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Leif Hansen, of www.SparkInteraction.com, uses sociometrics and interactivities to communicate the principles of building engaging online communities.

Isn't it wonderful when a congress destination shows it's citizens and guests that an important event takes place here and now? That is the case in Wonderful Copenhagen these days. The city is hosting the 121th Session and 13th Congress of the IOC and witnesses the drama when Rio de Janeiro was voted venue for the Olympic Games 2016. Copenhagen is litterally dressed up with the event logo all over the city. The logo was designed by VisitDenmarks chief designer and combines the world famous Olympic with the national tourism organisations' pulsating, welcoming heart symbol.

Hi Reuben, we've conducted many such case studies and have many client examples of this. Feel free to contact me at nick@cleverzebra.com

Hello everybody, I just joined and look forward to the things to come. Joern Lucht, President http://www.conworld.net - serving the Global Meetings Industry since 2000

Great initiative - love it

Elling Hamso of the European ROI Institute is providing delegates at this year’s ICCA Congress with a tool to measure the value they gain from the event. He explains the thinking behind the concept to James Latham.

Have you seen what they do over at http://www.encodedmedia.com/ ? They have people using it from JP Morgan to secondary schools. Good stuff... GasTech's going to be using it soon too.

Meetings support and production specialist Maarten Vanneste is the man behind a new book, Meeting Architecture, which presents a future where meetings planners raise their profile in the corporate world by becoming increasingly involved in the content and design of the events they organise. James Latham talks to the author and Reed Travel Exhibition’s Paul Kennedy to find out more.

Having overseen the running of three major meetings and events industry shows in four months across the globe, Reed Travel Exhibitions’ Paul Kennedy gives James Latham his expert opinion on how the sector is performing during the downturn.

In the fallout from the AIG meetings scandal, MPI in the US has been getting across the key message that fewer meetings would be bad for the American economy due to less motivation, marketing, dealmaking and tax revenues. During MPI’s recent MeetDifferent conference, the association’s president and chief executive Bruce MacMillan tells James Latham why the media has got it wrong.

The European Event ROI Institute’s Elling Hamso talks to Ian Whiteling about how companies can go about putting the mechanisms in place to make sure their events achieve maximum return on investment.

Vice president, global development of MPI Didier Scaillet talks to Ingrid Brown about Culture Active, an online tool designed to improve cross-cultural understanding across an increasingly global meetings industry, to help create better events.

Avoiding dull presentations and boosting RoI

Technology assists in making meetings less boring.

VisitDenmark's Meetovation concept.

MeetOview - social forum for meeting planners

Can anyone advise on the best videoconferencing system on the market?

I'm looking for case studies where people have used virtual words or other interactive technology to enhance their event. Can anybody assist me with information?

Can anyone suggest a good piece of software for co-ordinating PowerPoints and other presentations at a seminar?

I find the concept of virtual meetings a very natural extension to what we have all grown up with. To me it's like adding an extra arm to your body - you still do the same things, but you can do them better, more efficiently and most importantly differently. In my line of business there are plenty of occasions where I would attend a virtual meeting, especially given that the event itself is in Manchester, only 3 hours long and starts at 08:30 I would not choose to attend it in person. That little trip would involve 400 miles and a hotel - hardly good for the environment or my wallet. The current economic climate has given us is the impetus to change the way we think about and do things. It is encouraging a new wave of creative solutions to old and new problems and has opened our eyes up to genuine reasons for doing it. Virtual meetings are a perfect example of that.