Social media, technology now a must in events
WHEN attending an event nowadays, be it a meeting of industry stakeholders, a conference on the latest issues, an exhibition of products and services, or a press launch, the program would most of the time be opened by the host announcing the links for social media, namely Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where participants can post status, comments or pictures for all the world to read and see.
Indeed, events now are not only confined to the four corners of the venue, and the participants are not the only people sharing the event’s proceedings. Social media allows others to react to the comments and post updates, and subsequently serving as extra mileage—good or bad—for the event.
All these would only be possible if the venue is Wi-Fi enabled, thus making the availability of this technology a must for event organizers.
Such issues are now trending as various stakeholders in the meetings, incentive travel, conferences, events and exhibitions (MICE) industry held the MICE Conference 2014 at the Fontana Convention Center, Clark, Pampanga, early this month.
With the theme MICE in 4D (driving passions, developing minds, defying limits, designing the future), MICECON serves as a platform by which MICE stakeholders learn new trends, approaches, methods and insights as well as draw inspiration and energy from their message from experts to reach and fulfill new heights for the Philippine MICE and tourism industry.
The event was spearheaded by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) together with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) in partnership with two major Philippine organizations for MICE, namely, Meetings, Incentive Travel, Exhibitions/Events Philippines Inc. (MITE) and the Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS). It brought in also international MICE buyers from Australia, US, Canada, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, Spain, Poland, UAE, and another eight local corporate buyers primarily for a one-day buyerseller business exchange in MICE Mart.
Do you have Wi-Fi?
Peter Gray, founder and con- sultant of Motivating People, Australia, and general secretary of the Incentive Association, the peak body for the incentive industry in Australia and New Zealand, said that nowadays the first question convention participants would ask once they get to the event venue is “Do you have Wi-Fi?”
Gray has had considerable involvement in the tourism industry, working with regional bodies to establish their own tourism organizations and providing guidance and training for tourism bureaus and airlines in order for them to better leverage their businesses particularly from the incentive community.
He said that the need for WiFi at conventions was non-existent about a decade ago. While this is now available in some cities across the globe, it is not totally free of charge. However, the expectation this year is that it should be provided free in hotels and in event venues. The Shangri-La, Carlson-Residor and Jumeirah hotel groups are already providing free Wi-Fi in their properties.
“In both Asia, including Hong Kong and Macau, and Europe, more than 20 hotels in central business districts are providing free Wi-Fi. In the US, 57 cities are giving free Wi-Fi, and in Australia, only Perth, although Melbourne and Sydney are coming online shortly,” he said.
Giving feedback is now also a breeze through sites like TripAdvisor where customers can post their comments on MICE facili- ties as well as the services available to them.
Use of apps, also unheard of about a decade ago, has also become a trend nowadays, as event organizers make use of the availability of technology to create successful events.
Leveraging mobile technology
Michael Chia, in “Leveraging mobile technology at events,” discussed how companies leverage the use of technology and why it’s becoming the go-to-solution for more and more events around the world.
Chia joined Guidebook, a mobile app for events, in 2013 as part of its account executives team. In the year since he’s joined, Guidebook has grown to hosting nearly 1,000 events of all sizes every month including that of Google, Coca Cola, Citibank and Mercedes Benz.
As more and more people around the world rely on their smartphones for up-to-date information every day, event organizers too can leverage this as a tool for their events.
With mobile event guides, organizers can update attendees on the latest changes, simplify the content management process and use interactive tools not possible with traditional paper programs.
Handling media
New Zealand’s Megan Singleton, founder, editor, and travel blogger at large, in “Media
Strategies in Crisis Situation” talked about how to use website content and social media to change perception on the global stage.
She also shared the best practices for hosting media after a crisis and presented examples that have helped regions in crisis like New Orleans and Christchurch, New Zealand, following their respective calamities.
“About 95 percent of netizens are logged on Facebook daily, 60 percent are on Twitter, and 30 percent on Instagram. Also, 80 percent of users aged 18 to 44 check their smartphones as soon as they wake up,” she said emphasizing the importance of social media and technology in managing crisis situations.
She also said that YouTube alone has over 1 billion unique hits per month, 4 billion hours watched per month, 72 hours of videos uploaded every minute, and 25 percent of netizens watching videos on mobile.
Handling media
She also gave tips on how to handle media.
“Know who you’re writing to. What is your hook? Include a one- to two-sentence punchy intro in your letter. Think like an editor, help them find angles, understand their objectives. Check their URL on a Google Page Rank checker. Ask for their audience size,” she said.
She added that in the itinerary planning, it’s important that the media is given free time so they can do things they need to do. It’s also necessary to tell them new things, and to make sure that images and press releases are readily available. And eventually, they should become friends with their media contact.
“Balance the messages. Be realistic. Manage expectations. Tell where the damage only is, create new images tagged with the typhoon for Google. Tell your personal story. These are musts because crisis management is a perception campaign,” she said.
Reinventing MICE
Terri Breining, principal of US-based Breining Group LLC, in “Evolution and revolution in the meeting industry” shared how meetings have evolved and where they are headed in the future: What do meeting planners need to know and do to create successful events? What do suppliers in the MICE market need to know to serve meeting customers more effectively?
Brad Weaber, executive vice president of New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, gave tips on how to be on the cutting edge by focusing on trends, technology and branding to increase market share and attract the MICE community.
In his talk on “Reinventing a city for MICE,” he shared about the dramatic reinvention of New Orleans and how it was just named America’s favorite city for 2014 after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina just a few years back.