IBTM World 2017 Technology Watch Awards Recognize Outstanding Event Industry Tech Achievements
December 7, 2017
The ibtm Technology Watch Award winners for 2017 were announced at the most recent ibtm world, held Nov. 28-30 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain.
As the longest-running awards program of its kind, the ibtm Technology Watch awards recognize the achievements of new and innovative event industry technologies, ensuring that the achievements of talented entrepreneurs looking to revolutionize the meetings and events sector are duly acknowledged.
There were three categories for this year’s nominations: Logistics and Production, Management and Marketing and Audience Engagement.
All entries were reviewed by an independent judging panel of experts who are considered influencers in the field of technology, headed up by Corbin Ball, owner of Corbin Ball Associates and comprising Michelle Bruno, president of Bruno Group Signature Events; Dahlia El Gazzar, founder of DAHLIA+ Inc; Ruud Janssen, founder of TNOC.org and co-founder of EMG; Pádraic Gilligan, managing partner at SoolNua; Paul Hussey, director of The Conference Doctor and Julius Solaris, founder and editor of Event MB.
Sciensio was judged the overall winner for its Concierge Eventbot, winning the Audience Engagement category, while SharedXP Limited won the Logistics and Production award and Conference Pulse took the Management and Marketing category.
“We had an incredibly strong field of entries this year, making it a challenging task to decide on the winner,” Ball said.
Sciensio is an emerging technology supplier that helps businesses develop and deploy messaging platform strategies to improve customer interaction and help build relationships with their stakeholders. The company’s Concierge EventBot is a chatbot that has been specifically developed for events, enabling event organizers to easily share information and logistics with their attendees in a valuable and accessible way.
“Sciensio and its Concierge Eventbot have proven great tenacity and innovation in helping the events industry stay ahead of the curve with regards to effective customer engagement, sitting at the heart of every successful business in this industry and beyond,” Ball added.
He continued, “Sciensio and its Concierge Eventbot highlight two important event tech trends: the emergence of artificial intelligence to provide better and more efficient services to attendees in the form of chatbots - a direct and very useful means of providing event information.”
Shared XP Limited is a web-based crowdsourcing and crowd voting platform that enables event organizers to engage with their audiences and networks about ideas and content to create valuable event experiences.
ConferencePulse uses marketing and sales intelligence to provide insights that can help event professionals determine the right events to attend, submit (session presentation) abstracts for as well as sponsor.
"The fact that ConferencePulse won this prestigious award is a further testament and validation that we are building an events intelligence platform that truly addresses the needs and pain points of our valuable clients," said Val Tsanev, founder and chief executive officer of ConferencePulse.
He added, “We were humbled and honored by the award.”
Michelle Bruno, a member of the judging panel who regularly writes about event technology and event innovation, explained that award winners are selected based on two different types of innovation criteria.
"As judges for the ibtm Tech Watch competition, we always look for innovation in two areas: the way technology is used to solve a recurring or familiar pain point for the meeting industry and whether the technology used is on trend,” Bruno said.
She continued, “So for example, Sciensio uses artificial intelligence and a chatbot to address attendee engagement and customer service. Shared XP uses crowdsourcing to co-create event content and ConferencePulse uses large data sets to discover speakers, sponsors and venues in a manner that the judges had never seen before. In these ways, the three category winners and the overall winner were unique.”
For more information on the ibtm Technology Watch Awards, go HERE.
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.
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