Northstar

Jul-Aug 2017 43 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS • MCMAG-ASIA.COM makes the mobile device an engagement tool and not a distraction. Second-screen tech has all but replaced audience-response systems. But what's most innovative now are the improved implementations that are proving the eectiveness of the technology when it's used in thoughtful ways. Case in point: At its October 2016 annual meeting in New Orleans, the American Society of Landscape Architects partnered with FreemanXP to use FXP |touch, Freeman's second-screen tool, at its general session panel about diversity in design. "We knew it needed to be a two-way conversation, and we needed to engage our members in the process," notes Susan Apollonio, education programs director at the ASLA. Like many second-screen tools, FXP|touch, which is accessed via a mobile website, allows attendees to chat, ask questions of the presenter and take notes on slides, all to improve engagement with presentations. At its general-session diversity panel, ASLA pushed questions to attendees through the tool. Responses were broken down and displayed onscreen in real time, onstage. During the presentation, attendees submitted questions to the panelists while the Freeman XP team ltered the questions in the background. Audience questions were then posed to the panelists – not during the session, but for a "Continue the Conversation" meeting afterward in the adjacent expo hall. Attendees moved en masse to the expo, eager to discuss the questions they submitted and engage with the panelists in a more informal setting. Not only was conversation lively, the setup accomplished the additional goal of bringing more attendees to the show oor. "It was a tremendous success," says Apollonio. "It literally brought our audience close to our speakers. For me, as a techno-skeptic, that's what makes technology great — when it can bring people together." 3 Internet of Things. The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the idea that any powered device can be connected to the Internet. That means not only our smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions and video-game consoles, but also our refrigerators, washing machines, light xtures, security cameras and coee makers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Analysts don't all agree on the number of connected devices we'll see by 2020, but nearly every estimate exceeds 24 billion. That's an awful lot of connectivity. For conferences, trade shows and other large gatherings, the technology will be less about home appliances and more about Internet-connected cameras and sensors. The idea is the same: Information will be noted by devices and reported via the Internet. From home, your refrigerator can alert you when you're low on milk. A conference venue's sensors will report to the organisers or venue managers about the arrival of VIPs, an overheated meeting room or a dearth of foot trac in an exhibit aisle. IoT means people will simply know more things faster and, ideally, will be able to eciently take action accordingly. "That's what makes technology great – when it can bring people together." SUSAN APOLLONIO, EDUCATION PROGRAMS DIRECTOR, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS "Increasingly, people want to be wowed." ARUN MADHOK, CEO, SUNTEC CENTRE

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