E.J. Siwek - Technology Trends Meeting and Event Planners Need to Know

"Our industry lacks some very fundamental elements required to truly optimize technology breakthroughs," said E.J. Siwek, president of Flashpoint Technologies, LLC, in his morning session on "Technology Trends Meeting and Event Planners Need to Know."

According to Siwek, some planners tend to be resistant to change or see their jobs in "tunnel vision" because they're so busy, they're just trying to get the job done. In today's economic conditions, many planners are hearing the #1 question outlined in Siwek's session: "How can we cut costs?"

Technology can be the answer to that question. This session presented a ground-floor view of current technology trends, such as the use of RSS feeds to deliver online content alongside your website's other content, the move toward collaborative applications, industry mergers and strategic partnerships, and the basics of PCI/PA-DSS compliance.

"Trends worth considering should impact how we work with vendors while improving internal processes," Siwek said.

For attendees who might be interested in exploring their own level of PCI/PA-DSS compliance, Siwek included this resource: www.pcisecuritystandards.org, which includes a free self-assessment questionnaire.

Siwek wrapped up his morning session by outlining the vision of the Convention Industry Council's APEX initiative, which continues to grow in size and scope over time. Planners spend a great deal of their time clarifying and confirming details, Siwek explained, and that is, essentially, the reason for APEX: to streamline the processes and make everything easier for everyone.

Now it is off to the exhibit floor to see everyone who is here! If you're in the area of Navy Pier in Chicago today or tomorrow, I'd love to meet you, too!

Serenity J. Knutson, Editor in Chief
PlannerWire.com
Serenity@PlannerWire.com