Qnekt wisdom

Event wisdom to keep you on top of your game in the event industry. New post every Wednesday!

[qnekt]

Qnekt is shutting down

Today we will begin closing the doors to qnekt.com and no longer accepting new events. On Oct 31st Qnekt will no longer be available. 

This is a bittersweet day for us. We love Qnekt and are extremely thankful to our loyal users. To those of you who continue to depend on Qnekt, we are very sorry.

Shutting down Qnekt will allow us to focus on our current efforts. 

- The Qnekt team

[qnekt]

Easter holiday and Events

We live in a multicultural world where a lot of things are different. Just take a look at the meetings, events and conferences, they are all different from each other. Depending on where you are in the world, you will see how we all do the same things differently.

Easter for example, that's coming up this weekend. It's a big event -depending on where you are. It's really big in Greece, even bigger than Christmas itself, in New York they love to arrange parades, in Washington DC you can see the traditional egg-rolling at the White house, in London they look for the egg that the Easter Bunny has hidden and in Berlin the Easter Bunny has it's own train going thru the city where the kids can paint eggs.

We took the pulse on a few Qnekt staff members and asked them how they celebrate their easter this weekend.

We asked each of them two questions : - How will you celebrate easter? - One thing you can't live without during this weekend?

And this is what we got out of them:

Finnur: A short road trip around the sothern part of Sweden, keeping my laptop close for spontaneous work sessions. Can't be without: Meat!! Any kind of meat!! I love it in every shape or form.

Gabriel: Will have dinner with friends, a little easter celebration. Nothing special, think it's overestimated with easter.

Andrée: Will work mostly of the leave. At Saturday, we might take a walk in the forrest - Bokskogen or go to my parents' boat and have some lunch, if the weather permits.

Jepser: Going to Germany with my girlfriend and her parents. And I can't be without påskmust.

Markus: Will be home and painting eggs and outside if it's nice weather. Eat memma, throw coint on a painted egg and the Easter bunny. Can't be without candy and eggs.

Elina: With my family, looking for hidden easter eggs, play games and eating easterfood. Can't be without all the happiness with my family these days.

Zarah: We are going to my boyfriends grandparents for easter lunch, and then we maybe do a bbq at the beach one day just the two of us. I can't be without the hidden easter egg.

The question is now: How do you celebrate easter? What can't you be without? 

/ Zarah and Elina

[qnekt]

The endless battle for the event venue power outlets

My office follows me everywhere in the form of computer, tablet and smartphone. When I say everywhere, I even include your fantastic event that you and your colleagues have been putting together all last year.

This goes for almost everybody and most attendees need to charge their device at some point during the day - if it's longer than 2 hours.

Most congress centers are so old that they aren't build for todays energy demands. So by default it's up to you to act as supplier and as a supplier you have to think of think of this:

Put outlets evenly spread across the venue.

Place som next to a table, preferably a bar table, cause its often just a short email that has to be sent and people don't need to sit down for that. You want them to circulate. 

Mark the spot well. Your guest will be happy that you thought of the power for them and happy is what they should be. 

Write a quick tip by the outlet "how to charge your phone faster".

Allow people to charge their devices in the wardrobe or leave them somewhere for safe keeping. 

Keep a few, (depending on the size of the event) different types of chargers in your "toolbox". You are a gift from heaven when you were the one that fixed a quick jolt for the gentleman that forgot his at home.

If you want to invest in more permanent solutions and don't have much space to work with. The USB outlets are a good investment. Then your guests can skip their charger adapters as well. 

Make it fun topic. Do an installation that is a conversation piece. Adde bonus for increasing networking.

Or don't make a big thing of it, it's 2014! I'm writing this post from a train in the woods, surfing the internet and of course I'm charging my computer from the built in outlet in my seat.

So power up for a good event week. /Finnur

[qnekt]

What are polls good for?

If you give a white piece of paper to a poet and another one to a cartoonist you'll probably get two very different outcomes on that paper. The same goes for polls. Together with our customers we've used the poll function in Qnekt in number of different ways that I want to share five of them with you today.

To determine a winner in a poetry slam - We asked 5 different questions, where you ranked the poet from one to five. By taking that info and calculating the in a simple spreadsheet. We determined the winner in seconds after the last voting. 

As a quiz - We did not ask the whole question in the app. The questions were placed in the fair booths. So the question in the app was "Look for the question in company booth 5.1" then we had the answers in the app to the question found in the booth.

Asking the same question in two ways -  One of our clients asked the same question twice. One was directed to business people the other one to politicians. By doing that they found out what the different group thought about the same subjects. 

Checking out what your audience knows before a seminar - "Have you ever used a conference app?" If the majority answers "Yes frequently" Then you can tweak the education in different way than an audience that knows nothing about the topic. Do a better presentation/result knowing your target group.

Answer anonymously - Unlike a show of hands or a raising of cards with letters on them, sending responses by digital devices is much more anonymous and thus creates a lower threshold for the person answering.

More? Market research, information gathering, tracking individual voting of different topics and so much more.

Common questions about polls:

What happens if there is someone in the crowd that doesn't answer? Don't worry! Raising hands or signs isn't easy for everyone but if they do then it's hard to see the exact results and that result is gone directly when the hands are down. 

How to get people excited about answering the polls? Just like social media, people use Instagram and twitter #hashtags more if they get a reminder by example a speaker or poster. On the other hand if they see their own tweet or picture it increases that number drastically. Thats why we've created these big screen elements that come with each account. That update in realtime.

So think about that paper again. And in your mind give it to an origami expert, a painter, a child an accountant. Now do the same with polls. Ask the right questions. Ask a part of the  right question. If I add this extra physical moment how can I...? The possibilities are endless. 

Have a great event week! Finnur

[qnekt]

Push notifications Do's and dont's

There is a thin red line between being a spammer and using the power of push notifications the right way.

When an event attendee gives you their email address, phone number, logs into your event app etc. he/she trusts that you don't misuse that power. To many to long updates kills that trust.

During an event your attendee is only able to receive so much information. It's your job, No Duty(!) to only inform the guest exactly what they need to know. Don't send the same info to you speakers as you send to your attendee and your sponsors/exhibitors need totally other information. Do you really have to push info before every session? Or just the session that is a little on the empty side and needs more attention?

So here is a list that you must think about before sending a push-message.

Is this information absolutely necessary? Is it really push-worthy?

Who is the receiver of this info? (attendee, exhibitor, sponsor, speaker)

Can I shorten the text? 

No really! Can I shorten this text? 

Can I shorten the text by linking to more info, for the ones interested?

When should I send this? Before/during/after the event?

So in conclusion -With the power of push comes great responsibility Don't misuse that power (please).

//Finnur

[qnekt]

When every event second counts

People often ask me about how I distribute my time, as a producer, during an event. My answer is usually that "a minute in the event business is a lifetime in the real world".

(pic via Animated gifs) 

There are many ways to bend time during your event. Events are a short time happening and that means that good appearance is everything. Which means that the permanent solutions for: the invisible cords, how to hang the tv screen and decoration in the real world can be fixed in seconds with my 5 favorite "time bending tools"

So in the order of My(!) love for the tools here is my top 5 list

Number 5 - The Walkie-talkie

Can be great, can be to much. Great in the sense that you can quickly communicate with your colleagues. Bad in the aspect that 50% of the time that you are running an event you are supposed to be seen as open for questions and available for your attendees. With a headset in the ear at all times you don't give the impressions of being available. 

Number 4 - A kickbike

During an event I consider it a crime to run through a big crowd. Since it creates the sub-conscious feeling of "is there something wrong? will it affect me?" in the attendees head. Last summer I found out that using a kickbike is ok. You are just considered to be the kickbiking producer (and yes your feet will thank you for investing in one).

Number 3 - The Event app

Not (just) to do a product placement here but the event app is a fantastic production tool. You can hardly find a tool that is quicker, more subtile, to get your information out to all attendees at the same time as using the push notification in an app like Qnekt - See the video for a quick introduction.

Number 2 - Stripes 

Buy them in a bulk! Black, white and clear ones. To be able to use them as subtile as possible. You'll go through a whole lot of these before, and during the event. Keep 10-20 pieces in your pocket at all times. (And scissors or pliers to cut them off and for trimming them)

Number 1 - The one, the only. Gaffa.

This is the event producers nr 1 tool. If you cant fix it with gaffa, you haven't used enough.

This invention is probably the reason why many events actually make money by the savings of staff costs. (No stats on this quote)

Don't buy the cheap one though! That will give you a headache after the event when you are on all four, for hours, scraping glue residue.

This is my top 5 list. What tools do you use the most at your events? 

/Finnur

[qnekt]

The importance of coffee!

I often get the question about my main advice when it comes to throwing a congress or a trade show. I always answer with these six words.

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! Internet! Internet! Internet!

If you fulfill these requirements then you're good to go. Especially if you follow the my 3 golden rules as well (find them in this post about Mass Communication). The sad situation that brewing good coffee for more than even 10 people can be a struggle. Then think about that if it has to be ready for hundreds or thousands people at any given time... So most venues use instant coffee of different qualities.

A solution that I've become used to is to rent an external barista. Support a local coffeehouse by offering them a free spot at the venue and allow them to sell good coffee to the attendees. But be smart and get a discount from them to allow your speakers and VIP guests to drink for free.

Here are two clever coffee companies that we know of:

Fogarolli - a small company with even smaller cars that has one goal: Bring great coffee to the masses

Coffee Cow - Fresh brew distributed in camelbacks around on festivals and other events. 

