The WWTW is the most significant and longest running technology award in the meetings and tradeshow industries. The goals are to recognize technology innovation and to highlight significant trends impacting meeting planners, attendees and exhibitors at events.
The winner and four finalists for WWTW 2010 were selected from a record 52 applications. Seven judges from five countries with experience in the meetings industry and technology but not currently selling any technology product scored the entries based on innovation, completeness of concept, and the potential value to the meetings industry. These companies highlight several paths of technology progress for events including increasing importance of mobile event applications, virtual tradeshow additions to face-to-face events and integration of attendee management tools with mobile event sites with iPad and other mobile interfaces.
And the winner is…
This year’s EIBTM WWTW award winner for meetings technology innovation goes to Sherpa Solutions ActivTouch highlighting the mobile technology’s potential to transform events and tradeshows.
Similar to other recently emerging mobile products, this product will provide the ability for attendees, show managers and exhibitors to access agenda planning tools, conference alerts, exhibit guides, social networking tools, matchmaking programs, appointment scheduling, and peer-to-peer messaging using mobile phones at the event.
Differentiators include:
- Very precise geo-location to assist in way-finding on the show floor and elsewhere and to give the user data about who and what is around him/her.
- Strong integration with other show vendors such as registration, housing, exhibitor mobile solutions, and floor plan mapping tools vendors.
And the finalists are…
Additionally, four finalists highlight additional significant technology trends:
Ootoweb
Veteran designers from the pioneer meetings technology company SeeUThere submitted a new attendee management/online registration product with a lower pricing model (per meeting planner rather than per registration) and with mobile integration allowing planners to access attendee/housing data onsite and send conference alerts from an iPad. This "paperless meeting binder" also includes other conference documents with the goal of eliminating the thick paper binder often carried by planners. In addition, there is an easy-to-create self-service mobile event website application which works with the ootoweb registration system and allows registrants to access event data and register using a mobile phone.
DUB
DUB is a multi-platform mobile solution for events showcased at significant technology events such as SXSW and the Web 2.0 Expo providing conference messaging, contact exchange, conference literature capture, audience response, mobile payments, social networking and other tools via the native operating system of most smart phones available.
The differentiators include very strong integration with association management platforms, CRM tools and companies such as Salesforce.com and LinkedIn.
The judges felt that the winner Sherpa Solutions, ootoweb and DUB – all mobile applications for meetings, an area that is exploding in capabilities – were on top of the several mobile entries received and that they highlight the importance of mobile applications for meetings.
Inxpo and Unisfair
These two similar virtual tradeshow and events products achieved nearly identical high scores with the judges feeling that both should be included in the honorable mention category.
Both have a wide range of capabilities including providing live or on-demand virtual conference session webcasts; virtual exhibit halls with full lead exchange and exhibit information management; networking facilities; registration, reporting and recording tools.
The judges felt that there were significant opportunities for hybrid events/tradeshows using these tools to allow a virtual attendance at face-to-face meetings. However, the judges expressed a desire for more mobile access tools for the technology segment.
This year’s record number of entries
The winner and the four finalists were among the dozens of very strong entries received this year. This is indicative of the increasing rate of technology change in the meetings industry society in general. Strong entries not making it to the top five included technology to assist lead retrieval, housing, tradeshow floor plans, webcasting tools, attendee management tools, DMC management applications, meeting facility databases, and more.
This award, with its large number of applications, highlights areas of meetings technology development. Mobile solutions, lead exchange, tradeshow mapping, and new online registration tools were the numeric leaders this year. Here is the breakdown:
- Mobile solutions: 14
- Lead retrieval/contact exchange: 6
- Tradeshow mapping or floor plan management: 5
- Registration/attendee management: 5
- Virtual meetings/tradeshow: 3
- Industry portals: 4
- DMC management: 2
- Others: 13
The WWTW Judging Committee:
Corbin Ball, CEO, Corbin Ball Associates, corbinball.com (Chair)
Rudd Janssen, CEO, TNOC | The New Objective Collective
Paul Hussey, Business Development Director, BSI Meetings and Events
Bruce MacMillan, President and CEO of Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
Martin Sirk, CEO, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)
Sam Smith, Managing Director, Interactive Meeting Technology, LLC
Lynn Wong, Director, Eventoplus
