Chapter 4

Meeting Technology

The Use of Technology in Meetings, Conventions and Exhibitions

At present, many meetings, conventions and exhibitions use traditional

audiovisual equipment as well as new technological innovations in their presentations.
Traditional audiovisual equipment includes projection media such as overhead
projectors, slide projectors, 16 mm movies, videocassettes as well as non-projections
media such as chalkboards, white boards, flip charts and easels. New technologies
include electronic writing boards, videoconferencing and closed-circuit television.

Overhead Projectors

Overhead projectors operate on the principle of passing a bright light through a

transparent slide. Then, the image is passed through a mirrored lens and reflected on
the screen. Transparent slides are made of plastic, cellophane or acetate. These slides
are made by photocopying printed materials on the plastic, cellophane or acetate slide.
Color slides are possible as long as the original is colored and color photocopying
facilities are available.

Overhead projectors require a projection screen to be set up in front of the

room. Visibility may be limited because of room obstructions or distance to the back
of the room. For good visibility, it is suggested that overhead projectors be used for
groups not exceeding 60 participants.

The most recent innovation regarding overhead projectors has been the
introduction of an LCD projection panel. This is a special attachment that sits on top
of a standard overhead projector and is attached to a personal computer. The LCD
panel projects whatever is on the computer monitor, making it large enough to be seen
by the audience. The introduction of this computer attachment has proven to be
valuable in training seminars.

The following are the advantages of using overhead projectors:

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 1. The slides are easy to transport.

2. The speaker can face the audience while using over-head slides.

3. The room does not have to be completely dark for overhead transparencies
to be effective.

4. The equipment is user friendly.

Slide Projectors

Another very popular visual equipment is the 35 mm slides projectors. These

projectors accommodate transparent pictures mounted in 2-by-2-inch cardboard
frames. The image is projected on a screen by passing 4 bright light through the
transparent picture.

When using 35 mm slides, it is recommended that a single slide be exposed for

a minimum of 5 seconds to give the viewer ‘time to absorb the information and not
longer than 60 seconds to avoid boredom.

Other types of slide projectors are the lantern projector, the self-contained
projector and the holographic projector. The lantern projector has a slide format that

1
measures 3 inches by 4 inches.
4

Another type is the self-contained rear projection unit. The screen resembles 4
small television screen (12 inches). The units may have a cassette tape recorder built
in to advance the slides by electronic impulses timed to an audio presentation.

A third type is the holographic projector that can create a realistic three-
dimensional image in space without the use of a screen. These projectors are
expensive.

Slide projectors remain the preferred audiovisual instrument of most speakers

and will likely remain as such in the years ahead.

The following are the advantages of using slide projectors:

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 1. Slides are compact and convenient to transport.

2. Slides project clear, detailed images.

3, Additional or replacement slides are easily accommodated in the slide

carousel.

4. Slide projectors are simple to use and require minimum training.

5. Most slide projectors can be connected to an audio-sync tape recorder to

provide music and /or a narrative accompaniment.

6. Slide projectors can accommodate a wireless remote-control system to allow

the presenter freedom of movement.

Chalkboards, Whiteboards and Flip Charts

Chalkboards, whiteboards and flip charts are certainly at the low-tech end of
the audio-visual instrument. However, they are still used in meetings, convention and
exhibitions.

Chalkboards are messy. The recent innovation in chalk-boards has been in the
change of their color from black to green. If the speaker insists on a chalkboard, he
should use an assortment of different colored chalk in order to make the presentation
lively and interesting.

Whiteboard

The whiteboard is a vast improvement over the chalkboard. It uses a dry-erase

marker instead of chalk as the writing instrument. The whiteboard is cleaner and
certainly more convenient.

Electronic Whiteboard

A technological improvement is the use of electronic whiteboard. Panasonic's

Panolax is an electronic whiteboard that reproduces everything written or taped to it.
The board measures 4 feet high by 8 feet in width. When a copy of material on the

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board is required, the operator pushes a button and an arm slides across to photocopy
everything on the board. An 8 1/2 by 11-inch sheet is produced that can be
photocopied in adequate quantity for everyone in the meeting.

Another innovation in board technology is the Gemini Black-board. This has

the capacity to send material written on it to another board thousand miles away. The
transmission is done over telephone lines. This device is used in teleconferencing
sessions.

Flipcharts and Easels

The flipchart has been used in meetings for many years. It is usually used for
groups that are less than 50 persons. It is appropriate for training meetings in which
the presenter records ideas for the audience during a brainstorming session.

The paper pad which usually measures 27 by 34 inches, is mounted on an easel

that has a solid flat back and may have telescoping legs so that it can either be set on
either the floor or a table. Writing on the flipchart is usually done with ink markers
that come in assorted colors.

Videotape Recorders

At present, film projectors have been replaced by videotape recorders.

Videotape recorders. Video tape recorders display events or a sequence of events with
movement as compared to still photographs, overhead transparencies, 35 mm slides,
etc.

The following are the advantages to incorporating video recordings in

meetings, conventions and exhibitions:

1. Videos can be substituted for live demonstrations especially when expensive

equipment or long periods of time may be needed to do the complete
demonstrations.

2. Videos have replay capabilities.

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 3. Videos can be substituted for either demonstrations or speakers when the
subject matter needs to be repeated in different sessions.

4. Video recordings are easily transported and a minimum amount of training

is required to use the playback equipment.

5. Videos can be substituted for expert speakers when the speaker is not
available for the specific dates requested or is very expensive.

