Entrepreneurs' conference uses mobile to connect to attendees

By Giselle Abramovich

May 20, 2008

Handraisers texted

TieCON, one of the largest annual events in the world dedicated to entrepreneurs, tapped MobileVerbs Inc. to let conference attendees interact with speakers and get up-to-the minute conference information on their handsets.

The TieCON attendees were allowed to submit questions to presentation moderators by sending a text message from their mobile phones. Attendees could also get conference information via SMS. TieCON polled attendees via mobile and even presented survey takers with real-time results.

“MobileVerbs is software-as-a-service company that lets advertisers build their own mobile applications,” said Karla Allen, marketing advisor for MobileVerb, Freemont, CA.

“It’s simple because companies can serve the ads from the same campaign management tools whether it's SMS, polls, WAP or email. We offer situational targeting and ads are formatted for each person’s phone.”

Event participants can also provide ratings on various sessions and conference organizers have access to the rating data in real-time.

Attendees also get access to agenda updates, breaking news and other event-related content directly on their mobile.

MobileVerbs' mobile marketing services are available for market segments such as events, agencies, retailers and market research.

The company provides mobile services such as WAP sites, surveys, polls, contests, blogs, newsfeeds, coupons, advertising and rich media content.

“A lot of our clients are in the event space and TieCON decided that because its audience is mobile, devices can be used to make the conference run more smoothly,” Ms. Allen said. “We are giving people way more information and bringing the digital space to an event.

“Mobile allows for a quick two-way communication in a deeper level than other media,” she said. “Mobile helps to enhance and experience.”