Posts tagged with "Technology"

For some time annual conference and exhibition events have been delivering the ideal hunting ground for service providers looking to showcase their latest services and products to their target market, and for opportunistic business people to interact with like-minded individuals and buy into the latest ideas and concepts to support them in becoming more effective in their job. The Learning and Technologies Show is no different, and this year the hosts promise to put on another incredible event.

The conference and exhibition formula works, otherwise halls up and down the country wouldn’t be packed out each week with stalls, seminars and presentations filling up packed daily schedules. However, while these events are well-attended, that can’t be denied, how many visitors go to along equipped with a strategy that will ensure they get the most return for sacrificing a day or two out of the office?

From our experience, not very many. So, to ensure that you get the most from the next conference or event, follow accessplanit’s top tips on how to prepare for the next time you leave the exhibition hall you have more than just a bag full of branded pens, pencils and mousemats…

1.           Prepare: Just because the event planner’s marketing team has told you that each and every seminar at the conference is a “must attend”, it’s crucial that you do some prep work yourself. Be clear on what the key issues are for your business right now, and align those objectives with the sessions you attend. Also, find out who is speaking and identify whether anyone is particularly ‘cutting edge’ in terms of where the market is going and how it will develop.

2.           Benchmark: You’ll be inundated with representatives from stalls wanting to talk to you about their latest products and services, but have a strategy in place from the start as you will struggle to have good conversations with every single one. As an example, see this as a benchmarking opportunity, so look at all your current suppliers, find out who is in direct completion with them, and see if you could be getting a better deal somewhere else.

3.           Smartphones: Unless you’re part of an anti-tech clan, you’ll have a mobile phone with decent camera functionality, and a busy conference is the ideal place to use it. Instead of frantically writing down notes on each and every new piece of tech that you think might be able to half your workload, take pics to remind yourself later.

4.           Networking: Don’t be too selfless either, it’s good to seize the opportunity to find out more about how the latest providers can help your business, but also remember that you are surrounded by individuals working in the same industry as you, and the power of networking should never be ignored. Think about those who are a few rungs above you on the corporate ladder, and consider how they could help you to catch up. If you get a chance, find out who is attending and which company they are from, you can make a beeline for then during breaks.

5.           Be ruthless: Exhibition and conferences are a crucial time for service and product providers, and it makes no sense to waste people’s time. So, by following step 1 and having a clear idea of what you want to get from the exhibition you will ensure that you don’t waste anyone’s time. Don’t stand around and let an exhibitor talk and talk if you have absolutely no interest in the product in question or it it’s totally irrelevant to your business. Of course, if there is a chance that you could invest or are keen to learn more about the company, stay and talk, but if not take a ruthless approach and move on to the next stand.

6.           Visit accessplanit: Of course, the best way to get the most from the Learning and Technologies show 2012 is to visit the experts – accessplanit. We’re exhibiting at stand 67 over the two days and will be on hand to explain just how our revolutionary training management software can cut administration and costs, while helping businesses to market and sell their training courses in a far more effective way.

It should come as no surprise that the fashion industry is at the forefront when it comes to integrating technology into business – fashion relies on being extremely responsive and reacting to new levels of demand, and technology offers complete support in this arena.

That’s why I was interested, but not shocked, to read about the latest venture by Debenhams. The retailer has launched a range of virtual pop-up shops across the UK, and those interested just turn up, download an app to their iPad or iPhone, and virtually ‘try on’ dresses, without the usual handbag throwing and elbow flying normally associated with these type of must-attend events. What is more, you can even send out the virtual image of yourself in the new dress on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to get a quick assessment from followers and friends.

For me, this has to be the future of training. Utilising all of the various training platforms to bring people together into a virtual classroom where experiences and knowledge can be shared around. All trainers know the importance of sharing and communicating (these are probably the reasons that many find it so hard to loosen the shackles of classroom-based learning), and via social networking sites this is made quick and simple.

Forget week-long training programmes, this is modern day learning, where delegates can get bite-sized portions of information as and when they need it, without being tied to a certain time or date. An effective training management system will allow trainers to offer learning in this way, the only barrier to developing this approach seems to be the training companies themselves.

