Summer 2016 | The Wired Issue

Summer 2016 | The Wired Issue

Let’s talk about the dark side of technology in this Wired Issue. Do you break out in a sweat thinking about the glitches in your website that have yet to be fixed? Does your association or specialty organization have a mysterious Facebook account even the most hacker-minded person on your team can’t crack the password to? (Jodi Collen of International Live Events Association does). Or maybe you have weekly nightmares about your registration system crashing leading up to your event.

As cool as major events like CES and E3 make technology seem, on a day-to-day level, anything that remotely falls into the realm of tech can contribute to major headaches for meeting professionals.

As editors of a meetings-focused magazine, we like to consider ourselves experts on the cutting-edge technologies you should be incorporating into meetings. In this second-annual tech issue, we break down the latest updates affecting your social media accounts, recommend new gadgets for making #plannerlife a little easier, and check in with AV experts who address the most common tech problems, including whether to first tackle an issue yourself or call in a pro.

We can do the legwork for you, but the burden of proof lies in your hands to determine what technologies can help you, your event, and your association or organization reach your goals.

Easier said than done? Sometimes I find the best way to attack a high-tech problem is by going low-tech. You may have heard of the bullet journaling concept that’s swept through the blogosphere as of late. To start, all you need is a fresh notebook and a pen. Google it to see hundreds of videos on how it works (OK, so there’s a little tech involved there), but the gist is to use a simple system of color coding, artistic inspo and symbols to break down your days into specific tasks.

Whether you try the bullet journal planning method or not, I challenge you to dedicate a specific day and time each week to delve into the research (and the pages of this issue—don’t miss our tech-focused feature “Senses and Sensibility”) to determine what technologies can help you accomplish your meeting’s objectives, and ultimately help you do your job better. Ah, now you’re seeing the light!

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