Have you seen any other clever coffee solutions? Please drop me and I'll ad them here.

/Finnur

Bonus - Here is one of my most favorite short films "La Cafe" 

[qnekt]

How to get out of a meeting

I saw a tweet last week about meetings.

"In Sweden, a fourth of our working hours are spent on meetings. Is there anyone that does a follow up if they produce more than they cost?"

I've spent so many hours in pointless meetings, planning an event, that I want to tell you about MODA.

In America, to be more specific at SRI - Stanford research institute, they found out that people attending a meeting they didn't contribute to was a huge waste of resources of time and energy.

People get frustrated when in a meeting that they can't give, and let alone if they don't get anything from it. It's a waste.

MODA is a phrase that means "Hey you guys, I don't contribute anything to this meeting anymore, so I'm off to work again" And that is just fine. The others keep the discussion going and the person who decided not to waste time is back in the production line. Genius.

So let's stop wasting valuable time and resources and start using the MODA method

/Finnur

[qnekt]

A few tricks on using screens the right way

Today there are so many screens at every event. Do we really need them? Where should we put them? And most of all how do I get my information into all of them?

Well my answer is number one "Yes! o dear lord Yes!" Not only that we should use them we should add more. Where to put them? Everywhere. And how to best control them? Well we have a few ideas.

First of all do you know all the screens in the room? - Projectors usually for the good old powerpoint for the speakers. - Tv screens, in booths, used as second screens in big theaters, information screens and more. - And then today almost every event attendee has a screen in their hands in the form of a smart device phone or tablet and many of them carry their computer with them. Some of them carry all three.

So here are a few of my quick simple tips about how to maximize the different screens

Projector

Use your projector for other purposes than just that old PPT* show. Use the function second screen, instead of mirroring screens. Now your speaker can see the next slide.

You should set a desktop background, on that second screen, that fits the event. = Now you can work with your documents on you computer but the audience only sees a professional logo for the event. You can even throw in an #eventhashtag and other info there for even better use. 

When a speech is over, be sure to show the next coming sessions. The twitter/instagram feed or all three

TV-screens

Activate your audience, #hashtags are today pretty much a norm use the screens in the corridor for hyping these. And the same info as above "between speakers" 

Attendee screens Warning this might read as a commercial for our product. Then again, there is a reason why we do what we do:)

Give the audience an app. Don't be afraid that some people haven't got a smart device. If you use an app for your event, you will not only get the information to the device owner, you will get information in from usage, polls, discussions, social media and more.

Most of all you should use screens as a tool so it's convenient for you! Screens are the newer version of a printed sign, rollup, walls, flyers and brochures. You don't have to meet the same deadlines as before. Everything on a screen can be edited in seconds. 

And don't make it more difficult than it is! There are tools that connect all of the screens to one information spot. That means that if you update that point all of the screens above (except maybe the speakers powerpoint) will update instantly.

That is what we at Qnekt do.

Thankfully I'm not the designer in the company, here is my awesome illustration (kinda) of what I mean. 

Have you got any good examples on good usage of screens at an event? Please write where and how as a comment below or tweet us

/Finnur

[qnekt]

Mass communication - so simple! But why so hard?

Last week, we got two extra team members here at Qnekt HQ in the form of the enthusiastic Elina and Zarah - our new marketing wizards. As many other humans the two of them don't visit all too many trade shows. So of course the first thing we decided to do was to send them to a B2B trade show for the event industry.

We gave them an assignment, that when there, they should take notes on all confusing elements of the event. Is it easy to register? Who has the best booth? Is it easy to orientate yourself? Can you find the toilets easily? A couple of days later at the show, the answer ..."yeah no"

Why is it so hard then? The easy maneuver to move from A->B? To find the toilets? Why cant people go from both sides at the buffet to make the line go quicker? WHY?

I happened to see this picture on Twitter when I started to write this post. I think this is a perfect example of amazing mass communication. Self-explanatory because of the clever way of using symbols and bright colors to "control" a crowd.  

(unfortunately I can't find the one that posted it, please tell if you know) 

When it comes to our marketing wizards question marks. How can we guide our guests both consciously and sub-consciously? 

Here are the first 10 of my takes on it: 

10. Use floor matts to lead your guests into the right areas. 

9. Big signs are not overrated, and if you add a very distinct dress code for the staff = pure genius

8. Show the schedule on TV screens and projectors, so that guests don't have to pick up their phone/paper agenda all the time.  

7. In-house speakers are made for announcements, not just music.

6. Use sound to get people moving. I've used different machine sounds to get people to move faster from one room to another, for example during lunch buffet. Hint: One does not like the sound of a jackhammer.

5. It's sad to say, but you have to think that no one will "just understand" how you've decided everything should work.

4. All in all = OSE - Over Simplify Everything! 

And then the Three Golden rules. You can break the other seven, but these ones are the holy grail. 

