At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas, possibly the hottest topic is the new tablet technology revealed by brands such as Dell, Lenovo and HP, with Apple set to release their tablet later this month (Update: Check out the $499 tablet here!!). Essentially the product is somewhere between a cell phone and a laptop; the current products being revealed range from anything like a sophisticated cell phone to a very small laptop. Affordable price point, touch-screen functionality, extended battery life and the ability to stream in HD are some of the characteristics of this new technology. Toting around a laptop could very well be much like how the general public currently treats their mobile or smart phone.
Sooo…where would this technology fit in at a meeting or event?
- Think about the potential for supplying these tablets to attendees (either at low or no-cost). From there you could do the following:
- Tablets could be pre-loaded with vendor and sponsor information, educational materials, tradeshow maps, the list goes on.
- As hard as it is to obtain sponsorship dollars, consider further that if an attendee taps on certain information (such as a sponsor’s link to information), their preferences could be tracked and valuable tracking data supplied to sponsors for improved ROI.
- The environmental implications could be massive for reducing the need for paper at all, and without complicated distribution systems.
- Unlike existing technology (ie Kindle) video and multimedia can also be incorporated into these devices.
Attendee goodwill could reach an all-time high!
From a logistical perspective, though, if you thought social media usage was prevalent now, well whoa! Imagine how this might transform the connectivity needs of your audience. Events that don’t offer wifi would most likely be scoffed at…as attendees tap-tap-tap their scorn with angry thumbs (resorting to using their phones due to no Internet connectivity).
What else could a person do with such fun technology??
I think this is still dragging an unnecessary device around personally. Being green could constitute something much more user friendly and cost effective using the smart phones we already carry.
If I were a conference planner looking to build more ROI for the sponsor suppliers, I would definitely catch the new methods for sending targeted mobile banners to attendees directing them to well-matched suppliers during the trade show. Upon arrival, the smart exhibitor would be prepared to send a follow up email as the attendee departs there booth confirming they have received all the contact information.
Posted by Pam Williams on March 1st, 2010.
Thanks for weighing in Pam…
The challenge that I see quite frequently as a speaker and technology consultant is that many attendees still do not have smart phones or wifi connectivity. So, their ability to participate in backchannel conversations, interactive polling, targeted marketing strategies and other hi-tech functionalities (ie QR coding) is limited. By providing this type of device to EACH attendee, we could perhaps eliminate the barriers to entry and engage the majority rather than a few.
As for being “green”, I wouldn’t advise replacing systems that are already in place for paperless distribution…but properly designed and executed, this would be an ideal briefcase to manage and store those materials as well as augment – from brochures on the tradeshow floor to powerpoints to new media created on the spot.
I agree that it does seem unwieldy to tote another device around. However, if someone wanted to participate but found themselves constrained by the limitations of the technology assigned by a person’s organization or personal budgetary challenges; they would perhaps be grateful to have this at their fingertips.
In turn, this could ease communication challenges and improve participation and engagement rates.
Posted by Midori on March 1st, 2010.