The first ever Event Camp DownUnder and the first in the world for 2012 will take place in Sydney, Auckland and online on 26^th and 27^th February. Expecting more than 70 #eventprofs in the room in Sydney and in Auckland with a virtual audience of hundreds, the event organisers have kept the ticket price low at only $75 for this amazing hybrid event.

The Showmanator’s 6 reasons why you have to get there!

1. Connect with the impressive presenters leading the discussions – Jo-Anne Kelleway (CEO Info Salons Group), Paul Cook (Planet Planit) and Mitchell Beer (Conference Publishers) feature amongst other keynotes that include 13 expert speakers and facilitators from around the world. They will be leading debates and posing questions to the audience on topics like social media, large scale event production, hybrid events, mobile apps and creating communities….

2. Meet likeminded professionals. EventCampers worlwide thrive off this forum to interact with, discuss and create new business opportunities. A collection of the most concerned and active event people and sevice providers downunder.

3. Witness a hybrid event in action. With so much buzz around events going hybird for numerous reason – you can come witness one in action and discuss the outcomes with fellow event profs.

4. Experience emerging technologies – In Auckland we will be using the very cool, new Holo-Info-Desk. This multi-touch surface allows our Auckland presenters to watch the twitter feed, live streams, post their presentation notes and more on the one interactive screen.

5. Hear one of the most influential technology speakers in the Industry. Corbin Ball will be presenting on Event Technology. We expect something very impressive from Corbin!

6. The event in Sydney is being hosted by IML Ltd at their offices at 60 Carrington Street – and attendees will be spoiled by local caterers, swag providers and sustainable initiatives to make this an event not to be missed for 2012!

‘If these aren’t enough, it’s ‘cheap as’ to attend and attend remotely. We want this event to be accessible to every event professional and generate some amazing conversations that will fuel event and technology design in 2012,’ Josh says.

Register at www.eventcampdownunder.com today!

20 January 2012

Aussie event tech market leader Info Salons Group and Kiwi event app company SmartShow partner to produce ‘killer’ smartphone apps for events.

This powerful Trans-Tasman collaboration is a true meeting of minds.  Both companies share a passion for event technology and for exploring new frontiers.    Their first joint public outing will be at AIME 2012 in Melbourne in March where they are providing ‘ShowGizmo’ as the event’s official smartphone app and sharing a tradestand.

‘The ultimate intention is to combine our knowledge and experience to fully leverage the ability of smartphones to revolutionise people’s event experiences,’ says Info Salons Group Chief Executive Jo-Anne Kelleway.

Having just celebrated its 21^st birthday Info Salons Group is no newcomer to the events industry where it has earned the reputation of being the leading provider of online & mobile solutions for all event database management, registration and marketing requirements. Operating from offices in Sydney, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Dubai and London, Info Salons has recently successfully launched their mobile event app iEvent.

In comparison, SmartShow is an emerging star.  Established in New Zealand in early 2010 by a group of people who understand events and technology and the power of combining them, it’s flagship product, ShowGizmo, was launched in the middle of the same year and is now being used by event producers around the world.

‘With Info Salons’ connections and market ‘nous’ and our ability to deliver cutting edge mobile solutions, we intend to take the events industry by storm,’ says SmartShow Chief Executive, Marie-Claire Andrews.

But looked at through a different lens, this global behemoth could also be viewed as being something approaching an eco-terrorist in terms of the less-than-mouse-sized carbon footprint it leaves wherever it sets foot.   Long-distance travel … excessive use of print … disposable everything from food and drink containers to branded ‘goodie bags’ … the list of things that are not good for the environment is an impressive one when it comes to events.

As a consequence, over recent years, there has been a concerted effort on the part of responsible event producers to “green up” their acts.  Many industry associations have put in play voluntary best practice codes to drive improvements, giving birth to the concept of the sustainable event.

Producers of fully sustainable events aspire to minimise the impact of their events on the environment through following these best practices at every stage of the event’s life from registration through to the physical mop up afterwards.  In response, a sub-industry of innovative technology providers has sprung up offering an amazing variety of viable alternatives to conventional event practices across the board.

In the realm of printed materials, where the waste volumes are eye-wateringly high, ShowGizmo is one such product.  A web and smartphone event application, Show Gizmo incorporates a digital event programme and floorplan and allows people to exchange v-cards and connect with each other without any paper changing hands. The system’s smart use of QR codes opens the door for printed exhibitor/vendor brochures in any quantity to be a thing of the past as attendees can simply collect and store them using the app on their phones.

‘As the uptake of smartphones increases exponentially, mobile event apps like ShowGizmo are a ‘get out of jail free’ card for the environmentally concerned event junkie,’ says Frances Manwaring, co-founder of SmartShow, the company that launched ShowGizmo nearly two years ago.

‘One of the reasons we decided to create ShowGizmo was because we were going to a lot of events and were sickened by all the waste – that awful moment of guilt when you consign half a forest in paper form to the bin at the end of the event.  All we could think of was how cool would it be to hit a delete button on our phones instead!’

At the moment, more people on the planet allegedly own a mobile device than a toothbrush and it’s estimated that in a couple of years time the majority of business transactions will happen via smartphones the foundations are there for the genuinely paperless event.

‘Hopefully this means the days of exit survey forms being left on every seat are numbered.  But people will have to really get their heads round doing things differently. The tools exist to make it happen, it’s only the will that’s lagging behind.  Ultimately, attendees will drive the revolution,’ says Manwaring.

‘It may not be a case of saving the planet single-handed, but event people can certainly do their bit their bit… one event at a time.’

Manwaring says SmartShow does its best to practice what it preaches.