3. Always smile!  Give a smile and get a smile back. Keeps the crowd happy one person at a time. 2. Keep the venue spotless! If the place is clean people feel good, but they won't know why. If there is litter on the floor or dirty cutlery on the tables people will notice. That spreads uncomfort. 1. Never ever ever run! You or any other person that works for the event is NEVER allowed to run through/past/from/towards the crowd. That creates the subconscious thoughts from the attendee that "something is wrong somewhere. Will this affect me?" When you have a crowd of a 1000 people, you will feel that tension in the air.

These last three rules are the only rules that I give to my volunteers and staff when co-ordinating an event. When they follow them and they (and my attendees) are well informed on what the schedule looks like the rest mostly takes care of itself.

Stay tuned for next Wednesdays post on "A few tricks on using screens the right way".

/Finnur

O Yeah btw... Welcome to Qnekt Wizards (From left Zarah and Elina)

[qnekt]

Use music to make your event stick

You know that tune that just won´t leave your head? Or the song that always remind you of your first love? Music has more staying power than words so make sure you use it to your advantage. 

When you host an event you should always have a playlist and a signature tune that triggers your attendees to think about your event when ever they hear the tune. 

At every intro, outro and break you should start of with your signature tune. During longer breaks such as lunch breaks you might have a one hour long playlist starting of with your signature tune as well as playing it another one or two times during the break. It will get stuck!

Here’s one of my favorite signature tunes right now:

Why is this song good for intro/outro - You can start it almost anywhere within and it = easy to find a short beat and you can mix with so many types of music styles.

Then there´s the playlist. Build a playlist that fits the mood of your event. We’ve compiled loads of lists through our event days. Here are some of the signature tunes that I’ve used through my carrier - O the memories.

So make a good list to keep, as a base, change the first song, push play and make your audience happy!

/Finnur

"Signature tune" - A tune that you use for intro and outro at your event. And as a signal element that something is about to happen at your event. Tip: Choose a song that is new and catchy on the radio and that you think your target audience will hear over and over again, by that remembering your event for the longest time.

Find more event-lingo in our ever growing event wordlist

[qnekt]

Your event Wi-Fi will suck. Here's what to do

Do you recognize the sensation of irritated wonder you get when you walk into a venue and your phone suddenly loses connection to the outside world? You search for the event Wi-Fi only to realize that the speed isn't even fast enough for you to download your latest emails or your Twitter feed. 

When working on different events I've hardly ever been a happy customer when it comes to the delivery of internet at the venue. "The microwave is disturbing the air right now", "Your camera crew is sending out signals that create a block zone around them", "These walls are so thick"  - really?

Can you go online?

How is that still possible in 2014?

What many of us aren't aware of is that putting together an internet infrastructure is a bigger deal than just throwing up a router or two, like you can do at your own home. Why? Well it's because the air is too crowded with radio waves. 

Internet is a huge part of the cost of an event today and it is a vital issue that the wifi works. More and more conferences are now international and the roaming price is still more than many can chew. 

A few solutions can go a long way to help the situation if your wifi is unstable:

Ask all the native people that are in the audience, that have unlimited data from their carrier, to switch on their 3G or 4G. That helps a lot. 

Ask for special login for media and speakers. 

Have a backup ethernet cable on every stage and vital service points. (Don't forget an adapter for the ones with macbook air.

Some event venues are able to shut of wifi connection to devices in sleep mode. That is the best solution I've experienced yet. 

Do NOT rely on your beautiful mobile website to be the main information spot for you attendees. It will fail and fail hard. 

Since we know you can't always trust the local Wi-Fi Qnekt has a build-in offline mode for Android devices and we are soon getting there with our Apple services as well. Because we want to make sure that we deliver even when the Wi-Fi doesn´t. To have your event information available online go to the bottom of the menu as shown below.

/Finnur

[qnekt]

The Event wordlist

Have you ever felt like the dumbest person in the room when everyone around you is using words or describing something that you have no idea what it is?

Here is a list that we will add to every week, over the most common words used in event management. If you have words that you want to contribute with, write them in the comment field below or drop us an email at [email protected]

Music and sound related words

Intro - When you introduce a person on stage, that is an intro. Use signature music to make the most of it Outro - The opposite of and Intro - Use the same song as you use in the intro as you do in the outro. Jingel - A sound used to brand a company, event or product. A jingle that you buy on pages like audiojungle or have specially made for your brand. Use it on all intro on filmed material. On your website. Video loops and other creative places you can think of.   Signature tune - A tune that you use for intro and outro at your event. And as a signal element that something is about to happen at your event. Tip: Choose a song that is new and catchy on the radio and that you think your target audience will hear over and over again, and in doing so will remember your event for the longest time.