Audience Response System: Interactive Tool for Business (Part 1 of 2)

June 9th, 2009

Everybody’s talking at me, I can’t hear a word they’re saying…
—Harry Nilsson

At times it seems that listening is an endangered skill. But the better the salesman, and the wiser the business owner, the more apt they are to keep their mouths on standby and their ears wide open. Salesmen know that buyers will tell them everything they need to know to make the sale, while enlightened executives know that some of the best new product ideas, as well as solutions to existing problems, come from their customers.

A meeting, seminar, conference or convention can provide a wealth of good information because the hosts know who will be offering the input. If they want real-time feedback from a staff of 12 or a convention hall of 1200, they will need an Audience Response System (ARS). Part 1 of this two-part article will give you the background, the overview and the rationale for using an ARS, while Part 2 will delve into the technology itself and how it works.

The “back story”

Briefly (and simplistically) an ARS combines hardware and software to bring interactivity to group settings. In a typical ARS setup the presenter and/or a technical assistant makes a presentation with which participants interact by means of handheld keypads, usually wireless. Audience Response System Rental - ComputerRentals.com When presented with questions and a number of possible responses, the participants make their selections, the data is fed into the computer running both the presentation and the ARS software, and the numbers are “digitally crunched.” The results can even be displayed graphically right within the presentation, all in real-time.

ARS’s have been shown to improve learning in classrooms and build consensus in corporations. These systems can track and identify the participants, or collect data from them anonymously. There are good reasons to do both. When convention delegates are voting, anonymity is important and privacy can be respected. When a company’s board of directors is making decisions on important matters, especially for a publicly held firm, the meeting minutes need to identify them. An ARS can go both ways.

Better input, better output

The unique versatility and simple flexibility of ARS’s have made them popular across a wide range of industries. Large corporations use them for shareholder meetings and employee conferences. Marketing firms use them to conduct focus groups, do polling and present “mass questionnaires,” while educational institutions employ the technology in small classrooms as well as huge lecture halls. The possible uses for an ARS are virtually unlimited and, as with most technology most of the time, the systems are getting faster, smaller, better and more dependable all the time.

Buying an ARS, however, is still a substantial expense, which means larger firms with ongoing needs for the technology are buying most of the systems. Fortunately for SMB’s (Small and Medium-sized Businesses), there is a healthy audience response system (ARS) rental market. If you know you need one, drop CRE’s ARS specialists a line and they can tailor a setup just right for your event. If you’re still not sure, surf around the Internet while you wait a few days for Part 2 of this article, and learn how using an ARS “hearing aid” could be good for your business.

Event Producer Potpourri

June 2nd, 2009

Here is a roundup of some helpful tips, practical insights and valuable resources for the event planning professional. CRE is your headquarters for projectors, displays, computers and all your event production rentals and service needs, as well as your trusted source for good advice. Consider today’s blog a buffet and take just what you want. Let us know if you like “the food,” and we can make the buffet a regular feature.

Two computers are better than one

If you are making a presentation at a meeting, conference or tradeshow, take a lesson from the military and use the “redundant system” approach. All that really means is, whether you are using a laptop or a computer rental, make sure to bring a second unit with the same videos, PowerPoint presentations or other materials on it.

Any computer can malfunction at just about any time, for any (or seemingly no) reason. A backup is cheap insurance. You should have someone working with you so that as the main computer makes its way through the programmed material, your helper is keeping pace with you. (The backup, ideally, should be a laptop, regardless of what the main computer is, as the laptop will be easier to move and set up if needed.)

If the main computer crashes, you will be able to switch to a backup that is right in sync. You are then faced with a manageable 10- or 20-second fix – disconnect the main computer, connect the backup – rather than a show-stopping tragedy.

Make the speaker comfortable

There are plenty of professional speakers who make presentations over 200 times annually, and are poised and relaxed at all times. Others like to rehearse, sometimes for hours, and tend to fret. You should do your best to make them all comfortable, and here’s how you can do that:

Even if you’ve sent it six times already, give the speaker a copy of the agenda when they arrive.
Send a small, thoughtful gift to the speaker’s room the night before the event, and include a handwritten note with your sincere thanks.
Show your speaker the stage after it is set up. Most speakers like being able to visualize the room where they will speak when they are practicing their presentations beforehand.
Inform the speaker about the specs of the room (i.e., podium position, lighting, camera location, seating arrangements).
Provide bottles of the speaker’s preferred beverage within easy reach of the podium – and napkins or tissue, too.

New networking resource

An internationally known event professional, Italian veteran Julius Solaris, has a blog especially for event planners where he shares his many experiences and insights. The Event Manager Blog is written with an international readership in mind, and Solaris offers suggestions for reading and study, interviews a number of industry experts and asks tough questions of the virtual “event pro” community.

Solaris, a strong supporter of “open source” software, is presently working on an open source software solution for event planners. While that is being finished, Solaris debuted another terrific resource, a LinkedIn group called, appropriately, the Event Planning & Management Group. With more than 1,000 members worldwide, it is definitely worth a look!

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