Tech News: Event Technology Awards, Hubilo, JabberYak, Albany Capital Center Additions; Hyve, Crowd Connected Alliance

March 18, 2022

From recognizing the stars behind tech in the industry to unveiling comprehensive solutions aimed at helping event professionals succeed, event technology is ever evolving. Take a look at some of the latest developments!

Event Technology Awards–The People

Event Technology Awards (ETA) opened submissions for its new people-focused offshoot this summer and selected a panel of judges. Event Technology Awards–The People will take place live and virtually June 8 during Event Tech Live, Las Vegas, the first in-person U.S. edition of the show, which has taken place in London for nine years and was held as a virtual event for the U.S. and Canada in 2020.

ETA–The People will celebrate those individuals and teams who bring tech to the table, helping to foster solutions, better practices and new ways around traditional problems.

Entries are open to both suppliers and organizations, and suppliers are encouraged to nominate their clients. If a supplier enters a category for their team or an individual, they will be issued a free token to nominate one of their clients The list of 31 categories can be found here.

Meanwhile, 15 people from all corners of the events industry who are known for their extensive industry experience and/or innovation where recently selected to judge the awards.

“We are asking for even more from our judges this year, with ETA–The People entries stacking up alongside the regular awards submissions, said Adam Parry, co-founder of the Event Technology Awards. “We have come to expect the best, right across the process, and judges of this caliber are sure to deliver.”

Judge Kathryn Frankson, director of event marketing at Informa Connect, commented on why recognizing tech achievements is so crucial.

“ETA and similar events are extremely important,” she said. “It’s always been true that teams are working hard to create special experiences, but the demands on event profs these past two years have been higher than ever.”

She added, “To recognize and reward the heart and soul that people put into scaling tech, advancing our industry and creating connection has never been more paramount.”

The full list of judges (pictured above, left to right by row) includes:

Andrew Harrison, director, Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA)
Corinne Kessel, international president, International Live Event Association (ILEA)
Craig Mathie, managing director, Bournemouth 7s
David Audrain, CEO and executive director, Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO)
Eric Kingstad, consultant and founder, Kingstad Event Technologists
Dahlia El Gazzar, idea igniteur + tech therapist, DAHLIA+Agency
Tess Vismale, founder and CEO, iSocialExecution
James Kelley, director, onsite, lead cultivation, business development, virtual events, MCI USA
Kathryn Frankson, director of event marketing, Informa Connect
Kelly Stanley, co-founder and managing director, Borough Bench Media
Ksenija Polla, regional director, North America, ICCA
Mahoganey Jones, founder and CEO, Event Specialists
Marco Giberti, founder and CEO, Vesuvio Ventures
Sabrina Meyers, founder, Sabrina Meyers Consultancy
Sina Bunte, co-founder and director of events, SheSharp

Event Tech Live, Las Vegas is scheduled for June 7-9 at The Expo at World Market Center, and Event Tech Live, London is set for Nov. 15-17 at ExCeL, London. Each hybrid event is dedicated to bringing global event professionals together to experience and discuss the latest advances in event tech, champion thought leadership and engage its community year-round.

Hubilo

Leading event tech company Hubilo will stage MIX 2022 (Mastering Immersive Events), its first-ever global hybrid gathering, March 30 and 31. MIX is designed to bring together the best minds in the industry to share, learn about and grow the next generation of hybrid events.

MIX will take place around the globe, both virtually and in-person, with live events in San Francisco, New York and London March 30 and Bangalore March 31.

MIX will allow attendees to learn from experts about event trends, community building and what’s propelling the industry forward, discuss new engagement strategies that push boundaries, and experience lounges for networking, peer-to-peer, one-on-one meetings and interactions with speakers.

Highlights of the event will include special guest speaker Mindy Kaling, writer, director and actor in hit TV series such as “The Office” and “The Mindy Project,” and films such as “Late Night.” Kaling will join virtually for “The Road to Possible,” a Q&A that will highlight her experiences overcoming adversity to become a creative powerhouse.

Additionally, CEO Vaibhav Jain will share his vision on how event professionals will continue to transform the last analog channel in marketing into a significant tool for connection in our digital-first global society—and the technology they’ll use to get there.

See more details about MIX 2022 sessions and speakers here.

Hyve and Crowd Connected

Hyve Group, a global leader in B2B events with gatherings in 13 countries, has entered into a multi-event agreement to license Crowd Connected’s proprietary location software.

Crowd Connected’s platform enables the real-time positioning of smartphones in any environment, indoors and outdoors. It is widely recognized as a best-in-class solution and is licensed across the live events industry, including at business events, sports and entertainment venues, and music festivals.