‘The recycling bins in our HQ are an eyesore in the office, but the feel-good factor is high.  We use online rather than face-to-face meetings where we can and offset what little power we use by donating to our favourite green initiatives.  In addition, for every sale of ShowGizmo, we make a loan of $25 to a KIVA community project.’

SmartShow was established in early 2010 to harness the power of smartphone technology to drive more connected events with higher returns for participants investment which also.  ShowGizmo is now being used by event producers on every continent … except pristine Antarctica of course!

New app version into the stores!

iPhone, Blackberry and Android…

Includes:

1. Speaker ratings: allow all the speakers at your event to be rated by all the attending delegates and have this all sent to you in real-time for evaluation.
2. Personalised schedule: your attendees can now select who and what they want to see and have it inform them of when/where to be on the day.
3. Making meetings: got hosted buyers? Make meetings with exhibitors using ShowGizmo… Allow all attendees to connect and request meetings with each other.

What’s coming next then? An interactive floorplan (your visitors can highlight exhibitors they want to see)…the ability for exhibitors to add notes to their leads….everyone can add notes on speakers/sessions….survey your delegates…a beautiful iPad native app and the ability to update your avatar via your phone.

Want to see ShowGizmo develop any other features? Let us know… info@showgizmo.com

So are you ready for the roller coaster ride?  It’s time to shake it up!  Do things differently …. go hybrid … run an ‘un-conference … manage a virtual audience …  integrate digital media platforms to create lasting communities.  If you don’t, you can bet your bottom dollar (pound, yen, euro etc) that your competitors will!

But if that’s all gobbledegook to you, don’t panic!  There’s an easy answer.  Try an Event Camp this year.

A what? That’s right, an Event Camp.  This international movement is spreading like wildfire through drought-stricken bush. Event Camps were established to connect event professionals with the latest and greatest trends (hybrid, un-conference, virtual, digital media, communities etc).  Sounds like every other event you’ve ever attended or organised?  Think again!  Instead of just talking about the issues, or worse, zoning out as other people talk interminably about them, the Event Camp format means everyone involved ‘lives’ them and can test what works, what’s easy, what’s fun and, frankly, what might never apply in their own situation but is just cool to know about.

Event Camps emerged out of a twitter group that follow the #eventprofs hash tag.  That collective of tweeps put on the first event, following the design of the geek equivalent, Bar Camps.  As a result, Event Camps have a more laid-back networking feel to them than traditional association type events – and often some ‘unconference’ elements, where participants design the content and flow of the day.  In addition, they’re hybrid events with one main centre and various satellite ‘pods’ or smaller live groups and a following of virtual participants who connect using Twitter and view sessions via Live Stream.  Phew!

Typically speakers are international, and connect via Skype or present in the room.  The presentations spark conversations and collective thinking about what’s coming next in the event world.

Event Campers are owners or staff of event management companies, event technology evangelists, event social media experts, professional event and conference organisers, marketers and suppliers to the event industry.  They’re likely to be purchasers, event designers and owners in their own right, and probably a little younger than the usual PCO type crowd – 25-45.

Can you see yourself in that audience?!  If you can, then make your New Year’s resolution to experiment with events.  Even if you can’t, get your head round what else you can do to shake it all up and do things differently.  Most of all, do it before your competitors do.

SmartShow is part of the team making the first Event Camp of 2012 – Event Camp DownUnder – come to life in Sydney, Auckland and of course, online.  We’re experimenting with events this year and hope you will too.  Better still, take the bull by the horns and join us by registering here:  www.eventcampdownunder.com

Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME), Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), have selected ShowGizmo, a smartphone event application, to be the official event app for visitors and exhibitors attending the show in Melbourne on the 21 and 22 February 2012.

The introduction of ShowGizmo to AIME during its 20^th anniversary year is a move designed to keep the AIME experience up-to-date allowing attendees to plan their time, share and connect information using their phones.

With over 850 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, AIME will give corporate and special event organisers access to leading suppliers covering all aspects of event planning and production.

Sally de Swart, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) Director for AIME said the introduction of the ShowGizmo app was a great opportunity to utilise technology in a meaningful business context, “Up until now the only option at exhibitions involved exchanging business cards and collecting literature – the ShowGizmo app means that the same information can be gathered in a more convenient way. Apps are so widely used in our everyday lives, that it’s not a big leap to see the potential within the event context.  We chose ShowGizmo because it offered more options and the app is easier to use than other products on the market,” Ms de Swart said.

ShowGizmo is free to AIME attendees with Android, Blackberry and iPhone devices.  All they have to do is download ‘ShowGizmo’ and enter the event password which will be provided in advance to all registered attendees. ShowGizmo Marketing Executive Josh Dry explains that the use of smartphones will make it easier to get value out of event participation, “We’re not far away from the time when the only thing attendees will need to remember to pack when they go to a tradeshow or conference is their smartphone.  Using these clever little devices will free up time and make it much easier to get full value out of their participation, so attendees can concentrate on the important things such as networking and doing business,” Mr Dry said.

The 20^th anniversary of AIME, owned by the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) and organised by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), will be held on 21-22 February 2012 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in Melbourne, Australia. www.aime.com.au

Updated version of ShowGizmo just released in Apple App Store.

Producers can now categorize exhibitors/sponsors. Attendees view exhibitors by their tier or cluster, producers choose how to categorise them giving their stand out exhibitors or high level sponsors more.

Producers can also upload more links and documents about their show (local interest, specials, hotel offers etc). As well as more URL’s to send people to your social media channels or custom pages for the event.

The new update is across all Apple products with Blackberry and Android releases expected within days.

Please download the new version through your app store or via this link and feel free to rate our app – letting us know what you think.