On Saturday, the self-organized twitter group #eventprofs organized its first conference. The event was called Event Camp and was centered around Social Media in Events. This was supposed to be an unconference - but was really more of a tribal meeting in my mind. [See Mike McCurry's post for more] You                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                Today, Steve Jobs announced Apple’s latest product the iPad. For most of us “shiny object people” this was a much anticipated announcement.
Why?
Well - Apple products have been known to change the way that we interact with technology and experience life. Look at the iPhone, the iTouch, the itunes store and                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                Have you heard about Coca-Cola’s Happiness Machine?
Coke planted a vending machine inside the Student Union of a US university that has magical powers. For some unsuspecting people it distributes an unusual amount of coke and other items (pizza, etc.). No matter what it dispenses - it is creating smiles and                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                In my opinion, some event organizers are throwing technology at their events in the same way that the zookeeper throws a big chunk of raw meat to the lions. They lob it out there on the floor, stand back and see what happens.
While the lion might jump on that piece                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                Last week, I was in the frozen tundra of Minneapolis talking with people about meeting design and event technology. The events people there are creative, innovative and energizing.
In the discussions, we pushed and pulled on the future of event technology in meetings and events. We talked about technology adoption, the                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                What if you could ask 500 attendees a question and receive relevant, prioritized responses in a matter of seconds? Just like on Google.
What would you ask?
Would you ask attendees your most pressing questions? Would you ask them for ideas? Would you ask them to help you prioritize objectives? Would you                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                Yesterday, my colleague Ruud Janssen and I delivered a presentation called the 2010 Event Technology Shopping List at EIBTM. I will post the slides and video soon.  But, first I wanted to share some of the thinking that was at the heart of our work.
Worlds Are Colliding
The digital world                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                
Endless PowerPoint presentations and stale ham sandwiches have been making attendees comatose at meetings and events for decades now. While many event organizers recognize the need for more interaction, few know where to start.
Most leap for technology tools and new formats.
By immediately starting with technology solutions, you risk over-engineering OR                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                Sunday evening, Twitter was buzzing about Google Wave being used at the recent EComm Conference in Amsterdam. The Fresh Networks Blog did a nice job of recapping the power of Google Wave in Google Wave vs. Twitter at Conferences.
To me, this event demonstrated how you can tap into the energy and                        
                        
                     
                        
            
            
                                                        
                        
                        
                You know the blackberry prayer. It’s that pose that attendees adopt when they stuff their faces into their blackberry devices (or iphones) during the keynote address or breakout sessions. You know - at the exact moment that they should be listening.
For some speakers and event organizers this can be embarrassing