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
Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact