The Meetings Technology Expo, dormant since 2009, will open its doors in New York City May 25 for a one-day show covering the fast-moving world of meetings technology.
Attendees at the packed program can choose among 15 educational sessions, including five on strategic meetings management technology and others exploring such topics as virtual events, electronic request for proposal systems, mobile applications for meetings, attendee management tools, housing and registration systems, webcasting and videoconferencing, and more. A two-and-a-half hour window has also been set aside for a series of 30-minute technology demonstrations.
Show Founder and Director Paul Paone says a number of new features are in development for the 2011 event:
- Two weeks after the show, registrants will have access to Virtual MTE. For the first time, an online version of the show will give attendees access to sessions that didn’t fit into their schedules at the live event. The virtual event will be produced by 6Connex, Cambell, Calif.
- Also new, the show will have a mobile app to help attendees navigate the event. The app is being designed by Portland, Ore.–based Crowd Compass.
- As in other years, MTE educational sessions can earn attendees continuing education credits toward the Certified Meeting Professional designation, but for the first time an electronic attendance system will make it unnecessary for attendees to line up for a signature to verify their presence at a session.
- One-on-one appointment scheduling has been part of the MTE formula from the beginning, but this year the sign-up system will be automated through registration services provider MeetMax, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Among the speakers lined up for the 2011 event are Tom Wong, vice president, salesforce.com; Debi Scholar, founder of The Scholar Consulting Group, which specializes in strategic meetings management; and Kevin Iwamoto, vice president of enterprise strategy at StarCite.
Early bird rates ($149 for the full conference, $99 expo only) end April 15, but $50 discounts off the regular rate ($249 and $149) are available for attendees who register for one-on-one appointments. The show will be held at the Holiday Inn Midtown in New York.
