| | Welcome to Corbin's TechTalk Newsletter, in its tenth year of providing the latest in technology for events, tradeshows and hospitality professionals in more than 67 countries.
This issue focuses on technology for greening meetings and tradeshow technology.
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In this issue:- NEW ARTICLE: 45 Ways to Use Technology to Green Meetings
- NEW ARTICLE: Exhibitor ROI: Proving the Booth's Worth It
- NEW ARTICLE: Lead Retrieval Only - Option for Show Organizers
- NEWS
- 21 WEB BOOKMARKS FOR MEETINGS, BUSINESS AND FUN
- QUOTES OF THE MONTH
- RECENT ARTICLES WITH "QUOTES FROM CORBIN"
- CORBIN'S CALENDAR and the fine print
NEW ARTICLE: 45 Ways to Use Technology to Green Meetings
It is getting easier being green. The move to make meetings more environmentally-friendly is finally taking hold and meeting professionals are working together to reduce, recycle, and reuse to dramatically improve the environmental impact of events and tradeshows. Technology can help in this effort reducing paper and significantly improving efficiency along the way. Here are 45 ways it can.
NEW ARTICLE: Exhibitor ROI: Proving the Booth's Worth It
This recent Tradeshow Week article by Rachel Wimberly covers ways to track and demonstrate the value of your exhibit booth.
NEW ARTICLE: Lead Retrieval Only (LRO)-- An Option for Some Show Organizers
Show managers can buy lead retrieval separately from a registration provider. This article, by Kahle Williams from CompuSystems discusses ways to do this.
NEWS
TechTalk Turns Ten
In September 1998, the first issue of TechTalk was emailed to 40 people. 61 issues later, with over 7,200 subscribers in more than 67 countries, this e-newsletter is the largest focusing on meetings and tradeshow technology and it keeps growing. I feel honored to have your support as a subscriber and I extend my hearty thanks to the sponsors who make this newsletter possible. As always, your feedback is valued. If you know of anyone that may be interested in receiving a copy, please forward this newsletter on.
Corbin's Online Bookmarks File Updated
http://www.corbinball.com/bookmarks/
"Corbin's Favorites", the web's most comprehensive list of categorized web links for the meetings and hospitality industries (with a focus on meetings technology), has just been updated with many new links.
The Association for Green Meetings and Events (AGME) offers green meetings certification.
The CGME -- more info can be found at: http://www.agmeinc.org/
EIBTM Technology Hour
http://www.eibtm.com/page.cfm/T=m/Action=Press/PressID=661
The annual technology debate and other technology events will be among the offerings at this year's EIBTM meeting.
More of Corbin's Articles in Spanish
Another article (Air Travel Woes and the Impact on Meetings) has been translated into Spanish with more to come. Thanks to Thomas MacFarlane from Event Planner Spain (www.eventplannerspain.com), for providing the translation services. 21+ Web Bookmarks for Meetings, Business and Fun
5 Meeting Industry-Related Sites:
SchedulFlex
http://www.scheduleflex.com/
Very cool scheduling and calendaring web application using Adobe Flex to enable drag-and-drop ease of use for your meeting appointments and schedule.
Fish Software RFID "Tell Me More" Badge Button
http://www.fishsoftware.com/docs/vapress.pdf
Interesting radio frequency identification application. Attendees simply push a button on their badge to receive exhibit product information downloaded instantly to their personal conference web page.
GoMingle Mobile Phone Networking Application
http://www.eventobjects.com/gomingle/preview-gomingle-for-blackberry.cfm
Digitell Virtual Exhibit Hall
http://www.virtualbeginnings.com/
Worktopia Universal Meeting Solution
http://www.worktopia.com/
Realtime, online booking of meetings space.
8+ Utility/Reference Sites:
Website Grader
http://www.websitegrader.com
Excellent free tool to analyze your website.
Free web conference tool
http://www.coolconferencelive.com
Ad-supported, robust free web-conference site.
Google Chrome - A fast, thin new web browser
http://www.google.com/chrome
This is the best web browser I have ever used. Super fast and easy. Not perfect, though, the way that it handles bookmarks is clunky, to still a great move forward.
Microsoft Sphere
http://www.flixxy.com/microsoft-sphere.htm
Interesting display technology with potential applications to exhibits.
MUX
http://mux.am/
An excellent, free video conversion site. Enter in the URL of a video clip (or its location on your hard drive) and specify what format you'd like to receive the video (PSP, iPOD, DivX, MPEG-4, and lots more). In a few minutes, MUX will send you an e-mail with the location from which you can download your newly formatted video.
glassbooth
http://glassbooth.org
Take this short quiz and see how each candidate matches your views.
SearchMe
http://www.searchme.com
Interesting search engine using Apple's Cover Flow interface.
Zoho
http://www.zoho.com
Full-featured office apps online (most for free) including word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs, file sharing, wikis, project management, and more.
Sly Dial
Not a website, but a cool service. Users call (267) SLY-DIAL from either a cell phone or a landline, and are prompted to enter another person's cell phone number. After playing a short advertisement -- unless users pay a subscription fee or 15 cents per call to skip ads -- Sly Dial puts callers directly into their target's voice mail.