But change is happening, you only need to see our tweets and news posts to see how many training companies that we work with are building their client base and reaching out to a wider audience with the latest innovative products and services. Take Course Manager for instance, it allows training businesses to completely automate the work that they carry out on a day-to-day basis, from the marketing of their programmes to generating the invoices and ‘happy sheets’ at the end of a course. Time, as with any industry is so precious, and it is crucial that companies continue to shift their training programmes from off-line to on-line in an effort to boost engagement with a busy workforce.

Debenhams may well be operating in an IT-savvy industry, but it is still delivering a product or service to human beings, just as training is. The difference is that there is a far wider acceptance and excitement around IT-based interaction within fashion, but as more and more businesses demand the type of development programmes that allow individuals to fit learning into their busy schedules, it is up to the training providers themselves to satisfy this trend, or else lose the business. 

You can get in touch with accessplanit and hear more about the Course Manager software that it has developed. Either call 0845 5430229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com if you want to read testimonials from current clients or set up a demo to see just how much of an impact the software can have.

Seeing the traditional establishment and ‘the old way of doing things’ shift to the new and innovative, always catches my eye – and when you work in the technology business, it’s always something worth talking about. The Times, reliable as ever for the technology stories, has picked up on two establishments this week that probably haven’t been too IT-friendly over the years, but have now shown the type of progression that all of us here at accessplanit would like to see the training industry adopt (or should I say, more of the training industry – some businesses do it really well) in the future.

Whitehall is not somewhere you would necessarily expect to be moving at a rapid pace in terms of technology, and it’s not, but it is moving, which is a positive sign that deserves noting if nothing else. The Times report documents the move from handwritten letters to email, and then now on to text – which is the communication of choice for some of the frontbench MPs today. Who would have thought that some of the most important notes and messages are being sent via text between leaders recognised throughout the world?

Then, at the same time, the Edinburgh Fringe has, for the first time, adopted technology in a big way into the creative season this year. Noted for its innovative and ground-breaking performances, the Edinburgh Festival is known globally and visited by arts lovers from across the world. So, it was great to see that technology is being accepted as a route to develop new ideas and explore creative avenues. With soundclouds to Skype, and from video goggles to iPads, the festival has taken one look at the possibilities that technology offers up, and welcomed it in with open arms.

This type of progression means taking a step into the unknown, adapting the way businesses and people operate, but always keeping a keen eye on development and success, and, if some establishments like Whitehall and the Edinburgh Festival are taking strides, what is your business waiting for?

If you want to move your training business into the digital age and embrace the new technology that has proven to save valuable time as well as costs, get in touch with accessplanit today by clicking here or calling 0845  5430229.

Anyone who was trying to ignore the technological revolution, can try no more. It’s futile. As the news filtered in that ‘the’ gadget of the past few years, the iPhone, is to be manufactured by robots (in part at least), I could almost hear the small corner of IT-resisting traditionalists throwing down their weapons and reluctantly wandering across to the other side, the war is over and the battle is won.

There is a serious side to the story of a million robots replacing human workers who are carrying out mundane and monotonous tasks in the iPhone factory in China’s Pearl river delta, of course. It is a huge step for the technological world, indicating that companies of this size are looking to drive efficiency and bring down costs through the introduction of intelligent and sophisticated technology, and the fact that this move in China has received such press, is not just because of the iPhone connection. It is also because, rather bravely, a member of the China Labour Bulletin (an organisation supporting the plight of Chinese workers) has claimed that this could in fact be a positive move for staff, who will finally be able to divorce themselves from the thankless tasks and actually up-skill and work on projects that use a bit more of their ability as a human being.

And it’s an interesting point that I’ll certainly be bringing into accessplanit, because all too often in the training world there is scepticism about advertising the fact that investing in new technology means that staff numbers will be cut, but that never has to be the case.

In fact, and I think it’s more than just a positive spin, the Chinese official is right, it can be the golden opportunity than individuals have been looking for to up-skill, actually relinquish the boring jobs and replace them with something that requires a level of intelligence and input that, perhaps, only humans can offer. It will be interesting to see how this one pans out, and, perhaps more importantly, how many employees find the positives associated with efficiency drives through automation.

If you want your training business to drive up efficiency and lower administration time and cost, click here to read about the accessplanit Course Manager.