Got Room Diagram Setups? Enter MeetingMatrix Room Diagram Setup Competition and win $100 iTunes Gift Certificate.

As our implementation teams travel around the globe we often get to see some fairly elaborate room diagram setups. The planners who build them are rightfully proud of them. So we thought we’d have a competition. The prize is a $100 iTunes gift certificate and the winning entry will be posted on our website.

The rules are simple.

1. Select a room diagram containing a setup worthy of a nod from our expert panel of judges.
2. Go to MeetingMatrix Facebook page:
a. Register as a fan – you need to do this to post an image
b. Enter a note in the “share” box on our Facebook wall
c. Attach your room diagram in JPG format –
600pixels wide x 480pixels high
d. We’ll be able to communicate with you via Facebook

Feel free to post multiple setups – and add comments to other postings.

All meeting/event planners are eligible. If planners need floor plans to work with they can go to http://www.meetingmatrix.com/Site/Default.html and use the “Diagram Search” tab. This will let users find sites with MeetingMatrix Certified Room Diagrams® – and also give them a free copy of MeetingMatrix 2010: Planner Edition.

We’ll accept entries until June 25th. A panel of MeetingMatrix room diagram setup experts will select the winner. The winner will be selected on basis of overall presentation.

This should be an interesting competition.

MeetingMatrix Facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Portsmouth-NH/MeetingMatrix-International/54364534276

Don Basler
Sr. Marketing Manager

Social Media – Wrestling with an Octopus

At MeetingMatrix -- as with many companies – we are trying to build social media into our marketing mix. Recognizing that resources are often the limiting factor to successful social media implementation we set up a weekly social media marketing meeting to define our strategy and tactics. It is open to anyone in our company.

As with most volunteer opportunities there was a core group with occasional participation from others – but this seems to be changing/growing.

From the outset our goal was to use and integrate the three primary social media vehicles – Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We are also integrating search engine optimization techniques into our activities and posts.

As we grow and the social media landscape http://www.webdoctus.com/2010/01/25-mind-blowing-social-media-infographics/ evolves we’ll adapt. As one forum – Facebook for example – grows in stature we’ll add emphasis. But our central strategy to leverage and integrate social media activities in leading present and future vehicles remains the same.

The beauty of social media is that it’s wide open and the ultimate free market/individual communication environment. If you’re good at it and consistent, you get results. http://mootee.typepad.com/innovation_playground/2010/03/social-media-is-very-complex-and-social-relationships-online-are-messy-and-erratic-but-it-works-when.html

It’s also a bit like the wild west -- lots of open space, malleable rules, and the occasional bandit.

So too the MeetingMatrix Social Media Marketing Group – there’s room and space for everyone – even the occasional bandit.

Don Basler
Sr. Marketing Manager

Mobile Technology Has Checked In

No matter where you look these days the hot topic is mobile technology. Seemingly led by the iPhone and more recently the iPad (1 Million sold to date) mobile has checked in. Mobile apps are a $2billion+ business at iTunes. What was once seen as a geek toy is now mainstream and driving business.

But wait there’s more. Travel, e-commerce, and planners alike are changing and adapting to mobile. Some examples:

* An Amadeus report highlights how mobile technology is changing corporate travel

* Hospitality trends recent research summary showed Mobile E-Commerce Predicted to Increase 65% Annually Through 2015

* And Corbin Ball takes a look at where we are today and asks, 2010: The Meetings Technology Revolution – Are We There Yet???

I think it’s safe to say we’ve made the transition to the latest tech change. It wasn’t so long ago that laptops were dominant. And while sitting at your desk computing isn’t disappearing just yet -- it may simply be a matter of time. Technological change sometimes sneaks up on the unsuspecting – see newspapers – and network TV. Now it appears that year-old cell phones are obsolete.

As we move into a changing communication model in the meetings/convention/hotel world everyone needs to adapt. Change is being driven by meeting planners and guests demanding mobile access to relevant and usable information. So it’s not a question of will we deliver, but when.

Hotels and convention centers are adapting – some faster than others. A recent survey highlighted in SmartReport: Hotel Innovations & Technologies shows that venues’ mobile plans for 2010 include:

* 26% adding mobile site

* 22% adding mobile booking engine

* 24% adding iPhone app

* 33% not planning any mobile initiatives

Of those numbers I suppose the most interesting is the 33% who plan on doing nothing in the mobile area. There may be economic factors at play or it could just be limited vision. Whatever the reason, I believe that those who embrace new technologies – especially in response to user demand – are those that prosper.

Don Basler
Sr. Marketing Manager

Misplaced Meeting Space

Working for a software company, one begins to see things at a different angle. Technology is ever changing and constantly improving. Most visitors to popular websites are savvy enough to be on the internet, but should they have to dig for the information they want? As we approach a new era of web design and function it is increasingly important to remember that “Navigation is the single most important element in creating accessible and usable web sites”(http://www.mardiros.net/good-navigation.html) These observations and ultimately this entry came from a visit to a few sites to check out their meeting space.

When I first started looking for meeting space on some hotel and convention center websites, I was astonished at how hard it was to view the meeting room itself. Some sites offered microscopic pictures of the room with a setup in it. Others merely gave me room capacities. Anyone can toss out numbers to a mystery room…LET’S SEE IT!

It should take the person on your site minimal clicks to get from point A to B. Moreover, all similar information should be found in one spot. If I am interested in event space, I should be able to view all images and statistics associated with it in one area. This will minimize clicks, search time, and will improve my chances of booking.

How a venue communicates their property to event planners dictates much more than the quality of their website. This is a small window into the venue’s attention to detail and their ability to address the needs of each planner seeking event space.

Its no secret that we at MeetingMatrix® offer perfect communication tools for venues and planners. Our applications bring what each venues meeting space straight to the planner’s fingertips.

CapacityMatrix.NET™ is the missing piece of the planning puzzle. The capacity chart is taken to the next level with interactive features that include room diagrams that display recommended setups.

ActiveMatrix.NET™ gives the user the ability to create setups on the fly for RFP generation and is accessible anywhere the internet is available. PlanView.NET® is the one stop shop for every venue detail. Start with a bird’s eye view of the venue and its surrounding area and drill the whole way down to each meeting space.

Having the ideal meeting space for every planner is one thing. Displaying it where everyone can see it, is another.

Scott Sanker
Graphic Designer