It isn’t unusual, even in today’s technology frenzied society, for an event host to say something like this at the beginning of a meeting:

“Please take out your smartphone and put it on silent or (gasp!) turn it off.”

2+ years ago this was fine because the presenter was the major focus of attention and to give him or her anything less than 100% of it was just downright rude.

But let’s get real in 2014. How many times do you go anywhere – a restaurant, shopping or one of your child’s activities – and all you see are smartphones? So why, oh why should a meeting be any different?

Rather than making the above announcement, why not say the following:

“Please take out your smartphone and/or tablet,
turn them on and use them to see and interact with today’s presenter.”

Second Screen Defined

Second Screen Technology was originally designed for the entertainment business and is defined in the following way by Mashable:

Second Screen is the use of an additional monitor, typically a tablet or smartphone that is used while watching television. It allows the audience to interact with what they’re consuming whether it’s a TV show, video game or movie.

And it is a technology that is going to continue to grow with the onset of Smart TVs and on-demand programming. This technology is just getting started and has endless possibilities.

Second Screen Applicability in the Meeting Industry

This technology has buoyancy in the following situations:

• › In a large convention hall where the speaker is far, far away.You have been to events where the presenter is delivering a powerful message but they are only a dot on the riser. Wouldn’t it be great if you could see that presenter “up close and personal” on a live video feed to your iPad rental?
• › Real-time feedback can enhance your meeting.Whether you are using a polling app on the mobile devices or just monitoring your event’s social channels, second screen allows attendees to quickly flip from the content to the comment.

  If you want to see applicability of this, just watch any reality TV show that depends on viewer participation to make decisions. I am a big fan of The Voice and they actually do something called a Twitter Save; where fans can tweet who they want to stay on the show. It is a clever way to keep fans engaged and it works.

• › Attendees that are hooked on mobile technology and social channels.The key here is to find out what channels they are on, listen to the chatter and respond appropriately.

  This is a chance for your speakers, sponsors and exhibitors to make a difference with the attendee because a response shows that you care. If you are too busy, you might want to elicit the help of a social squad.

One Additional Thought

You need to be prepared with additional bandwidth if the meeting venue doesn’t have enough. Since bandwidth needs can be somewhat complicated, talk with your AV specialist for more details.

About Us

Hartford Technology Rentals (HTR) provides short-term technology rental solutions to meetings and events across the United States. The company is a leading provider of Second Screen technology as they rent Apple iPads (including the new iPad Air), iPhones, and WiFi solutions.