Organizations Can Increase Revenue Growth, Gain Efficiency, and Improve Conference ROI with ACTIVE Conference
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — May 14, 2013 — Meeting organizers are leveraging advanced event management software from The ACTIVE Network, Inc. (NYSE: ACTV) to deliver what has until now been a missing component of the Customer Experience Management matrix – a technology solution built to intelligently manage large, complex events. Featuring real-time data and insights, powerful management tools, as well as a means to deliver relevant and targeted information to attendees before, during and after an event, ACTIVE Conference™ fuels a deeper relationship with customers, partners, and employees, and also can help power an increased return on marketing dollars.
“Meetings should be less about a point in time and more a part of an ongoing conversation between brands and an individual,” said JR Sherman, SVP of Business Solutions at ACTIVE. “ACTIVE Conference—the leading event management technology for large, flagship events—makes it possible for conference organizers like IDG World Expo and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) to discover intelligent data and insights designed to increase potential revenue growth, deepen attendee engagement, and gain efficiency.”
5X faster check in, richer experience at Macworld/iWorld
Hosted by IDG World Expo, Macworld/iWorld is one of the world’s premier showcases for cool and cutting edge technology. The 2013 conference was also one of the premier examples of a large conference done right. Registration and check in was fast – according to IDG World Expo, about five times faster than at previous events, made possible by ACTIVE’s Scan and Go technology, which allowed attendees to register online, print a confirmation barcode and then simply scan that onsite to check-in and print their badge.
The 25,000+ Macworld/iWorld attendees spent far less time in line and far more time attending sessions and engaging with exhibitors and other attendees. In fact, the ACTIVE-sourced mobile app, which helped conference goers easily connect with each other, had 35 percent more use than previous Macworld/iWorld event apps. The app made it easy for attendees to add sessions, change their schedule and review content on the fly, improving their experience and making it possible for them to extract more useful information and knowledge from their time at the conference.
Exhibitors took advantage of a single, integrated system to manage their participation at the event. Available around the clock, ACTIVE’s Exhibitor Resource Center consolidated four disparate systems that Macworld/iWorld had previously used into one integrated solution. Accordingly to IDG World Expo, ACTIVE’s Exhibitor Resource Center saved exhibitors and show management more than 500 hours of time and helped make the 2013 Macworld/iWorld among the most efficient in the history of the event.
Conference organizers benefitted as well. Real time data was available for review and analysis in mere minutes, compared to the nearly two full days required to access the data previously. Faster access to show data allowed organizers to identify most and least popular sessions and will better inform the content of future conferences.
An efficient and engaging event for professional meeting planners
The people that run meetings for a living have high expectations of the events they attend. Jason Paganessi, vice president of business innovation for PCMA, said this year’s Convening Leaders—the premier event for meeting professionals—was among its most productive and well run, thanks in part to ACTIVE Conference.
This year, 85 percent of conference attendees – a 15 percent jump over the previous year – utilized the hotel check-in kiosks that allowed attendees to easily check into the conference from the convenience of their hotel lobby, significantly reducing onsite check-in lines at the conference.
“We worked with ACTIVE to improve the conference experience for attendees, and the reporting and tracking process for our organization,” said Paganessi. He cited ACTIVE’s Session Access Control, a “hands off” badge scanning and reporting system, as a prime example. Paganessi said that the process of an attendee scanning their badge to enter a session triggered automatic tracking of accreditations, and also delivered a tailored survey about that particular session via the mobile app.
“We relied on the system to track attendee attendance and behavior, and to get insight into the topics and speakers that are most valuable to conference goers. The feedback will help us build better content for members and attendees, making future conferences that much more valuable and meaningful,” said Paganessi. This year, 88 percent of concurrent session surveys were completed by attendees using the mobile app.
Kristin Gibson, vice president of sales and industry relations for J. Spargo & Associates, and a 2013 PCMA Convening Leaders attendee, explained, “The conference mobile app revolutionized the meeting experience. Conference goers built their show schedule on the app and adjusted it on the fly.”
“There are a lot of moving pieces in a PCMA schedule, but the app simplified the whole experience. Meeting times, locations and topics were all integrated into the app, saving valuable time and effort,” added Gibson. PCMA said 50 percent of conference goers downloaded the mobile app.
ACTIVE Network is powering the next generation of smart events through its Business Solutions technology suite, which provides intelligent data and insights designed to increase potential revenue growth, deepen attendee engagement and gain efficiency. Customers of all sizes—including small and medium-sized businesses, enterprise corporations, associations, tradeshows and expos—benefit from a single technology partner for all of their event management needs. The Business Solutions technology suite includes ACTIVE Conference™ for large flagship conferences, ACTIVE RegOnline™ for attendee management solutions, ACTIVE StarCite™ for strategic meetings management and event expense management, and the ACTIVE Marketplace to connect events with suppliers. For more information on ACTIVE Network Business Solutions please visit www.ACTIVEevents.com.
About ACTIVE Network
ACTIVE Network (NYSE: ACTV) is on a mission to make the world a more active place. With deep expertise in Activity and Participant Management™ (APM), our ActiveWorks® cloud technology helps organizations transform and grow their businesses. We do this throughtechnology solutions that power the world’s activities and through online destinations such as ACTIVE.com® that connect people with the things they love to do. Serving over 55,000 global business customers and driving more than 90 million transactions annually, we help organizations get participants, manage their events and build communities. ACTIVE Network is headquartered in San Diego, California and has offices worldwide. Learn more at ACTIVEnetwork.com or ACTIVE.com and engage with us on Twitter @ACTIVEnetwork, @ACTIVE and on Facebook.
About Forward-Looking Statements
The Active Network, Inc. cautions you that the statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Any such statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. More detailed information about The Active Network, Inc. and the risks and uncertainties that may affect the realization of these forward-looking statements is set forth in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings may be read free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and The Active Network, Inc. undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
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© 2013 The Active Network, Inc. All rights reserved. ACTIVE.com is a registered trademark of The Active Network, Inc. ACTIVE Network, Activity and Participant Management, ACTIVE Conference, ACTIVE RegOnline and ACTIVE StarCite are trademarks of The Active Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Gwen Dille, ACTIVE Network
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1-858-964-7701