Tech News: International Market Centers Enhancement, Simpleview-SKYNAV Partnership, Crowd Connected Accolade

February 9, 2023

The new year is bringing plenty of fresh technology solutions to help event professionals, exhibitors, sponsors and destinations stay on top of the ever-changing events landscape, as well as industry recognitions. Read on for some of the latest event tech developments.

International Market Centers

International Market Centers (IMC) launched a new feature to its RepZio sales app that incorporates market badge scanning, creating a direct connection between market activity and RepZio customer data. The new exhibitor-friendly feature debuted at IMC’s Winter 2023 Las Vegas Market, held Jan. 29-Feb. 2 at World Market Center Las Vegas.

“This RepZio enhancement is part of IMC’s larger plan to reframe our digital strategy to more closely align physical markets in Atlanta, High Point and Las Vegas with digital tools that deliver return on investment for our buyer and seller customers,” said Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC. “This seller-focused solution is a great complement to a new buyer-facing @Market mobile app now in development for launch in summer 2023.”

RepZio, a patented B2B sales application for wholesale sellers, was acquired by IMC two years ago, and the company continues to support and enhance the solution based on specific wholesale customer needs.

“IMC is committed to providing solutions that drive value for our customers, and this addition of new badge-scanning capabilities is a direct result of customer requests,” said Max Fraser, senior vice president, chief technology officer of IMC “When RepZio was acquired by IMC in 2020, it was already a proven tool, and we have continued to make enhancements to best serve the needs of loyal and dedicated ‘super users’ as well as new sellers.”

RepZio is a sales management software—accessible both online and offline—that allows brands and sales representatives to instantly browse products and inventory levels, create presentations and place orders. Additionally, in-app reports share information about best and most active customers, as well as top-selling products by geographic location.

Usable both at market, in the office or on the road, the mobile application includes an integrated product barcode generator and scanning capabilities, accessible with any Bluetooth scanner or built-in camera. Other legacy features include the ability to accept credit card payments and to generate complete and accurate sales history with the touch of a button. A web-based application also provides desktop access.

Simpleview and SKYNAV

Simpleview, a leading provider of CRM, CMS and marketing solutions for destinations worldwide, partnered with SKYNAV, a mixed-reality marketing and software platform, to give destination marketing organizations (DMOs) the ability to provide immersive experiences for event professionals and travelers.

“Virtual content has continued to evolve and is becoming a key piece of the content that visitors and [event professionals] visiting our DMO websites expect to see and are proven to engage with,” said Greg Evans, chief revenue officer at Simpleview. “Our partnership and integrations will allow our customers to integrate SKYNAV content natively to drive conversion through immersion.”

SKYNAV’s Web3 software offers self-guided 360-degree virtual experiences that now integrate seamlessly with Simpleview’s CMS to help DMO’s showcase area venues and attractions for event professionals and visitors.  

The partnership enables DMOs to “virtualize” their destination and bring it to life, tailor their immersive marketing to fit the seasons and special events and engage meeting and event planners with virtual experiences of available options.

Crowd Connected

Crowd Connected, a location technology platform that connects digital apps to real-world experiences, including live events, was named one of the world's top 100 geospatial companies by Geoawesomeness and an industry expert committee following a review of more than 800 companies.

Crowd Connected joins the list for the first time, alongside well-known names like Google, Carto, Esri and Here, as well as other influential companies such as Mappedin, What3Words, and xyzt.ai.

“This is fantastic recognition for the location technology platform we're building, bringing together smartphone navigation, people tracking and asset tracking, said James Cobb, CEO of Crowd Connected. “As physical spaces become contextually aware environments, the promise of digital twins and 'smart world' technology becomes a reality.”

The annual list is an essential source of information about companies that are utilizing geospatial data and tools to solve problems,” according to Muthukumar Kumar, managing partner at Geoawesomeness.

[The list] is aimed at helping our community make sense of the ever-changing geospatial industry ecosystem,” Kumar said.

Crowd Connected’s many use case scenarios include transforming live events with its location-aware app designed to make meetings and exhibitions more productive.

The company offers location intelligence for next-generation live events, giving attendees the ability to navigate seamlessly and organizers the ability to understand attendee behavior.

The benefits of Crowd Connected’s live events solutions include:

  • Better navigation: Exhibitions can deliver 20% more value to visitors and exhibitors by improving wayfinding and discovery, so that visitors are able to find all the exhibitors they're seeking.
  • Exhibitor sales: Major exhibitions have seen double-digit increases in rebooking using stand-level footfall and dwell data gathered from their app users.
  • Sponsor sales: Crowd Connected’s reports provide quantitative evidence of the brand exposure and engagement that sponsors achieve.
  • Operations and safety: Crowd Connected’s incident response feature helps the public feel safe at all times and reduces incident response times significantly.

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.