few meeting industry events that group the technology companies together in one convenient location -- this year, in Barcelona. If you are a technology company, let me know or click on the link above for more info. Corbin Ball's Ultimate Meetings Technology Guide Now Available At No Charge
The industry’s most comprehensive technology resource, designed to help planners and suppliers compare and choose the best products available from among 1,200 meeting industry-related software packages is now available for free download with no charges ever. This is provided as a resource to the industry through the MPI Foundation.Upcoming Webcast Compares Virtual Meetings to Face-to-Face (F2F) Meetings - July 22, 1-2 pm EDT
Join ConferZone Founder, Stephanie Downs, and me in the free webcast sponsored by Raindance.
"Will virtual events replace traditional events? Will they replace meeting planners?" Stop by to participate in this educational and fun event:
"If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em"
Thursday, July 22nd at 1 PM EDT
  Presented by Stephanie Downs, President of ConferZone, and Corbin Ball, CMP, MS. Virtual Events are coming and the meeting industry needs to be out front! That said, it is scary to take your traditional face-to-face events virtual. Questions are buzzing around such as, "Will virtual events replace traditional events? Will they replace meeting planners?" Meeting planners need to be on board with this new technology or they will be left behind by the new tech-savvy generation. REGISTER NOW
Corbin Favorites File Updated - 2900 links
The meeting industry's most extensive list of web site favorites (especially focusing on meeting technology) has been checked, pruned of dead URLs, and updated with the latest links. Check out what is new.
Conferzone State of the E-Conference Industry Webcast - August 5th
During this Web event, ConferZone's Industry Board of experts will debate where we are and where we are going. Join these panel members as they address the major issues facing this industry and give you some insight on what the future holds.
16 WEB SITE FAVORITES FOR BUSINESS & FUN
10 Favorite Meeting Industry Sites:
IntroNetworks
This winner in the Information Design category of the 10th Annual Communication Arts Interactive Design Review is an outstanding use of technology to enhance networking at meetings. This site uses Macromedia flash to allow people to make matches via interests.
CharmedBadge
Another great use of technology to assist networking. The new version of this product will be about the size of a postage stamp that can affix to your badge. If you come within range of someone with like interests, one to four light blink based on the degree of the match. It will measure how long you speak with that individual (dwell time) and give you a report of all your contacts at the end of the meeting.
EMCVenues
EMCVenues is a National Sales Organization (NSO) for independent Conference Centers that provides meeting planners and training professionals with one point of contact to book meetings at multiple Conference Centers nationwide.
Meeting Company
Excellent use of technology by a independent (third-party) meeting planning company to communicate with their clients -- the meeting sponsors. Under Explore click on "PlanIT Platform"
Groople
Group room block booking site -- another step toward commoditization.
HotelPlanner
Another group room block booking site.
Association Forum
Internet radio focusing on association issues.
QuickTime VR 360 degree views
Some of the best examples of high-resolution panoramic views I have seen. This would be great for presenting meeting space!
Face-to-Face Connect
This e-news portal from Linda Kazares focuses on marketing to hospitality, event and tradeshow professionals. It is loaded with content including articles, templates and more.
ScanEvent
The idea behind this relatively inexpensive scanning product is that you give them out to the attendees to do the scanning of the contacts and information they want (reverse lead retrieval).
2 Favorite Utility and Search Sites: Travel Docs
This excellent travel resource site lists dozens of travel links for government information, travel health, country information and much more.
Wi-Fi Free Spots
Looking for free Wi-Fi hot spots ((wireless high speed internet access zones) in an unfamiliar destination? This site will help. It also includes a link to all of the free hotel hot spots as well.
4Sites for Fun:
Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time
Very funny site.
Mission Statement Generator
Using corporate buzz-words, this Dilbert site will generate corporate mission statements on the fly.
What If Lincoln Had Used PowerPoint for the Gettysburg Address?
This humorous site pokes fun at the way PowerPoint, when used incorrectly, can degenerate a message to its lowest denominators.
Worst Country Songs Titles
This is a hilarious list of real Country Western Song Tiles.
Interesting examples of how Google rankings can be fooled if enough other sites link to them using a specific phrase. Search on the following phrases and see what sites come to the top. Hint: It has to do with the presidential election.
waffles
miserable failure
NEW ARTICLE: How to Preserve and Distribute Meeting Content after Your Event By David Angeletti, Conference Archives
Face-to-face meetings play a central role to educate, train and inform adults. In these fast-changing times, we need meetings more than ever. The meeting content, however, is often not well preserved and fades away as the attendees head back home. Part of the problem is that the typical methods of reinforcing content (paper handouts, audiotapes, audio CDs) are not very effective. Even when they are provided, they are not searchable and, more often than not, will collect dust in some shelf or file. Fortunately, there are new options to overcome these limitations. Listed in this article are major conference archive choices with the benefits and shortcomings detailed.
NEW TOOLS: Site Information Request Forms (Word Documents)
These two new templates, provided through by Joan Buck at eMeetingExperts.com, provide a convenient standard way to request information from various sites you are considering for meetings. The links plus the instructions are at the bottom of the tools page linked above.
Site Facility Information Request Template (Word Template 108Kb)
Site Facility Information Request Fax Sheet (Word 105Kb)
NEW ARTICLE: 33 Teleconferencing Tips for Meeting Preparation
by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach
As part of your meeting planning and preparation, you may find well find yourself having to hold teleconferences with your suppliers or members of your team around the country or world.
While your service provider will handle the technical aspects of the call, the real success of your teleconference is up to you. Planning and preparation is key. However, it's obviously not possible to plan all the details especially for last minute or emergency meetings. The following are 33 tips and guidelines to keep in mind before and during your calls.
UPDATED ARTICLE: 39 Ways To Use the Internet to Promote Meetings
This article has been updated with new links and contains many ideas on how the Internet can be used to promote meetings.
RECOMMEDED RECENT ARTICLES WITH "QUOTES FROM CORBIN"
The Titans of Travel Tech - Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity: What Can We Expect from Them Entering the Meetings Market?
This M&C article, written by Michael Shapiro, discusses the impact of these travel giants as they try to tackle and manage meetings travel spend.
Online Registration Still Nowhere Near Ubiquity
This MeetingNews article by Marshall Krantz discusses reasons for the lack of adoption of online registration tools by all meeting planners.
Buyer Taps Independent Registration Solution
This Business Travel News article by Chis Davis explores some of the lower price online registration options available for mid-to-small sized companies and independent planners.
Invisible Touches
This Successful Meetings article by Ben Chapman, explores wireless communication protocols will impact the meetings industry.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century." - Lewis Perelman
CORBIN'S SPEAKING CALENDAR
My speaking and consulting schedule for July and August will bring me to Park City, Quebec City, Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans, London, and likely a few other places as well. Check the link above for specific details. I would love to make your city one of my destinations as well, so please contact me and let's set a date.
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Corbin Ball, CMP
Corbin Ball Associates
506 14th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-6107
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Latest issue of TechTalk is out packed with new meetings technology.
