Sometimes when I pack my electronic gadgets and chargers, I feel like a
modern-day, female MacGuyver. Only instead of stashing duct tape and watch
springs, I'm toting a laser pointer and a memory stick loaded with the graphics
I plan to display in perfect counterpoint to my presentation.
Fortunately, I don't have to lug the projector, thanks to a company called
Projector123.com. Projector123 will ship an LCD projector to your hotel
room, your client's place of business, a meeting facility or a convention
center--anywhere, really, as long as it's in the U.S.
Considering the convenience--no carrying the extra weight of the projector or
ushering it through airport security, and using the latest technology without
investing in soon-obsolete equipment--the price seems reasonable: $99 per day or
$149 per day, depending on whether you choose a 2000-lumen or 3000-lumen model.
The projector's carrying case includes instructions for the setup and a prepaid
shipping carton/carrying case. To return it, you can put the package in a FedEx
drop box or call FedEx to arrange pickup.
Of course, there's always the chance that your audience isn't as infatuated
with your presentation as you are, or that you prefer to speak extemporaneously,
crafting your remarks to accommodate your audience.
That's when it's time for another MacGuyer gadget. If you want to gauge
audience comprehension or create an interactive presentation, you can use a
polling device. A reasonably priced version is the
ResponseCard
AnyWhere, a handheld receiver with an LCD screen. It doesn't require a
projector, computer--or even an electrical outlet.
Ask your audience a question, and attendees can respond via their own
ResponseCard RF keypads. The receiver tabulates and displays the results
onscreen. Mike Broderick, CEO of Turning Technologies LLC, which manufactures
the device, sees a market for consultants, who can carry a complete system with
them to a meeting, "ready for private polling of executives during an
investigatory session," he says.
"Respondents can answer confidential questions while still in the meeting,
without fear of peer pressure or influence," he said. The system is available
for purchase or rent from
Turning
Technologies.
Rental is $5 a day per person, including the units for audience response.
There's also a $450 event fee.
Spotme, another polling
device, is more complex--and much more "MacGuyver-esque." Use it for polling and
you can integrate audience feedback directly into your presentation by
downloading fresh polling results directly into a PowerPoint slide on the
screen.
Spotme's functionality, however, encourages interactivity beyond polling. For
example, the Spotme wheel can cycle through a list of meeting participants and
stop at one name to bring that person on stage. Or you can create an icebreaker
with something like this: "There are seven people here who were born in
California. Be the first person to send us an e-mail with their names, and win a
prize."
But the real power of Spotme comes from its other functions, which are
designed to help you get the most out of a large conference, convention or trade
show where you're talking to a lot of people and hearing a lot of information.
There's a meeting scheduler to keep your appointments and social functions
straight, and an electronic business card exchange function, which beats
carrying home a stack of cards to input into a contract-management program.
But what intrigues me most about Spotme is the way it helps you keep in touch
with other meeting-goers, even if you have trouble matching the names with the
faces of the scads of people you've just met. A "face search" lets you browse
the participant list by photo.
Looking for a group of people with something in common--for example, all
colleagues in a satellite office or anyone who's asked you to follow up with him
or her in the next week? Enter a few keywords, and Spotme returns the
appropriate list. If you're eager to save a few salient points from a
conversation, you can enter notes into the device. After the meeting is over,
the notes will be sent to you electronically with the business card and photo of
the person you talked to.
With any luck, that person is Richard Dean Anderson.