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New Technologies and Strategies for Marketing EventsOctober 4th, 2011When you develop marketing strategies for events – the trade shows where you’re exhibiting, the presentations or company conferences you put on – you always need to pause, consider the current “best practices” and adapt them to your message. Then, too, there are always new technologies popping up to assist your marketing efforts. Don’t get caught up in the “new toy” excitement, though. Yes, those iPad rentals are very cool, but what’s even cooler is that they’re powerful tools for promotion. Let’s get up to speed with the latest new technologies and strategies for marketing events. Social sales
Social media is where strategy meets new technology head on. While some marketing experts always capitalize it (“Social Media” seems so much more important) and act as if it’s the only technology you need, it is but a part. Not only that, but certain parts of social media may be more valuable than others – like the parts you don’t write, such as positive comments on your blog. Use them in your marketing materials, splash them on our eye-catching plasma rentals at your booth and “re-tweet” any that come from Twitter. Speaking of Twitter, it is great for strategic marketing campaigns and lead generation, too. In fact, you want to combine/leverage all of your communication channels to build better relationships with customers, stakeholders and the media. The quickest way to get a handle on all this may be to take a gander at successful competitors. Early adopters (and bigger firms) can blaze the way for you, while saving you from costly errors. Don’t forget that you have a legion of experts to assist you – your customers. You should poll them on an ongoing basis – even use Audience Response System rentals at one show to get ideas for the next one. Customers will let you know (right away!) if you need to optimize your shopping cart, tweak your service model or make other improvements. Listen to them. They’re your “partners in commerce.” Quick codebusters The Postal Service plans to use QR Codes and other high-tech tools, so why don’t you? You can easily create your own QR Codes with low- and no-cost applications. These codes are among the most effective ways to engage customers, as they are easy to scan with webcam-equipped laptop rentals or smart phones. Richly relevant Video animation and “rich media” can draw people into your exhibit area, as well. LCD touchscreen monitor rentals fairly beg to be touched and used, and exhibits are only one place they shine. You can use them for customer service training, too, to improve sales results and efficiencies. Fact is, CRE has many ways to help you improve sales results and efficiencies. Our high-tech rentals support you on-site with your workflow, while our expertise with event production services supports you off-site with trade shows and conferences. One call or e-mail (or a few clicks on our Quick Rental Quote page) gets the ball rolling! Engage Customers with Touch TechnologySeptember 29th, 2011Yankee Group analysts estimate that Apple Stores earn about $5,000 per square foot, surpassing even Tiffany’s $2,700 figure. Among the reasons for their success? The stores are totally “touchy feely.” Touchscreens abound while self-paced intros and other multimedia programming pull buyers ever deeper into the “Apple Universe.” At your next trade show or conference, you too can engage customers with touch technology. Whether you equip your trade show booth with an LCD touchscreen monitor rental, or use one in combination with ipads or tablets, the hands-on approach is a winner with customers everywhere.
Why use touch technology? Visitors to your trade show booth will be (a) people you invited or (b) passersby motivated to stop. They need some sort of business solution, and your product or service may be it. How do you engage them? Set up your touch-enabled devices so that you can capture trade show prospects with a plasma display rental running an animated invitation or video. Or, showcase touch-to-learn presentations, sales collateral materials or technical papers installed on iPad rental, tablets or touch-enabled monitors. It is easy enough to connect a Mac Pro to touchscreen monitors, but what if your product is PC software, what do you do? CRE has an all-in-one multitouch display PC that is perfect for you. And don’t forget, if you have a tangible product (or an intangible, like software, in a tangible box), people will want to “touch” that, too. Tips to engage customers Once you get people’s attention, you have to deliver a good show. Here are some tips: • Trade show visitors complain about leaving booths feeling “unimportant.” You must be personally proactive and not simply rely on trade show convention rentals and equipment to do the whole job. • Your presentations and interactive marketing tools are not just visual. Sound design is critical, so get your creative folks to find the right sound effects, dialog and background music for the effect you seek. • Finally, don’t forget that you can rent interactive kiosks that are touchscreen-equipped, as well. These are handy for capturing contact information in places you can’t be. You want to create a smooth, flowing process: Capture passersby, use your touch-enabled tools to let them “try before buying,” turn them loose at their own pace – then be on hand to answer any questions. Want to learn how to use touch technology at your next trade show or event? Call or e-mail an Account Executive who can walk you through all the “touch” tools we carry. If you know what you need, use the Quick Rental Quote form right now! 5 Great iPad Apps for EventsSeptember 6th, 2011Mobile, powerful, flexible and customizable, the original iPad was already a great device for event planning when we blogged about the subject in January of this year. Since then, we have seen the introduction of a potent upgrade, the iPad 2, with plenty of new (as well as newly improved) apps. Here are five great iPad apps for events. Flexible planner
