That New New Thing.

Many of us love new tech and wonder how we can use it to our practical advantage or just to create some buzz for our business.

But have you taken advantage of the tech that’s already available, right now?

Leapfrogging to the newest thing might make sense for your business and could make you a pioneer among your peers - but pioneers often get shot in the back.

Choosing the time to use new technology can be both an art and a science that can take years to master.

Apple’s iBeacon is one such technology and definitely one that you should carefully consider - along with three other new technologies mentioned in this week’s Digest.

Also in this issue: an episode of The #EventTech Podcast with Dino Dogan, CEO & Founder of Triberr; all the wrong things you know about QR codes - and more.

Don’t miss our very first #EventTech Twitter chat this week! Details below.

Until next time,

John Federico (@gadgetboy)
CEO & Co-founder
Qrious

EventTech chat on Twitter - 60 minutes of fast paced discussion, limited to 140 characters! All you have to do is get on twitter this Thursday at 5pm Eastern (2pm Pacific, GMT -4) and follow the hashtag: #EventTech This week’s topics include iBeacon, 8 Keys for Event Managers and Exhibitors to get the most from their events, and more!

In this episode, I talk with Dino Dogan (@dinodogan), CEO & Founder of Triberr, about A Tribe Called Geek and hacking the human operating system. This interview was recorded at Plannertech 2013 in NYC.

Everywhere I look, there’s this growing excitement about Apple’s revered iBeacon. It has become the Holy Grail of #eventtech. And, like the Holy Grail, it’s a myth. It’s a unicorn. That’s because the details matter and unless you know what they are, you’ll be duped by the hype.

QR Codes for mobile phones should be the greatest invention of the past 5 years. They’re simple to create. They can be scanned on most phones (if you make it easy) and they are culturally identifiable - when you see a QR code, you probably know what it’s creator intended for you to do with it.

“It is confirmed. Our event participants depend on their mobile devices. There are few needs-from locating the nearest Starbucks to perusing the conference agenda to finding a booth on the trade show floor-that cannot be addressed with an event app and the hardware it lives on. So, what do we do with this reality?”

“Technology has revolutionized the meetings industry, and that revolution is far from over. This week in Austin, Texas, SXSW showcased some of the most groundbreaking new tools that will transform the way business professionals connect, collaborate and create in the future. Each year, the conference provides the launchpad for many tech start-ups.”