awards presentation without the time and labor cost to physically redesign the room," notes Cataldi.
Justin S. Covington, director of business development
for Advanced Staging
Productions,also believes in using a large, wide screen as a scenic element. He says that this allows planners to multi-purpose pre-existing video technology in order to showcase a variety of scenic looks throughout the event.
He also says that lighting is a great way to bring value to an event without incurring a great deal of cost. "Our clients typically get the biggest bang for their buck in light- ing. It is truly amazing howmuch you can transform an event space with even just some simple uplighting. Add in some LED and/or automated fixtures, and the possibilities are limitless."
Tony Brinkman, vice president, rental and staging for Visual Sound, agrees that light-
ing offers the biggest bang for the prover- bial buck. He adds that the atmosphere of a room can be completely changed with the push of a button and the use of LED lighting. "That said, video mapping has come a long way, and I know that some lighting designers are doing more with video mapping then they are with actual lights these days. Video mapping allows them to cover a larger area with more design options and less equipment."
He also notes that video streaming and videoconference technologies are highly utilized these days, and can serve to pro- vide big cost saving, too.
"Companies are looking to save on costs where they can, and travel is a huge cost right now…especiallywith airfare rising.,” notes Brinkman. “Therefore, the use of video streaming and videoconferencing has really increased. These technologies also allow companies to connect with more of their clients and their employees
as almost everyone has a smartphone,lap- top, or tablet and can receive the stream while they are on the road or at their desk. Flexibility with connection of presenta- tion devices also has increased.”
“You cannot just provide a projector and aVGA cable anymore,” he continues. “You must be prepared to connect smart- phones, tablets,and even Google Glass to the projection system.”
While these technologies may be the most requested or offer the best opportu- nities to save on time and cost, there are some little known or infrequently used technologies that these industry experts feel could be of true benefit to many meeting and event planners.
"One of the most underutilized areas that we have been working with our clients to improve is registration," observes Cataldi. "This is the first stop formany of the atten- dees after checking into a venue. Their
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