With its software integrated into the official app for an exhibition or trade show, Crowd Connected enables blue-dot navigation, location-based personalization and location analytics, providing critical insight into visitor behavior at a venue in real time.

“Hyve is at the forefront of the technology revolution in the exhibitions sector,” said Mark Maydon, commercial director at Crowd Connected.“We’re delighted to be extending our relationship which dates back to 2019, and we’re now working closely with multiple show teams as physical events bounce back post-pandemic.”

Maydon added that the industry is increasingly focused on operating “smart” events, conscious that physical shows are competing with digital.

“This translates into being more data-driven,” he said. “At Crowd Connected, we’re on a data-driven mission to transform live events through location tracking insight.”

Ernesto Perdomo, head of digital experience at Hyve said working with Crowd Connected’s positioning technology, proven in what it delivers and its ease of deployment, will enable Hyve to level up the physical experience by bringing the best of digital to the show floor.

“This ticks multiple boxes,” he said. “It elevates the visitor experience through the familiarity of blue-dot wayfinding, which drives more interactions with exhibitors. It helps us to personalize the event experience, making the mobile app more valuable. And Crowd Connected’s analytics deliver measurements that previously weren't readily available—for example, footfall traffic stats for every exhibitor at a show.”

JabberYak

JabberYak recently unveiled event technology designed to be a unique ice-breaking concept that eases social tension and helps conversations flow, while also providing attendee analytics and event registration capability.

The company developed a system to unite people through shared interests based on its “seven degrees of interest” concept, the idea that individuals will connect on at least one interest and have a meaningful conversation.

Attendees select seven personal or work-related interests from a default or customized event-specific template. These selected key words are printed on unique T-shirts or name badges that are worn at an event, providing a visual cue that allows attendees to know something relevant about someone else before the first word is even exchanged.

Lynn Wellish, an event professional who partnered with JabberYak for a recent event, commented on how impressed she was with the product.

“A major hurdle at any event is getting people to interact, as many people find engaging with others awkward and intimidating,” she said. “I was amazed how conversations and networking happened organically with JabberYak.”

JabberYak also offers an analytics dashboard that provides a comprehensive report of interests of those who utilized the system. This information can be used by event professionals as a valuable tool to organize more impactful event experiences that are geared toward attendees’ interests.

As an added service, JabberYak’s free event registration tool allows event professionals to create in-person, virtual or hybrid events and enables attendees to easily register and RSVP.

The event registration portal gives users the following capabilities:

Showcase events online
Promote brands with a stylish registration template
Get registration notifications
Get a QR Code for event registration
View attendees' lists on the dashboard
Automated confirmation and reminder emails
Display the RSVP link on the invite emails and website
Show attendees who is registered to the event
Display event location map
Connect the event to social media

Albany Capital Center

The Albany Capital Center (ACC) in Albany, N.Y., launched a completely revamped website designed to significantly improve the experience for event organizers and attendees.

"With the help of this new website, we can highlight all that the ACC has to offer, from our floor plans and virtual tours to our event listings and preferred partners and vendors,” said Shannon Licygiewicz, general manager of the ACC. “The new website offers clients a streamlined, one-stop-shop that will change the way they experience meetings and events."

New site features include displaying alerts quickly and prominently on the homepage, consolidating event page details and providing the user with a clean and easy navigation process. As part of the design refresh, the new website incorporates images and video throughout, making the experience more visually appealing. The new capabilities will allow the ACC to keep customers and clients updated on the rapidly changing state mandates regarding COVID-19, such as entry and mask policies. Additionally, new site features will allow the ACC staff to efficiently manage the diverse catalog of events hosted at the facility by organizing critical event information such as ticket links, event descriptions and dates, FAQs, prices and times. The search function was completely revamped, making it seamless for users to navigate, providing search results directly within the website.

In addition to the improved user experience, the new website also unveils the Albany Convention Center Authority (ACCA) rebrand, featuring a new logo and branding statement.

"The investment in the new website improves access to information, provides timely event updates, highlights the large capacity of the ACC and the ability of its operator, ASM Global Albany, to adapt to any need," said Duncan Stewart, executive director, ACCA. "Similarly, when commissioning a new logo and developing a branding statement, the ACCA Board sought to highlight the greatness of Albany and the Capital Region, confirming for all that indeed, ALB I NY® is truly ‘An American Crossroads of History, Culture and Commerce®."

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Partner Voices

Women at the Helm: Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

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.