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ICCA Mobile Internet Guide - How mobile technology may benefit the meetings industry
There are four times as many mobile phones as there are PCs in the world. Have you ever considered what happens when these mobile devices are used to browse the Internet? Or even better: to visit your website?
Mobile technology is here to stay
The introduction of mobile technology in the mid-nineties has had a tremendous effect on society and how people communicate. Some facts:
· Today, 94% of the West-European population own a mobile phone – many people own even more than one. Out of these people, 66% use it for text messaging and 32% access the Internet through their mobile phone.
· As mobile phone capabilities and networks will mature the last number is expected to rise dramatically in the coming years leading on to a second (mobile) Internet boom which, no doubt, will impact the event industry.
· All major telecommunication companies are endorsing mobile internet.
· .mobi is live! DotMobi, the first and only Internet address created for mobile phones, announced the successful start of mobile domain registration in May 2006.
How mobile technology may benefit the meetings industry
The mobile phone is a new communication channel with some unique qualities:
· It is personal. Specific groups or individuals can be targeted.
· Accessibility. Information can be accessed or people be reached at any time or place.
Examples of the application of mobile technology in the meetings industry
Some of these are already available, some are still under development.
1. Professional Congress, Convention and/or Exhibition Organisers may:
· provide more value to event participants by addressing their personal needs for:
- information such as access to the event programme or travel info,
- communication for instance find and contact interesting delegates or exhibitors
- and interaction such as audience voting through SMS.
· generate more revenue by mobile advertising and additional sponsorship opportunities
· reduce operational cost by reducing staff numbers and printed information sources.
2. Tourist and Convention bureaux may provide tourist information through the mobile phone such as travel information or event calendars.
3. Meeting Information & Technical Specialists can make use of the mobile phone to:
· Improve on-site registration processes by for instance sending badge codes by SMS text message to enable short-lane registration.
· Enable participants to access event website information whilst on the move, such as contact info, travel info and the event programme.
· Conduct audience voting using SMS text messages.
4. Hotels or Congress, Convention and Exhibition Centres may provide added value to their guests through the mobile Internet: address & route information, contact information, on-line bookings (hotels), service information, etc.
5. Associations can provide information about the organisation and its members as well as upcoming events.
Challenges
Since mobile technology is still in its infancy, as with every new technology launched there are a few hurdles which are all very easy to overcome when developing a mobile website or application:
· Current event websites are not designed for mobile phones since lengthy website texts are not suitable for the relatively small handset screens and large images take long to download. Therefore, most websites need to be adapted to be suitable for access through the mobile phone.
· Every handset has different screen sizes and capabilities. A special web application must be applied to ensure that websites and applications work properly on every handset (“rendering”).
· Fees/mobile operator costs are still relatively high for downloading data but are expected to fall once mobile internet gains ground.
In a few years time once the market has matured and technical standardisation has taken place, most of these, rather small, difficulties will have disappeared. Today, the market is emerging – the perfect time to start to go mobile is here!
ICCA Mobile Internet Guide
In the ICCA Mobile Internet Guide you will find some useful tips on what you could do yourself with Mobile Internet. It gives a selection of various mobile websites that could assist in your daily work (news, weather forecasts, currency converters, etc.). The guide also gives you ideas on how your organisation can make your website mobile phone accessible.
ICCA aims to inform people working in the international meetings industry about the latest trends in technology. EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch competition (considered as one of the leading global platforms for technology innovations) winner LOG ON is developing services that turn delegates’ mobile phones into powerful conference tools.
icca.mobi
More information on mobile internet can be found on the new ICCA Mobile website: icca.mobi
The ICCA dotMobi website contains a listing of mobile websites that could assist in your daily work, so definitely bookmark icca.mobi on your mobile phone or PDA!
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