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e4 Wrapup — "Technology and the Future of Meetings"

Michael M McCurry, CMP — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:03:07 +0000

As many of you know Experient concluded its 2009 e4 Conference on Wednesday, 8/5 with a free live webcast of the panel discussion “Technology and the Future of Meetings.” Great news — if you missed the live version of this event, a free archive of the webcast is available for post event viewing. To access it click here.

Approximately 300 ppl were present in the live audience for the event and another 216 participated virtually. The Experient official hashtag #e4chat drew 44 active Twitter users, some onsite at the event and the rest participating from cyberspace. To view a recap of that entire chat transcript please click here.

The session featured the following oustanding panelists:

Stephen Nold (Moderator) – Advon Technologies
Nicole Buraglio – Hanley Wood Exhibitions
Mike Immerwahr – Microsoft
RD Whitney – Tarsus Online Media

(L to R) Mike Immerwahr, Nicole Buraglio, RD Whitney, Stephen Nold

For a recap of the discussion during this session about social media as well as the rest of the conference please visit my personal blog, McCurry’s Corner and view the article entitled “The New Business Culture.” There really were some terrific insights about the future of technology presented.

Adrian Mabry posting on "Tweetdeck"

A remarkable aspect of this event was the fluidity of dialogue exchanged between the live and cyber audience via Twitter. It felt like those folks tweeting from afar were right there in the room with us. The panel fielded questions from the live audience, but more significantly they responded to the cyber participants as well. This is the essence and spirit of a hybrid event!!

Face2Face Meetings are so important to the culture of doing business, but it is crystal clear to me that social media will play a critical role in enhancing the reach and value of these events for months and years to come. Please make sure you watch the archive version of the webcast. You don’t want to miss it and we would love your feedback!

Question — In your opinion what is the next step to raising the bar in creating educational content that is viewable both live and from cyberspace? I look forward to your comments.

Experient Welcomes e4 2009 Attendees!!!

Michael M McCurry, CMP — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:35:15 +0000

Mike McCurry

Well, only two days until e4 2009 officially kicks off. Some of you are already in DC enjoying the wonderful tourist attractions and historic landmarks of our nation’s capital.

There really is a fantastic program lined up for us this year. Thanks to the entire Experient e4 team for putting this event together!

As we turn our focus to e4 just wanna throw a few teasers your way:

My e4 — if you have not setup your account for this “cutting edge” online community yet, please take a few moments to sign up. There really are some terrific features there and the site will remain live Post-event.
Sponsor Fan Pages — Once signed up for My e4 please visit the sponsor fan pages. They are fun and informational. Of course our sponsors will appreciate your participation!
e4 Social Media Tech Squad — in the Maryland 1-6 foyer Experient will feature a social media learning center beginning at 1pm on Sunday, through Wednesday. (see schedule for more details) Our tech squad will assist you with your questions/challenges regarding Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Live Twitter Stream — Experient has established a Twitter hashtag “#e4chat” which is already active. A Live stream will be featured throughout the conference in the public areas and some general sessions. Please participate as it will enhance everyone’s social media experience!
NEW!! Live Open Webcast — Earlier today Experient released a promotion inviting all event professionals across the meetings business to watch a live webcast of e4’s Wednesday morning panel discussion, “Technology and Meetings in the Future.” This is a must-see event, please make sure you register for it!

Experient looks forward to your participation in the 2009 e4 Conference, whether that be in person, by webcasts, or via the twitterverse! Thanks for being part of our event!

Twitter 5 Tips for Success

Michael M McCurry, CMP — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:16:24 +0000

Wow, I can’t believe nearly two weeks has passed since the invitations for e4 were sent out. By now I hope you have registered and visited our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter social networking sites! Many of you are not familar at all with Twitter. You may have signed up for a Twitter account but don’t really understand what to do next. The focus of this post is to share some tips with you on how to best leverage your Twitter experience.

Tip #1 — Read the Twitter 101 Article

This article will not only introduce you to Twitter but will also get you up to speed quickly on its basic functionality. Note: Check out the great article referenced in that post written by Michael Hyatt!

