Tech Tuesday: Stand Out Technologies for Meeting Planning

Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming companies for their innovative ideas and ability to think outside the box!

Meetings can be a daunting task when trying to get everyone engaged and on the same page. Meetings are vital for management and communication, and properly run meetings save time, increase motivation and productivity, and create new initiatives. Getting a group together diffuses information much faster than an office email. Here are our top three meeting organization technologies that will make your next meeting or conference run much more smoothly!

1. Catchbox: This genius invention is used for bigger meetings and eliminates the tedium of a wired microphone and creates audience engagement. Catchbox is a throwable, cordless microphone that can be used by the speaker at the front of the room, and then thrown to participating audience members when they want to contribute. A Catchbox can be employed in so many situations, and not only is it useful, but audience members are going to want to talk just because it’s so much fun! I would go to a meeting specifically to be able to speak up through this fun, catchable microphone!

2. MeetingPulse: Encouraging cooperation while fostering different ideas can be tricky, but MeetingPulse allows you to poll meeting members to get a wide array of opinions. The application gives a visual representation of audience feedback, charting information sent between the speaker and the audience, and at the end of the meeting, provides a way to follow up with the company. We are excited about this app because it streamlines communication between the audience and the speaker!

3. Stormz: This awesome collaboration software creates workshops for large groups, facilitating development, creation and innovation. The feedback shows that the application is easy to use and makes group meetings move much faster. This app sounds dynamic and seems helpful for corporate meeting demands.

Have you tried any of these meeting technologies? Is CatchBox as fun as it looks?! We would love to hear from you in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Startup Monday: et al

Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past & would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events.

It has happened to all of us – your friends are planning a group dinner or a special outing and cannot decide what amazing restaurant in San Francisco to try, let alone coordinate a date or time that works well with everybody. This situation typically results in those dreaded long threads of back-and-forth email conversations that overflow your inbox. We believe we have found the perfect phone app that will resolve this issue!

Et al eliminates the email chains and instead give you a way to make plans with your friends in a way that is quick, easy, and most importantly, fun! The phone app allows guests to vote on date, time, and location options. Once votes are in, the details are finalized and an RSVP is requested by everyone. Et al also has text and email syncing capabilities so you’ll never miss an invite! Chat messaging and photo sharing are other features that add to this amazing phone app!

Jenny Hunt founded et al and the app is her vision for a simple and aesthetic experience that makes planning getaways and get-togethers with friends fun again. The app is available on the iPhone and the website offers full functionality as well. Et al is great for hosting a dinner party, bridal parties, weekend trips, or even wine night! We love that et al makes the planning process simple & easy; therefore we can spend more time enjoying the presence of others!

What do you think of et al? Will you be using it for your next get together? Please let us know in comments on Facebook and Twitter!