Banquet boss You can get a lot of power for less, too, like $2.99 for myBanquet by Upiksoft. It gives you everything you need to manage food services for small meetings or annual shareholder conferences. Travel troubles? GroundLink lets you book car service in seconds for today, tomorrow or next month. As opposed to some “limo” apps that work only in select cities, GroundLink works around the world. With the app running on one of our iPad rentals, you can see what vehicles are available, track the arrival of your car with a specified ETA, view your route and check the charges prior to booking. The simple things Avantar’s free White & Yellow Pages app has comprehensive listings and powerful search functions. Search for people and businesses – by industry, name, address or phone number – and work with the results to add/edit contacts, save favorites, link to sites and get GPS driving directions. Whether you need to find a photographer or some plasma rentals, this phone book is all you need. Ever improving Evernote The free Evernote app is the original iOS “cloud service.” Its evolving set of capabilities can help you plan an event of any size, style or purpose. Simply create a “notebook” for your event and save your notes, ideas, photos, Web sites, contacts, contracts and voice memos. You can install the appropriate Evernote program on everything from iPhones to iMac rentals, too, to keep everything (and everyone) in sync. When you and your digital workflow are out of sync, a simple call or e-mail to our experienced Account Executives can get you back on track. With post-production gear (like AJA Io HD rentals) and everything you need for a successful trade show exhibit (like LCD touchscreen monitor rentals), we’ve got you covered – completely. (Know what you need? Use our handy Quick Rental Quote form.) Event Planning on the iPadJanuary 13th, 2011In November 2010, Filemaker, Inc., released a new set of templates for the iPad version of its “personal database,” Bento 3. Bento 3 Event Planner is a The templates link so information flows from one to another without requiring redundant data entry. For organizing everything from small company meetings to trade shows, Bento 3 Event Planner syncs data among Macs, iPads and iPhones. Although the iPad and iPhone both run the latest iOS (4.2), Bento apps for each are sold separately. If you’d prefer Bento 3 installed on MacBook Pro rentals for your conference management needs, that can be done, too. Another approach for event planners Event managers and conference planners did not sit still waiting for Bento 3 Event Planner, of course. You can also assemble a number of separate iPad apps to customize your own approach to conference management. Here are a few suggestions:
The online storage-site-cum-utility, Dropbox is a great way to do backups, distribute files and much more. Dropbox syncs the documents you can’t afford to lose in 2GB of free online space. Create an account, download the app(s) for your device(s), and you’re in business. Office2 HD recognizes that document types “.doc” and “.xls” are the global standards. For opening and editing Word and Excel documents on the iPad, Office2 HD gives you near-total control over MS-Office documents. Desktop Connect means the “I left it on my desktop” excuse is a goner. Desktop Connect lets you control your PC or Mac’s desktop from an iPad. Meeting planners, of course, need this functionality during events, whether on tablet PC rentals or an iPad, since remote access to the desktop is crucial. Voice Memos enables recording voice memos on the go. Oddly, the iPad did not arrive with such a feature (but there is now an app available); Voice Memos is very handy and the fastest way to capture those fleeting thoughts (the ones worth saving, that is). CRE Rentals is an expert event planner and can supply you with iPad rentals to suit your event needs (Note: we stock “standard” iPads; for apps noted above, we can add them using trial versions and/or free downloads, upon request). To learn more about our services, call or e-mail an Account Executive, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form. Tech and Gadget Lovers Unite for Gizmodo DayAugust 19th, 2010For fans of high technology, from hardworking devices like CRE’s Xserve rentals to hard-playing iPads, there is always a good reason to celebrate. Combine this kind of energetic tech love with social networking (another great love affair for a few hundred million folks) and what do you get? You get an opportunity to talk geek-speak with other fluent speakers and use your computer, smart phone or other favorite communications device to text, talk, tweet and e-mail in concert with tech-lovers all over this shrinking globe. Tech day for the globe Gizmodo is a popular and well-respected technology site (they insist on calling it a blog, but that seems a little too humble) that has