Even if you could keep up with all of the latest releases and innovations, it’s tough to sort out what is shiny and new and truly useful from what is merely shiny and new.Liz King, of Liz King Events in New York City, and her partners are here to help, with the June 9 launch of PlannerTech. Their big idea is to bring meeting planners and technology providers together in a relaxed atmosphere, where planners can experiment and learn alongside their peers. They promise to limit the tech-jargon and keep practical solutions front and center.
I recently talked with Liz about what planners — both in and out of New York — can expect from the new event.
Why did you and your partners decide to organize PlannerTech?
Liz Mazzei of Pobgy and I realized that the new technologies affecting the event industry far outnumbered the ones we had time to process personally. Who wants to use a new tool with a client before you’ve tested it yourself to see how it works?
We realized that there was a huge need for a venue where planners could gather together to learn about a manageable number of new tools and try each out with their colleagues. With this in mind, PlannerTech was born. We partnered with Christine Upton to put together a unique event that will help better prepare New York planners to update their events and better integrate technology.
We’ll hear from ten companies (Event Farm, SuperPlanner, ShareSquare, Social27 and more) and then have the opportunity to network with our event planner colleagues.
Will planners who consider themselves at a beginner level in event technology feel comfortable?
Absolutely! This event is more about opening our minds to the tools that are available and beginning the process of considering how these tools might enhance the way we plan and implement events.
Each organization will only speak for four minutes so there won’t be a ton of jargon used. We’re going straight to the point – what is the tool and why is it important for event planners? Then, you can use the networking time to ask more specific questions at a level that feels comfortable for you – one-on-one with the organizations.
How did you select the featured technology companies?
Liz, Christine and I took a look at the tools we currently love or want to learn more about and investigated each one. We were looking for companies that were new enough to the game that they may not be well known, yet established enough that they aren’t going to disappear in the next few weeks.
Can planners outside of New York City participate?
In the spirit of leveraging technology, there will be a live stream of the showcase. Just go to www.plannertech.com to register for the virtual event. Thanks to our partnership with Social27, free live streaming will be available for anyone. You’ll also be able to go into the system and familiarize yourself with the ten companies presenting at the showcase and network with your peers virtually.
Will we see more of PlannerTech?
We are taking this inaugural event one step at a time, but we absolutely see this expanding. We’ll post information as they come up, but we would love to see PlannerTech move around the U.S. (and beyond) and occur a few times a year. If you think your area would appreciate an event like this, let us know! You can always email me at liz@lizkingevents.com.