The main disadvantage in the use of video is the cost. A video recording made
for a specific need may be very expensive.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is defined by the International Teleconferencing

Association as a telecommunication system that come bines audio and video media
that provides both voice communication and motion video images. It includes
transmissions with one-way video and two-way audio as well as twos-way video and
two-way audio transmissions. (Johnson, p. 114)

When video conferencing was first introduced, it was predicted that meetings
will be replaced by videoconferencing and that videoconferences especially at the
corporate level would eliminate the need for air travel, food and accommodation
expenses. Thus, air travel, food and accommodation expenses. Thus, hotels and
conference centers would not be needed for their meeting space or for their guest
rooms. Fortunately, video conferencing has never been used to the extent predicted.
The main reason why video conferencing has never replaced face-to-face meetings is
because corporations and associations believe that there is no substitution for human
interaction during meetings. This concept is based on the high-tech, high touch theory
of Nesbitt. This theory suggests that &though people love high-tech efficiency, there
is also an intense device for intimacy-sharing and relating with other people. The main
appeal of video-conferencing lies in its ability to link electronically people who
ordinarily could not gather together.

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 Another innovation in meeting technology is the computer. The use of
computers in connection with LCD projection panels is advantageous in meeting
implementation because it allows the presenters to share with the audience whatever is
on the computer screen. Another use of computers in meeting technology is to create a
more interactive environment. An example of this is the IBM's program called Team
Focus in which a group of two dozen individuals work out a problem, brainstorm a
topic or formulate a plan through the medium of personal computers. (Grimaldi, p.
101).

There are many advantages in conducting meetings that use interactive

computer programs. They cut the time of the average business meeting by 60 percent
and they encourage brainstorming by allowing participants to input their thoughts
anonymously.

Technology in the Planning Phase

Technology has influenced the planning phase of meetings, conventions and

exhibitions. At present, there are several soft-ware packages, which are useful for the
meeting planner. There are products for general registration, room set-up, association
membership coordination, desktop publishing, budgeting, exhibit services, research
and evaluation, logistic management, nametags, marketing and site selection.
(Waldrop, 19911 p. 76).

By using these types of software packages, meeting planners and the

associations they represent are benefited by in-creased efficiency, greater control and
cost savings.

The following are examples of how software technology benefits meeting

planners:

On-site registration - with the help of current software only one assistant is
needed to register attendees where ordinarily seven or eight are needed.

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 Logistics - Computers allow the planner to print name badges, signs and even
tickets in-house. More than 600 name badges can be printed in less than 20 minutes.
These badges are of typeset quality. There is also technology that allows the planner to
make 2-foot-by-3-foot signs form what is on an 81/2-inch-by-inch sheet of paper
(Waldrop, p. 79-80).

Site selection - Selecting the hotel or resort where a meeting will be held can
be simplified on the computer. Using the planner's criteria, a database consisting of
hundreds of properties can be accessed to provide a comprehensive list of the proper-
ties that will meet the needs of the group.

Room layouts - Technology gives meeting planners the ability to design a

room layout that incorporate actual features of the room such as pillars, podium, stage
or registration area.

Meeting evaluation and analysis - Today's meeting planners can, with the use
of software, provide basic data, design their own evaluation tools to be administered
any time they seem necessary. Evaluation surveys allow the meeting planners to better
serve their constituents.

Desktop publishing - With desktop publishing, sophisticated communication

materials such as meeting brochures and association magazines can be produced in-
house on a computer screen rather than having than typeset through an outside agency.

Aside from the capabilities of the computer, there are other technological
advances that make the job of the meeting planner easier. These are the promotional
videotapes, fax machines and electronic mail. Promotional videotapes help the planner
in selecting the site by narrowing down the choices. It helps the meeting planner save
both time and money.

The facsimile (FAX) machine has made communication easier and more
effective. Contracts and seating charts can be received immediately. Planners have
used the machine to clear up problems in advance, bridge the gap between domestic

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and aver-seas businesses and improve the quality of their everyday correspondence.
(Midgal, p.41)

Electronic mail (E-mail) uses computer technology as a post-man to send

messages (from a simple letter or memo to a detailed budget or a newsletter) between
computers electronically. In the next few years, E-mail will play a major role in
registration communication. Attendees can register electronically and pay via credit
card. They will receive their confirmation immediately together with lodging
information, the conference program and other important information.

Technology for the Meeting Attendee

At present, meeting attendees are becoming more sophisticated in their needs

and expectations. Business centers, telecommunication technology and computerized
check-in/check-out are the technologies meeting attendees expect to have. These
technologies allow the attendee to conduct important business while attending the
meeting, convention or exhibition. Often, attendees rely on this technology to
complete business transactions that may have been started during the meeting or
conference.

Business centers, once considered a luxury, have become the nerve center of
the hotel, allowing meeting attendees to use state-of-the-art telecommunications at any
time of the day or night.

Services most frequently requested are FAX, photocopying, secretarial and the
use of computers, especially laptops. Other services may be provided from a fully
staffed business center. These may include Federal Express, portable phone rental,
translation services and airlines reservation services.

Since majority of the meeting attendees are also business travelers, incoming
message systems are relied upon very heavily. Voice mail is a recent piece of
technology that allows guests to handle their own message. The guest receives
messages in the caller's own voice. This not only provides better communication but
also allows more thorough messaging.

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 Technology also helps in alleviating check-in/check-out problems. The credit
card-activated system allows the guest to check-in/check-out without going to the
front desk. The guest simply inserts a credit card into a freestanding kiosk-device and
within seconds gets not only a printed-out registration form but the room key as well.
(Selwitz, p. 30).

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