been covering every electronics-, computer- and future-oriented subject for serious gadget-lovers since 2002. And despite arguments you might get from the entrenched denizens of the rapidly fading print media, Gizmodo is also a journalistic enterprise. Its staff and contributors have nailed some big scoops, making the news most recently by buying and blogging about an iPhone 4 prototype that an Apple employee left behind at a bar. (This led to the editor’s house being raided and searched by the authorities, by the way.) Gizmodo’s content is linked to and republished around the globe in, at last count, eight languages. Gizmodo’s London, New York and San Francisco staffers organized “meetups” for precisely 7PM (EDT) on the 11th, while loyal readers and fellow conspirators organized them in scores of countries around the world. You can probably guess that there are zillions of tech enthusiasts in such hardwired places as L.A., the Big Apple, Hong Kong and Amsterdam (and #1 Seoul, of course), so there were meetups in all languages and cultural settings. The overriding thing that tied everyone together, of course, was love for things like the latest Android devices. Because of its own avant garde image, Apple and its products were also popular topics of conversation, especially the recent Macintosh upgrades (by the way, CRE rents iMacs and other models) and the camera-equipped iPad 2.0 that is supposedly “on the way.” Great Gizmodo gallery People were able to RSVP via the Gizmodo site’s meetup links, and also showed their colors on Facebook, followed faraway events on Twitter and enjoyed what Gizmodo itself termed “equal-opportunity social-media sharing.” The final tallies about participation will be a bit longer in coming, but estimates suggest that there were almost 400 meetups worldwide and some 1500 RSVPs from over 70 countries – and lots of folks sent pictures, too. At CRE, we know and love technology, too, and make it our goal to keep you both informed about it and supplied with it. Whether it’s one of our great plasma rentals for an exhibit booth, or a breakout session setup including our Audience Response System rentals, we’ve got what you need for conventions, conferences and corporate meetings. We also outfit many of the Southland’s film and TV production and post-production firms with the Mac Pro rentals and other high-power tools they need to do their magic. Contact one of our Account Executives, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll do some of our own special magic for you, too. Event Planners Using “Speed Dating” TechniquesAugust 10th, 2010Participants continue to report that some of the most animated discussions and valuable education at conferences take place during meals, breaks, receptions and other unstructured time. Taking a tip from the growing popularity of speed dating, some conference organizers are getting good results from integrating these accelerated “structured networking times” into the event schedule. In his book Participatory Workshops, Robert Chambers presents the notion of “the buzz,” where participants are invited by speakers and session leaders to “take five” and chat with their neighbors about whatever has just been presented. This simple “learning by talking” approach is based on observed human behavior – like watching conference participants stuck in long, boring speeches champing at the bit to get out to the hallway and talk! (You should consider one of CRE’s digital recorder rentals to capture all the brilliant repartee you’ll find there.) Speed mentoring
Then, the groups stood at different sides of the room, and the inexperienced managers chose veteran partners for a discussion. After 10 minutes, right on signal, the groups would rotate into new combinations of discussion partners, with five of these rotations producing an hour of what most participants described as incredibly useful interaction with excellent results. If you equip your conference team with tablet PC rentals, they could document every mentoring session easily. Or consider polling the audience with an audience response rental to find out what they would like to discuss. Breaks and breakouts? The great thing about this kind of conference model is that it is quite flexible. One possible version of it could reverse the usual keynote/breakout formula where long speeches are followed by quick breakout sessions. In this model, the speechifying would be kept shorter and punchier, and the breakouts may be a bit longer but well paced to keep up the interest and the momentum. With audio visual rentals and plasma rentals and everything else you need for a great breakout session, CRE could help you organize a very successful speed learning conference. You could also introduce elements of the speed methods into your breakout session even if you are at a “conventional convention.” There are lots of ways to leverage these new approaches to learning. CRE has experience in strategizing and equipping companies to host conferences of all sizes, or outfitting you for exhibiting or leading breakout sessions. With everything from self-service interactive kiosk rentals to all varieties of computer rentals, CRE’s got you covered, A to Z. Call or send an e-mail to an experienced Account Executive, of fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll help your event be a success. 5 Great Ideas for Green Meetings & EventsJuly 8th, 2010
