This article originially appeared online here. By Holly Woolard, Smart Meetings, September 2014 Nashville proved to be an ideal destination to showcase the latest, greatest event-technology tools during the American Socrety of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition Aug. 9-11. Recently ranked No. 10 in the United States for Best Cities for Tech Jobs by Forbes magazine, Nashville offers free Wi-Fi in its main tourism corridor and a free charging station at the Visitor Information Center. The city even has a technology council. Holding ASAE at the Music City Center. which opened in 2013, was another tech coup. The center's fiber-optic backbone supports the most demanding event requirements, including elements such as basic Internet access and large broadband Ethernet circuits. The onsite professional technical staff helps coordinate telecommunication needs in advance and during events. Inside the convention center's 353, 143-square-foot exhibit hall, rows of tech companies, hotels and destinations were armed and ready at their booths to share news about their tech products. There were three rows of tech companies vying for attendees' attention.
Omni Hotels & Resorts, which has nearly doubled in size revenue-wise over the past year due to the addition of nine hotels, was onsite to talk about its new event app. Omni partnered with Encore, a Freeman Company, to create a free app, Omnilink, for meeting professionals and attendees holding events al the brand's 60 properties. Very user-friendly, the app features sections for facilities, agendas, logistics links, attendee bios, sponsors and news. Since the app's launch in May, more than 300 groups have used the tool. "We were looking for ways to partner with our guests and clients," says Tom Faust, vice president of sales for Omni. "We provide this to meeting planners for no charge. We fe lt this is a way to differentiate ourselves." Other tech companies at the ASAE expo included Cetrom Information Technology, Inc., an industry leader for custom cloud solutions, which helps transform the way associations and nonprofits succeed. Christopher Stark, president and CEO, says, "The cloud can be the key to successfully executing missions and supporting members. However, when implemented improperly, it can be the downfall of an organization. Finding a technology partner that your association can trust is vital to future success." (Read more on the full article PDF : 2014-09-00 Smart Meetings (Digital))