All Tech, All the Time

to the point

Deborah Sexton President & CEO deborah.sexton@pcma.org

How do we keep it from being too much, too fast?

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High-Tech Talks

PCMA recently hosted a Technology Think Tank, where a small group of tech-savvy meet- ing professionals gathered to hash out challenges and solu- tions to meetings- related technology issues. For more on the group’s key find- ings and discussion points, visit convn .org/tech-tank.

o you remember the world before smartphones, before the cloud, before high-speed Internet was an absolute necessity, before virtual and hybrid meetings? I’m not

talking the dinosaur age here (although good luck trying to explain that to your second-grader, as a colleague of mine recently attempted — and failed). After all, it was only six years ago that the first iPhone was introduced. But with so many incredible tech-

nological advances in recent years, it’s difficult to imagine our lives — not to mention our meetings — without them. We rely so much on technology that it’s hard to believe it could ever fail us. Yet that’s exactly what hap- pened in August when software prob- lems at the NASDAQ Stock Market caused trading to shut down for three hours. No buys, no sells. Just darkness in markets around the world. Talk about a stark reminder of how

fragile even the most important technol- ogy systems in the world can be. NAS- DAQ got back on its feet in a matter of hours, in enough time to resume trading the same day — but if a technology glitch takes down your face-to-face or virtual meeting, three hours can be an eternity; or, more directly, a lost opportunity. It reminds me of PCMA Conven- ing Leaders 2012 in San Diego, where one of our General Session speakers

— gamification guru Jane McGonigal — addressed attendees live via remote. That was Plan A, of course. But there also was a Plan B, in case we lost her audio at the last minute but had video. There was a Plan C in case we lost video but had audio. And there was a Plan D in case we lost both.

In the end, the presentation went off without a hitch. But there were plenty

10 PCMA CONVENE OCTOBER 2013 PCMA.ORG

of technology glitches that could have disrupted our General Session and denied attendees the opportunity to learn from a true innovator. So, yes, it’s important to take advantage of new technology to help you reach your events’ goals — as long as you don’t dive in headfirst without testing the waters, or having a solid backup plan. Do you struggle to keep up with

always-changing, always-improving technology? It seems once we figure out a new system or new version or new app, there’s already a newer one on the market. (Indeed, you can check out this month’s CMP Series article, on p. 55, for a rundown of apps that will make your life and your job easier.) To help you stay on top of your game, we’re planning several education sessions at Convening Leaders 2014 that will focus on the latest high-tech developments and what they can mean for your meet- ings. Even better, there will be many opportunities for hands-on learning. Registration for the big event is now open at conveningleaders.org, so make your plans to join us. And read Con- vene’s latest PCMA Convening Leaders Preview on p. 77. What are your biggest technology- related challenges? Write to me at deborah.sexton@pcma.org.

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PHOTO BY MICHAEL ABRAMSON