Latest news with #meetings
Skift
8 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
How Next-Gen Attendees are Reshaping Event Tech
Planners need to rethink how they use technology in every aspect of their meetings, or they risk losing the attention of the biggest percentage of their attendees — Millennials and Gen Zers. Planners are rethinking every aspect of meeting tech, from registration to reservations, apps to entertainment, with their younger attendees in mind. The evolution of these 7 technologies is transforming planners' jobs and their meetings. Registration Tech If there's anything that will turn off a younger attendee, it's a glitchy online registration system, or, once they arrive at the meeting, waiting in a long queue for no apparent reason. Improved registration technology has simplified the process. On site, self-registration or tablet tables allow staff to take on a more passive role as attendees sign themselves in. All that's needed is a fast badge-printing system and a single station for badge and material pick-up, such as lanyards and ribbons. This transforms registration from a painful experience into an opportunity to engage with other people and start the event on a positive note. Travel Booking It used to be considered a privilege by incentive winners to have their flights booked for them, concierge-style. Not so for the younger generations: They prefer to have a travel voucher they can use to book their flights on their own, on whichever app and airline they choose. They also want control of their reservations so they can extend their trips and work remotely in that beautiful incentive destination, rather than jetting straight home. Audience Polling The idea of a session where people are talked down to by the person on stage is a yawn for younger audiences. 'They don't want to see people like us talking to you. They actually want to be involved in the conversation,' Sherrif Karamat, CEO of PCMA and CEMA, told the audience at last year's Skift Meetings Forum. A growing number of events are using live polling to encourage audience participation. The key to successful polling is to form questions that will intrigue your attendees, make the instructions very clear so that your attendees know what they are supposed to do, and allow them enough time to think before voting. Commenting on the results creates a dialog between the speaker and the audience. In addition to encouraging participation, polling questions can help planners quickly understand how their content is resonating and make real-time adjustments. Facial Recognition Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are everywhere these days, including in conference rooms. Some are being used to recognize and track attendees (known as facial recognition), while others are analyzing the entire group to measure their engagement in the sessions. While there used to be more objections to this technology, it is generally accepted among younger attendees. However, it is still important to let people know ahead of time that you are using the technology, to ward off any liability from a privacy or security perspective. Gamification Younger generations have grown up with gaming consoles in their living rooms. Gamification activates the desire to achieve something and be recognized for it. It also touches on the need for 'status' among peers and gives attendees a new challenge. All of these are something younger attendees know well. So it's a natural to include gaming in meetings to get attendees to partake in activities they may not otherwise be inclined to do, like visiting a booth on the far end of an exhibit hall or connecting with new people they have not met before. Interactive Entertainment Younger attendees have also grown up in the world of immersive art events like Artechouse and Superblue, and even viewed the masters like Van Gogh and Monet electronically. Immersive experiences like Meow Wolf, which blends art, storytelling, and technology as visitors explore new worlds, have shaped their view of entertainment. Meetings can also wow attendees by using projection mapping, which transforms everyday objects like walls, buildings, and stages into dynamic, immersive displays. Whether it is subtle lighting effects or massive 3D video installations, projection mapping creates the same effect as these other immersive entertainment experiences — just at a meeting. AI A recent McKinsey survey found that Millennials are the most active generation of gen AI users. Some 62%t of employees aged 35 to 44 report high levels of expertise, compared with half of 18- to 24-year-old Gen Zers and 22% of Baby Boomers over 65. For Ginger Taylor, assistant director-leadership at Leadhership CORRECT Network for Women at Arc, AI is a kickstarter — the first step in her creative process. ChatGPT has become one of her go-to tools. 'I'm completely self-taught. I didn't take a course or follow a step-by-step manual. I just started using it, learned as I went, and I'm still learning. That's the beauty of it. 'I use ChatGPT to spark creativity, to help me think through challenges, and to kickstart the planning process,' she said. 'It helps me uncover angles I might not have considered on my own. 'For me, ChatGPT is part of the bigger process: strategy, research, innovation, creativity, and leadership. It doesn't replace the work, it enhances it.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Wednesday, July 16
Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Wednesday's meetings at Uttoxeter, Yarmouth, Catterick, Ffos Las and Bath. Uttoxeter Robin Goodfellow 2.38 Karavomylos 3.08 Joueuse Royale 3.38 Lady Jago 4.08 Soleil D'arizona 4.38 Monticello 5.10 Dear Dot Yarmouth Robin Goodfellow 6.10 Speed Of Maajid 6.40 Desert Treasure 7.10 Kaleido 7.40 Temple Bruer 8.10 Kilima 8.40 Daring Legend Gimcrack 6.10 The Feminine Urge 6.40 Schrodinger's Cat 7.10 Kaleido 7.40 Coolagh Magic 8.10 Marinakis 8.40 Daring Legend Catterick Robin Goodfellow 2.30 Made All 3.00 Gillali Lass 3.30 Rose Of Spain 4.00 Irish Dancer 4.30 ANCIENT TIMES (nap) 5.00 Finbar's Lad Gimcrack 2.30 Fiddlers Green 3.00 Shetakesthegold 3.30 ROSE OF SPAIN (nap) 4.00 Mrs Bagerran 4.30 Ancient Times 5.00 Vince Le Prince NORTHERNER – 3.00 GILLALI LASS (nap); 5.00 Benacre (nb). Ffos Las Robin Goodfellow 6.30 First Time 7.00 Conscript 7.30 Bama Lama 8.00 Beggarman 8.30 Whatsgoingonmarvin (nb) 9.00 Zambezi Magic Gimcrack 6.30 First Time (nb) 7.00 Conscript 7.30 Roach Power 8.00 Beggarman 8.30 Whatsgoingonmarvin 9.00 Warrior Lion Bath Robin Goodfellow 2.20 Rajak 2.50 Dark Alley 3.20 Neptune Legend 3.50 Iwantmytimewithyou 4.20 Garswood Gold 4.53 Eye Of The Water Gimcrack 2.20 Rajak 2.50 Dark Alley 3.20 Nordic Glory 3.50 Captain Brett 4.20 Zafaan 4.53 Fact Or Fable
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
The moment a municipal council could no longer function
Following two resignations and the temporary suspension of the mayor, Sunbury-York South had to call off all meetings until September, when it may have enough members to legally operate.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Zoom rolls out new agentic AI offerings to save time and drive connections
Custom AI Companion add-on is now available to online customers, delivering extended capabilities, including AI meeting summaries across top meeting platforms and customized meeting summaries Zoom expands core AI Companion capabilities, including real-time call questions, voice recorder for in-person meetings, and meeting agenda creation, included at no additional cost with paid Zoom licenses Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today delivered new agentic AI capabilities to help users complete tasks across platforms and save time during the work day. With the Custom AI Companion add-on, Zoom AI Companion can now connect to 16 third-party apps to help orchestrate tasks without leaving Zoom. Additionally, the Custom AI Companion add-on is now available for online purchase, enabling small business owners to leverage AI Companion across third-party video conferencing platforms, customize meeting summary templates, create custom avatars, and connect third-party apps to boost productivity, and help them get more done so they can focus on building and growing their business. 'With Zoom AI Companion's agentic skills, users will see a significant productivity boost to help them get more done — not just in Zoom, but across business-essential apps like ServiceNow, Jira, Salesforce, Asana, Box, and more,' said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. 'The Custom AI Companion add-on empowers users to streamline their workflows by having AI Companion join their Zoom Meetings and in-person meetings, and can now access AI Companion across other video conferencing platforms.' New connected third-party apps for Custom AI Companion add-on With the Custom AI Companion add-on, users can now connect to 16 third-party apps. AI Companion uses agentic AI capabilities to maximize efficiency, helping users save time and get more done without leaving Zoom Workplace. With the Custom AI Companion add-on, users can already connect to apps like Amazon Q, Glean, and Jira to deliver powerful indexing, enterprise search, and ticketing capabilities. New app connectors also deliver context-rich answers and help complete tasks across workstreams with intelligent app orchestration. Improve sales and service outcomes: Accelerate decisions and improve customer satisfaction by empowering teams to resolve service tickets, track opportunities, and update records in real-time, directly from Zoom. When connected to Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk, AI Companion helps organizations streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and ensure customer interactions drive meaningful business results. Reimagine document collaboration: When connected to Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Box*, Confluence, Notion, or Coda, AI Companion helps drive meaningful conversations with secure access to existing documents during meetings, and the ability to generate new documents based on current meetings, update existing documents with simple prompts, or get a quick summary of a document. * Not all document features available at launch. Simplify project management: Keeping teams updated on projects and activities can be challenging, but when connected to Asana and Jira, users can query and command project tools, using AI Companion to update project statuses, assign tasks, and set deadlines without app-juggling or manual workflows. Reduce communication silos: Keep chats and ideas organized in Slack with the ability to search, summarize, and post messages from AI Companion. Recruit and onboard new talent: When connected to Workday, AI Companion can help expedite recruiting, interviews, and onboarding workflows with search and summary capabilities about open jobs and candidate profiles. Custom AI Companion add-on expands to online customers AI Companion captures meeting summaries from Microsoft Teams with the Custom AI Companion add-on. Many entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small business owners, and consultants often find themselves switching meeting platforms throughout their day to take calls with clients and stakeholders, without a central way to organize their meeting notes. The Custom AI Companion add-on, now available for purchase online, expands AI Companion's meeting summary capabilities to third-party video conferencing platforms, and delivers agentic AI capabilities to help small businesses get more done: Professional service providers like consultants and freelancers can simplify workflows and save time beyond Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phone calls, and in-person meetings by using AI-generated meeting summaries across third-party meeting platforms. With connections to third-party applications like Asana, they can automatically