1. Deploy lightweight booths 1. Deploy lightweight booths You certainly don’t need to gut your marketing budget because of a recessionary economy, and it’s not wise, anyway. A new generation of lightweight booth designs can save you a bundle in shipping (and associated fuel costs and carbon footprints). New wrinkle-resistant fabrics, or plastics made from over 80% recycled material, are stretched over recyclable aluminum frames, allowing different panels to be swapped in and out to create unique looks at various events. New retractable banner stands take the same approach, and are easy to set up, recyclable and all of 10-15 pounds in weight. 2. Minimize paper, maximize wireless Literally tons of paper are used for meetings and conferences so much that even state agencies (like the State of Virginia) are getting involved by certifying convention centers as “green.” The overriding goal is to minimize paper use as much as possible, by making online registration the preferred method for signing up, and delivering program materials via PDF downloads and other eco-friendly means. Convention centers are rapidly deploying wireless networks to capture more business, and exhibitors of all sizes are prepared to distribute even post-conference materials by download rather than in printed form. 3. Coordinate transportation Even when a conference is held in a single location, attendees should be encouraged to carpool, walk and use alternatives to single-passenger cars. Exhibitors who use CRE for convention rentals do not have to transport any equipment to the site, as CRE can take care of delivery, setup and breakdown in most cities. Conference managers may be able to strike a deal with local public transportation agencies for discounted passes, and simply providing rate and fare information has been shown to increase the use of public transportation and cooperative carpools by conference participants. 4. Review food services If food preparation is part of the plan, reusable dishes, flatware and glassware should be considered in place of disposables, as the American Chemical Society included in the municipal plan it did for Boston. Unserved food portions are often overlooked in planning, and last-minute notions of distributing them to food banks or missions will not pass muster with most municipal, county and state food handling laws. Check on food-handling regulations, federal and state, and remember that unserved portions must be kept separate from food waste. 5. Cultivate a green mindset Conference participants, from presenters to exhibitors, should all be encouraged to cultivate an attitude supporting reduced waste and increased recycling. Green events do not happen automatically, but through careful planning and the cultivation of a take-charge, can-do mindset. You are doing the right thing ecologically and, even better, you are saving some green while you’re acting green. CRE can help, since we are convention experts as well as the premier source for the computer rentals, large monitors, audio-visual equipment and plasma rentals that will make your exhibit a success. Call, send an e-mail or fill out a Quick Rental Quote form and an experienced Account Executive will be on the job for you right away. Interactive and Collaborative Tech ToolsJune 10th, 2010In every phase of your business now – from marketing and prospecting to R&D, from attending trade shows to exhibiting and making presentations at them, as well – you can avail yourself of today’s potent interactive and collaborative technologies. With wireless mobility and real-time connectivity come faster product development and better feedback from clients and prospects, which is good no matter what industry you’re in. CRE can help you leverage this technology to great benefit, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Apple’s iPad has been getting a ridiculous amount of press, but precious little has been said about serious, productive uses (even in our own first look). Its size, about midway between a smart phone and a netbook, means it has enough screen real estate to do real browsing, writing (with a nice on-screen keyboard or a Bluetooth wireless one), reading and document handling (PDFs, photos, video, etc.). With WiFi-only and WiFi-plus-3G connectivity, you can stay in touch with one, two or 200 colleagues, customers, clients and/or coworkers, wherever you are, to accomplish pretty much whatever you need to do. When the “excitement of the new” wears off, the iPad should be standing tall, regardless, as it really can be a great tool for you, as Adobe proved this week with its release of iPad-specific publishing tools. Tablet PCs running Windows have been around forever, it seems, and have been refined over the years. It can be argued that the humble tablet PC was a precursor to the iPad, as it combined Wi-Fi, handwriting recognition, a good bit of audio-video capability and ease of use in a mobile (if not pocket-sized) form factor.With CRE’s tablet PC rentals, conference teams or salespeople can run PowerPoint presentations, maintain contact with headquarters, stay abreast of breaking news or take handwritten notes. On site or on the go, a tablet or pad can be a true collaborative tool. Although Windows tablet PC’s typically run a special version of Microsoft Windows XP, CRE can configure your tablet PC with the ever-popular Microsoft Office, or even the Ubuntu version of Linux. CRE features award-winning tablets from Motion Computing, which can also run Windows 7 if you’re a Top Geek, like the fellow in this YouTube video.