8 Sites for Fun:
Snow Sculptures
http://www.gobreck.com/page.php?pname=ISSC/08winners
Sand Sculptures World Championship
http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/HARRISONSandCastles01.html
It all comes back to you
http://www.flixxy.com/saving-the-environment.htm
Beautiful aerial photos from around the world
http://www.yannarthusbertrand.org/v2/yab_us.htm
Fly over mountains
http://www.electricoyster.com/electric3d/index.html
Amazing paper art
http://www.petercallesen.com/index.html
First flying lesson
http://www.flixxy.com/flying-lesson-centraal-beheer-insurance.htm
Freda Kahlo
http://www.fridakahlofans.com/index.html
I just visited the Freda Kahlo show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This is a "must see" event if you are in the area. Linked above is the best Freda site I have come across.
QUOTES OF THE MONTH:
"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."
-- Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
"It’s our attitude in life that determines life’s attitude towards us."
– Earl Nightingale
“Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work done.”
-- Linus Torvalds, Creator of Linux
SHORT-SIGHTED TECHNOLOGY QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Almost all of the many predictions now being made about 1996 hinge on the Internet's continuing exponential growth. But I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse."
-- Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3Com and inventor of Ethernet (1995)
CORBIN'S SPEAKING CALENDAR
My travel schedule for September and October will bring me to Albany, Palm Desert, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Colorado Springs, Los Angeles and likely a few other places as well. Click 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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CONTACT INFO:
Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, MS
Corbin Ball Associates
506 14th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-6107
Phone: 360-734-8756
AIM/Skype: corbinball
Email Corbin
Web: www.corbinball.com © Copyright 2008 Corbin Ball Associates.
This letter and its content are proprietary products. All rights reserved.
Please forward the entire letter to anyone you feel may be interested. | Thanks to our sponsors who make TechTalk possible:
nTAG
nTAG Interactive provides a complete system for on-site event management built around our break-through interactive name badge – the nTAG. The nTAG system improves attendee networking and automates polls/surveys, agenda management, card exchange, taking attendance, and messaging. Customers include GE, MasterCard, IBM, WellPoint, Lucent, Accenture and many others.
N200 is Europe’s biggest visitor registration and lead retrieval company. More than 230 trade shows and events in 11 countries use the online and onsite products and services of N200. Do you have a show in Europe? Please contact us for a free demo or quotation via exposales@n200.com or look at http://www.n200.com.
IAEE promotes the unique value of exhibitions and other events that bring buyers and sellers together such as road shows, conferences with an exhibition component, and proprietary corporate exhibitions. IAEE is the principal resource for those who plan, produce and service the industry
ePly Online Event Registration
Get your Free copy of the Event Planners’ Guide to Online Event Registration. This 12-page report defines Event Planners’ most common concerns including how to choose a registration service that’s right for your event, effective ways to prevent mistakes, and how to reduce “emergencies” related to your event registration. 
AllianceTech
Alliance Tech, winner of the 2006 and 2007 CEMA Summit Technology Shoot Out, is the industry leader in business intelligence solutions that measure and increase the value of tradeshows, conferences and events. We put the power in your hands to increase revenue, deliver actionable reports and see visual trends. 
Welcome to the Future of Event Planning. WTTC.com is the fast, free and easy way to find and book suppliers for your next event. Designed by meeting planners for meeting planners, WTTC.com features key information and tools that link you directly to hundreds of suppliers. We make event planning simple -- one click at a time. Toronto now on-line - Boston , Miami, San Diego and Vancouver coming in June.
PRA
Discover the PRA Advantage!
· One-stop destination management services: activities, event production, site inspection/selection, budgeting, logistics, supplier management, tours, transportation and more…
· Innovative program design and development
· Local knowledge provides an authentic destination experience
· Operational excellence, dependability and consistency in all locations
· Highly experienced single-point-of-contact
Total. Experience. Guaranteed.
Find out what’s on the minds of the leading convention housing experts. As housing specialists for more than 26 years, we’ve created innovative solutions that address housing issues before they even happen. To see how we’ll make your program succeed beyond every expectation, visit TPhousing.com. 
Certain Software®, Inc.and its subsidiary Amlink Technologies provide innovative technologies used by meeting planning professionals and event organizers to plan and produce a wide spectrum of meetings and events. Certain Registration™ is the leading online Software as a Service (SaaS) registration product used by the world’s largest corporations, universities, associations and government agencies. events™ is the top ranking events management product used by associations, continuing education and world events such as the Olympic Games, United Nations World Summit and Rugby World Cup. 
WingateWebis the leader in event data management technology and professional services. With emphasis on leveraging all event data using a single database, WingateWeb technology offers comprehensive solutions to complex event challenges. Powerful reporting capabilities quickly turn data into targeted leads. The WingateWeb platform enables event planners to manage their full spectrum of events from one console. 
EIBTM Barcelona
2-4 December 2008
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®.
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 512.842.1612
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. |
Latest issue of TechTalk is out packed with new meetings technology.