have projects updated in Asana without leaving the meeting. Sales professionals can nurture relationships with prospects and clients while reducing admin time by automatically updating sales records in CRMs like Salesforce, based on the conversation. Educators can go beyond meeting summaries and lecture plans to reliably generate summaries and takeaways with custom summaries that can be shared with students to reinforce learning, and create personalized videos using Custom Avatars for Zoom Clips to connect with students in different languages. With the Custom AI Companion add-on, small businesses can connect AI Companion to the 16 aforementioned apps, plus tailor AI Companion skills to address their unique needs and drive efficiency across their organizations: Work across platforms: Zoom is an open platform, and AI Companion can attend third-party meetings, including Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, with Cisco Webex support coming soon. AI Companion can join meetings on a user's behalf to automatically transcribe, summarize, and deliver actionable follow-ups. Save time with AI-generated clips: With Custom Avatars for Zoom Clips, users can create an avatar in their likeness, provide a transcript of the desired content, and allow AI Companion to generate a clip for them, saving time and helping them scale their efforts. Customize meeting summaries with templates: Users can turn meetings into tailored, actionable summaries by selecting from 11 purpose-built templates designed to reflect the tone, structure, and focus of each meeting and match the meeting goals. Expand knowledge: Admins can connect Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive accounts as data sources in AI Studio while respecting existing permission controls, and crawl public URLs as a data source for knowledge collections so AI Companion can crawl those pages and provide more relevant answers to users' queries. The Custom AI Companion add-on is now available for purchase online for $12 per user per month with paid Zoom Workplace plans. To learn more about how organizations can tailor AI Companion to meet their unique needs with the Custom AI Companion add-on, visit the Zoom website. Maximize the workday with AI Companion Zoom AI Companion continues to enhance productivity and collaboration across Zoom Workplace. These capabilities are included at no extra charge as part of Zoom AI Companion for all paid Zoom Workplace licenses. Get started faster: The new onboarding experience within the Zoom desktop app makes it easier to configure AI Companion settings, including what meetings are summarized, who summaries are shared with, and how they are shared. Build better meeting agendas: Users can easily add structure to meetings by creating agendas for upcoming meetings from templates. AI Companion can also leverage previous meetings or Zoom Docs to create even more tailored agendas. Get more out of calls: Users can now query AI Companion before, during, and after Zoom Phone calls to help them catch up and gain deeper insights. They can ask questions like, 'What was the disagreement about?' or 'Can you tell me the main points being discussed?' Users can also have AI Companion pull up information from previous conversations, prioritize missed calls, and draft follow-up messages. Summarize documents in chat threads: AI Companion can summarize supported text-based documents shared in Zoom Team Chat to help quickly and efficiently digest new information without leaving the chat thread. Capture notes and tasks for in-person interactions: AI Companion also supports in-person meetings with the Voice Recorder, transcribing, summarizing, and capturing action items, allowing users to focus on the conversation and revisit details and action items later. Easily access meeting assets: Users can access meeting summaries, transcripts, recordings, and event details from the meeting card in the calendar event and via email. Hosts will also be able to share the assets with participants via the meeting card in Zoom Calendar (coming later this month), and participants can request access to the meeting card via the Zoom Calendar event. Seamless sharing: AI Companion can be configured to automatically share meeting summaries to other platforms, to update counterparts and refresh customer records with the latest conversation highlights. Zoom Workplace powers collaboration and productivity Zoom Workplace continues to accelerate collaboration and help users ideate, create, and deliver effective work effortlessly on a single app. Track edits and publish externally in Zoom Docs: Easily track content changes to docs, highlighting content additions, deletions, replacements, and formatting with specific styles. Users can also now publish Zoom Docs as public webpages, accessible to anyone, whether they are logged in or not. Stitch, combine, and create longer clips: Merge multiple Zoom Clips into one seamless video without external apps, preview and make adjustments before finalizing edits, and preserve original content without overwriting original assets. To learn more about Zoom Workplace, visit the Zoom website. About Zoom Zoom's mission is to provide an AI-first work platform for human connection. Reimagine teamwork with Zoom Workplace — Zoom's open collaboration platform with AI Companion that empowers teams to be more productive. Together with Zoom Workplace, Zoom's Business Services for sales, marketing, and customer experience teams, including Zoom Contact Center, strengthen customer relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more information at
Travel Weekly
2 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Highlights from GTM North America 2025
Highlights from GTM North America 2025 GTM North America's 180 hosted advisors conducted one-on-one meetings with supplier reps. Advisors must apply to be selected for the GTM program, where they are matched with suppliers for the meetings. Photo Credit: Generikal Design