Despite CRE carrying a number of interactive, collaborative devices, our When it comes to helping you meet the challenges of today’s marketplace, whether it’s with a number of iMac rentals for post-production or some audio-visual rentals for that conference or presentation, CRE Rentals is ready to help. Send an e-mail or make a call to our experienced Account Executives, or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form, and we will get you “interactivated” and “collaborational” in no time. Green (and Good) Ideas for EventsMay 27th, 2010The 2010 Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow, attended by event planners, show operators and industry leaders, is one of the top annual shows in the conference industry. This year, the state of the industry discussion, “Where We Are Now & Where We’re Headed,” was presented by a panel of top industry professionals addressing concerns about design trends, green events, pricing and shortened production times. In addition, educational sessions featured topics such as customer loyalty, green events, social media and more. Trade show riches, green niches The trade show portion of the Event Solutions Conference was, as always, overflowing with new ideas, technologies and trends. Exhibitors showcased such creative event ideas as entertainment-centric presentations, portable ice arenas, the latest display and gaming technologies, and future directions in décor and design. During an exhibitor debriefing session, many noted that new event professionals are continuing to enter the industry, pointing up the power of networking and relationship building.
Real-world solutions for greening events From holding events outdoors, maximizing natural light and leveraging wireless technology to replace printed materials, to reducing food waste and recycling every possible item, green goals were widely discussed at the conference – and used by exhibitors and attendees alike. Many made use of Wi-Fi to reduce the distribution of paper programs, just like CRE can equip conference teams (again, both exhibitors and attendees) with laptop rentals or other devices to save on paper, printing costs and cleanup. CRE is serious about enviro-friendliness, too, as its corporate green statement makes clear. The balance is a tough one to strike – business growth along with environmental stewardship – but it is worth our best efforts. CRE always gives you its best efforts, too, recommending appropriate solutions to your workflow bottlenecks and advising you on everything from technology to outfitting your trade show exhibit booth. Call or e-mail one our Account Executives today, or fill out the online Quick Rental Quote form, and let us help you make your next move towards ‘greening’ your event. Kiosks in Conventions: Today and BeyondApril 1st, 2010The standalone kiosk has become a mainstay of conventions and typically consists of a computer and touchscreen monitor, housed in a (usually) vertical cabinet. In some models, the kiosk will also contain credit card readers and printers. They can be deployed to deliver or capture information on various products and services. Outside of convention and corporate use, kiosks have literally hundreds of uses, and can be found in airports, malls, retail stores, hotel lobbies and corporate foyers. Kiosk rentals in the convention space CRE’s interactive kiosk rentals are used by companies in many ways, particularly as a way of deploying additional “virtual employees” at conventions and events. Some of the obvious uses at conventions include:
The newest kiosks include Web connectivity so that a marketing team with their tablet PC rentals can actually update the kiosk contents, download captured data and otherwise manage the device’s various tasks. In fact, quite soon many kiosks will be more akin to what IT people call “thin clients,” meaning there will be limited computing horsepower and storage in the physical unit, and it will take its orders and get its presentation material over the Internet. Kiosk (rentals) in the future With continuing advances in multimedia processing, new generations of ever-more advanced tools will further reduce development costs of kiosks while increasing their capabilities. A range of other new technologies – like signature cards, smart cards, 3G/4G cell phone connectivity, etc. – will lead to kiosk solutions yet to be imagined. While this is happening with the standalone kiosk rental model, there are other interesting “kiosk-ish” things happening as a result of touchscreen technology coming to PCs. For one example, CRE has touchscreen LCD monitor rentals and the all-in-one desktop computer rental (Sony’s VAIO L model) that can be used in kiosk-type ways. By installing some special software, you can create your own kiosk and station it at your exhibit booth’s entrance or on a second table. Your “virtual partner” will help you capture more information from more people, perhaps twice as much, since you would be able to assist more than one person at the same time. There are other creative ways to employ kiosk technology that we will address in a future blogs (so check back). CRE’s Account Executives are up to speed on all the technologies you need for success on an trade show exhibit floor or convention. Call, send an e-mail or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form and we will help you find the solutions you need to the challenges you face. With CRE, you are never in it alone. |
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Stir in the promotional efforts of one of the leading tech-tool-and-gadget sites, and you get 
Some early adopters have been using these new conference models already. One association replaced its old-style “panel of experts and keynote address” format a few years back with what it called a “
