Navy Pier, Chicago, IL: Click here for directions
Opening Session
The Meetings Technology Expo Opening Session will feature the insight of meeting professionals who will share with you the experience of having successfully implemented a comprehensive meetings technology program/tools for their respective companies.
In the session, the panelists will detail steps they took to execute a winning solution: the factors that led to them to recognize the need for an integrated technology solution; the methods used to identify and evaluate potential vendors and to select the ultimate provider; how the technology was implemented and training was accomplished; and how the new solution was integrated with existing tools and processes.
Finally, of course, discussion will center on the benefits the adoption of the technology has produced.
There will be a dedicated question and answer time at the end of the session.
Breakfast will be available throughout the session.
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 8:00 am
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Registration Systems, Part I
Online registration systems are the "killer apps" of the industry with potential cost savings of 90% or more from paper-based systems. This session will provide and overview of role of registration systems in the meetings industry, the benefits, list must-have items, pitfalls to avoid, pricing structure samples, and resources when deciding on the best attendee management system for your organization.
Speaker: Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball Associates
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 9:15 am
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Meetings Expense Management
This session will discuss the role of technologies as how they are related to capturing corporate meeting expenses. This session will discuss the role of expense technology for capturing meeting expenses, meeting expenses and approach to measurements, pitfalls to avoid, pricing structure samples, and implementation and integration procedures when evaluating usage of corporate expense tools for meetings.
Speaker: Ross C. Atkinson, Senior Director of Marketing, Concur Technologies, Inc.
Room: Lakeview Terrace B
Time: 9:15 am
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Site Selection/RFP Management
Throw away the stacks of paper hotel guides and brochures! Online site-selection/request for proposal systems can digitize highly paper-intensive tasks with substantial savings in time and efficiency. This session will cover the benefits, multiple feature options and choices when choosing the variety of system available.
Speaker: Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball Associates
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 10:15 am
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Online Booking Systems
Integration with an online booking system is the next technology push in online meeting planning. This tutorial will explain the benefits of the integration, evaluating online booking systems, and creating new business opportunities with online travel.
Speaker: Jeremy Stubbs, Director, GetThere Meetings Management
Room: Lakeview Terrace B
Time: 10:15 am
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Tradeshow Tools, Part I
Tradeshow Power Tools continue to change the way show organizers go about their business. Yet many meeting professionals are too focused on the tools and have ignored the underlying business processes critical to the foundation of event success.
This tutorial will demonstrate how show organizers can harness the power tools of the industry and approach their technology challenges with a simple plan that creates a show blueprint, establishes a guide and sets performance metrics.
Speaker: Stephen Nold, President, Advon Technologies
Room: Lakeview Terrace B
Time: 11:15 am
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Meetings Spend Consolidation, Part I
Meetings consolidation programs can yield a reduction in meeting spend by 30% or more while reducing contract liabilities. This session will provide and overview of Meetings Spend Consolidation including the benefits, the key elements to consider, pricing structure samples. Numerous resources will be provided as well as answers to your questions.
Speaker: Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball Associates
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 11:15 am
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Tradeshow Tools, Part II
Once the foundation of strategic business processes has been laid in Part I, show organizers can now roll up their sleeves and set about with the Power Tools. The audience will have the opportunity to learn about best of breed solutions that are changing the way trade shows conduct business. Relevant case studies will be presented as real world examples on how to mange events.
Technology discussed includes: RFID, Matchmaking, Registration, Show Floor Mapping Tools, and Membership Databases
Speaker: Stephen Nold, President, Advon Technologies
Room: Lakeview Terrace B
Time: 1:15 pm
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Housing/Room Block Management
Housing is still one of the most challenging aspects of meeting planning. In this tutorial we will discuss the different tools available to meeting planners today. This will include the tools that planners can purchase and also tools that hotels are offering. These tools provide more control over your housing process and can offer extensive reporting of critical information. We will explore how these tools can integrate to your registration process and enhance you ability to maximize your contracted room blocks.
Speaker: Doug Melinn, CMP, Director of Customer Loyalty, Passkey
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 1:15 pm
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Meetings Spend Consolidation, Part II
This session will expand beyond the basics of Meetings Spend Consolidation and address specific issues such as reducing contract liabilities, preferred vendor programs among other pertinent issues.
Speaker: Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball Associates
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 2:15 pm
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Web Casting/ Video Conferencing
There are several technologies which meeting planners can use to extend the reach of their events or to create entirely new events aimed at Internet audiences. This session will discuss the technologies behind webcasting and video conferencing and how they may be applied to physical and virtual meetings. Specifically, we will discuss how an interactive webcast works; how a video conference works; what applications are well suited to an interactive webcast; when to use webcasting versus video conferencing; how to merge video conferencing with webcasting; how to measure the return on investment (ROI) of your online events; and what to budget for online events.
Speaker: Ray Harris, President & CEO, Webcast Group, Inc.
Room: Lakeview Terrace B
Time: 2:15 pm
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Event Marketing Tools
Effective communication and marketing tools are essential components for successful meeting and events. In today's business environment, integrated campaigns yield the most traction and response rates. This tutorial will explain the benefits event marketing systems and how to utilize their features to reach and exceed your marketing goals. Whether a planner is marketing a paid event or trying to organize internal events there are many systems that can be helpful.
Speaker: Reggie Aggarwal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cvent
Room: Lakeview Terrace B
Time: 3:15 pm
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Registration Systems, Part II
Online registration systems are the "killer apps" of the industry with potential cost savings of 90% or more from paper-based systems. This session will expand beyond the basics and include discussions on topics such as integrated budgeting and travel tools, vendor selection criteria, vendor selection processes. Bring your questions and learn how the pros select the best.
Speaker: Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball Associates
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 3:15 pm
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The APEX Toolbox- Bringing Standards to Event Management
The ideal participant is one who has an interest in improving how they communicate with their event vendors by adopting the APEX accepted practices. Those charged with either training or producing event communications ranging from RFPs to and Event Specifications Guide will find this session very useful.
Discover how to improve your communications with event vendors. You will begin to develop an approach that will ultimately allow you to seamlessly and electronically transfer event management files.
After participating in this session, you will:
1. Understand what content is provided in the APEX Toolbox;
2. Understand what information should always be sent to a facility when preparing an RFP, Rooming List, or Event Specifications;
3. Learn how to work with your internal Information technology department or 3rd party application developer on incorporating industry accepted practices;
4. See how the APEX Technology Council has broken down this complex mission.
5. Have an opportunity to register your organization and your technology vendor in an industry demonstration project that will provide the industry a showcase for success on enhancing Technology and Meeting Management ROI
6. Learn how to stay current on APEX technology developments.
Speaker: E. J. Siwek, CMP, President FLASHpoint Technologies, LLC
Room: Lakeview Terrace A
Time: 4:15 pm
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