Picture it. You’re attending a 2,000-person event, and you’ve been handed a device that let’s you slice and dice the reg list to identify the 20 people you’d most like to meet. When one of them gets within 30 feet
of you, the device vibrates to tell you they’re nearby.

Conversely, you see someone headed your way but can’t recall her name. Don’t panic. Check your device for her name, title and company.

Sound like the latest spy tool from a James Bond movie? Actually, it’s the latest networking tool from Spotme, a Swiss firm with U.S. headquarters in Chicago. Spotme provides a full range of event communication services including instant messaging, networking, real-time voting and audience response, personalized agendas, one-to-one meeting management, lead retrieval, electronic business card exchange, access control and show floor mapping.

Developed in 2001, Spotme arrived in the U.S. in 2008. Each handheld device — which attendees receive at registration — is roughly the size of a smartphone. Currently, Spotme is for meetings between 200 and 5,000 attendees.

Networking and lead retreival

There are several ways to use Spotme for networking. You can “scan” a room to see who’s around you, or
“spot” a specific person when he’s within 30 feet. Using criteria supplied by each attendee, you can also identify the people you’d like to meet and send them a message and/or a meeting request on their
device. With the push of a button, electronic business cards are exchanged, with the capability for notes to
be appended. Postshow, this information is e-mailed to participants for easy download into Outlook or another CRM system.

On the show floor, attendees can scan Spotme “cards” placed in booths or next to specific products
to download information from exhibitors.

Agendas

Spotme allows for personalized agendas — built in advance or on-site. Schedule-at-a-glance information is
provided with room numbers and speaker names, with the option for more details such as session descriptions and speaker bios. If attendees preregister for specific sessions, reminders are sent to their devices, as well as any updates or schedule changes. CEU credits can also be tracked. Attendees and exhibitors can schedule one-on-one meetings around their session schedule and everything appears on one agenda.

Audience response and voting

Because the demographics of each attendee are tied to their devices, live audience response data can be immediately analyzed and displayed.What percentage of those who believe “A,” for instance, are CEOs vs. managers? The best suggestions or responses from all sessions can be compiled each day and e-mailed to participants as a daily wrap up.

Spotme devices can also be used to individually measure learning with testing capabilities built in. Choose to offer multiple choice questions, and have the correct answers explained on the Spotme screen. Attendees can also use the Spotme device to vote on poster sessions or awards programs. The search function even allows attendees to bookmark the posters they want to read later.

Sponsorships

Spotme is priced per person, per day, with most organizers offsetting some or all of costs through sponsorships. Sponsors can advertise a booth giveaway, party or hospitality suite, and there are branding opportunities on the agenda, maps and other pages.

For more information, visit Spotme at www.spotme.com.