Tip #2 — Setup Your Twitter Account

Setting your Twitter account up properly will position you for success. There are numerous articles out there on this subject but I penned one recently that may be of assistance. It is called “9 Steps To Create An Effective Twitter Account For Business.” Special Note: Please add an appropriate profile picture to your account…. This is very important!

Tip #3 — Follow Other Twitter Users

Read the article “Who Do I Network With” for some guidance on which Twitter users to follow.

Tip #4 — Develop a Twitter Routine

The danger of social media is it can consume all your time if you allow it. I just published an article on this subject which I hope will assist you to keep things in perspective. You will find that document here!

Tip #5 — Engage Yourself.. Start Tweeting!

With Twitter the best way to learn it is to participate. What may seem awkward at first will eventually make sense to you… I promise! One of the best resources for quality material to Tweet is a news feed. There is a tool out there that I use called Bloglines. You can centralize all your news RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds into one page and then pull information from them in an efficient manner.

Where are you having challenges or successes with your Twitter experience? Post your comments and questions here and we will respond back to you.

Experiencing e4 One Tweet At A Time — Twitter 101

Michael M McCurry, CMP — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:14:31 +0000

For e4 2009 Experient is showcasing social media in the Meeting and Events arena. As you may have already noticed, we have unveiled e4 Group Meeting Sites on LinkedIn and Facebook . Experient is also introducing an e4 presence in Twitter, a social media application gaining momentum rapidly in the online community!

About two months ago, at the prompting of a close friend, I entered the world of Twitter (affectionately referred to by users as the “Twitterverse”) for the very first time. Admittedly my initial experience was confusing, akin to the sensation one feels when learning a foreign language. With persistence I soon discovered the magic of this online communication tool.

So what is Twitter? Briefly, Twitter is a “micro blog” service for people to communicate with one another, staying connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. Twitter users write short updates, called “tweets” of 140 characters or less. Messages are posted to the user’s profile, viewable by their followers and other Twitter users. They are also indexed to Twitter search.

The power of twitter is it’s potential reach. Your followers are other twitter users choosing to view your messaging, and vice versa. When you post a tweet, it is shared with all of your followers. In turn, they may choose to re-post your tweet to their followers and so on. (called a “re-tweet or RT”) So, exponentially, your tweet posts may be viewed by hundreds and thousands of twitter users potentially. That is viral marketing at its best!!

Optionally, Twitter users may include links to other Internet sites within their tweets. For example if I find an article about a topic of interest, I can include the URL for that article in my tweet post. Or… a picture, video, or music file…. the possibilities are numerous! When a follower views your post they can click on the URL for the link you posted and their Internet browser will take them directly to it.

Some other useful features…

Favorite – If you come across a tweet (even your own) that you want to refer to later, you can bookmark it as a favorite.
Direct Message — You can send private messages directly to other Twitter friends.
Twitter search – You can find tweets on any possible topic you can think of and this is a great way to find new users to follow. (people with common interests)

In the Meetings and Events business the potential for use of Twitter is significant. Already, many organizations are embracing Twitter as a communication tool in their Keynote Sessions, educational events, and social gatherings. For example one association uses a live Twitter feed in their general session. The audience posts their questions in realtime to a large screen at the front of the room via cell phone using a hashtag (#) in a twitter application called Tweetchat. What a cool concept!! Another organization setup large screen monitors in its coffee break areas with live twitter feeds. Attendees send messages throughout the event and they can be viewed on these screens. Or.. session additions/changes are posted on those same screens for all to see.

How do you get started? Here is an excellent article (The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter) written by a twitter colleague of mine, Michael Hyatt. It will walk you through the basics of getting setup on Twitter, both on your home/office computer and your cell phone. If you have any questions about this information, or Twitter please contact me! You may reach me anytime by email, twitter or phone at (847) 825-0243.

Please give this tremendous social media application a try…. You won’t be disappointed! I hope to see you out there in the Twitterverse … Happy Twittering!