Electric Events

Audience Response Systems

Conference speakers have long used audience response systems to gauge an audience’s grasp of their content, to conduct short surveys, and to give attendees a say in shaping session direction. While in the past, most response systems included small wireless keypads and a receiving unit connected to a data projector, today planners have at their disposal systems featuring full-sized keyboards that enable attendees to enter in full text responses to speakers or fellow attendees, built-in microphones for audio communication, and options such as allowing participants to exchange electronic business cards with photos.

Machine Dreams, a technology provider in Minneapolis, has an audience response system called The Communicator that provides participants with a high-quality amplified microphone built into an audience response keypad. “Anyone in the audience can speak without having to wait for a microphone to be run out to them, or having to line up at a microphone stand in the aisle,” says Alan Yelsey, CEO of Machine Dreams. The tool also has a text-messaging feature that allows attendees to respond to open-ended questions. The device can generate instant pop-up questions and rank and prioritize issues for discussion. The Communicator’s software also enables speakers to embed movies, animations, pictures, and music into audience questions and PowerPoint slides, and facilitate team games and challenges.

The cost to either rent or purchase most audience polling systems is going down. The systems are typically rented as a service, with setup and operation of the equipment included in the price. Industry observers say rental costs that have been in the $10-per-person-per-day range have fallen to about $5 per person daily, especially for units that are more do-it-yourself in nature, requiring less professional help to set up.

Cell phones are also beginning to be used for audience response. “When a presenter asks [attendees] to weigh in on a topic, they’ll simply whip out their phone, which is equipped with the proper software, and use it as a voting keypad,” Ball  says.

Webcasting and Webconferencing

Webcasting technology gained traction in the years following September 11, 2001, as many potential conference-goers opted to avoid travel and conduct meetings via the safety of their office computers. Some became hooked on the convenience factor and savings in travel costs, leading to the development of new applications.