RISMEDIA, November 15, 2010—As attendees of the 12th Annual Exit International Convention and Gala poured into Marsalis Hall at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas recently for the cocktail party and exhibitor launch, it was clear that mobile technology would have a big impact on the conference. The first 500 attendees who entered Marsalis Hall were handed a card instructing them on how to enter to win $1,000 cash. How to enter? Go to a page on the convention’s mobile website and enter your name and cell phone number.
Attendees quickly popped open the browsers on their device. I personally did not meet a single person who didn’t have a web-enabled phone at the event. Those of us with Verizon quickly rushed to find a buddy or the nearest exhibitor whose AT&T phone we could borrow to enter since Verizon had little to no signal in this particular room.
Within the first 15 minutes the doors were open to the event, over 500 people had entered the necessary information to try and win the big cash prize. The DJ toggled the flat screen TVs throughout the event between music videos and the live countdown clock to the online drawing, which would commence at the end of the event.
As attendees waited and mingled the excitement grew. Numerous attendees approached me asking whether or not I knew who the winner would be, which I did not. The winning phone number was selected randomly at 9 p.m. CST at the end of the cocktail party—slot machine style. The countdown on the screen ended and random slots in the 10-digit phone number began to drop into place. Finally, the lucky winner was chosen with the selection of the 10th digit and was awarded the prize.
The entire conference and gala had incorporated mobile technology from the events to day-to-day, by providing attendees with interactive programs. The mobile enter-to-win contest was just one example. In addition to that, EXIT International provided a fully mobile-enabled website with conference schedule, speakers, breakout sessions, sponsors and exhibitors. Attendees had the option to download the Gateway App so all conference information was stored on the home screen of their phone for instant access.
Overall, Exit International did a phenomenal job of not only incorporating, but educating everyone in attendance of the importance of mobile technology in the real estate industry. From the enthusiasm at the corporate level to the technology trainers and speakers who drove home the need to go mobile in the day-to-day business of brokers and agents, EXIT international did a great job of making mobile a priority at this year’s event.
Check out the Exit International Convention and Gala Mobil Website by going to http://m.exitconv.com from your mobile device.
Seth Kaplan is the president of Mobile Real Estate ID. Contact him directly at Seth@mobilerealestateid.com or, for more information, visit www.mobilerealestateid.com.
