Spotlighting mobile event technology are QuickMobile, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and FreemanXP at the first-ever Mobile App Hackathon, which challenges participants to create game-changing mobile technology for the events industry.
“We’re excited to have the Mobile App Hackathon at Convening Leaders where event planners can learn how to use hackathon-like events at their own conference or within their own organizations to develop innovations that will benefit the entire industry,” said Patrick Payne, CEO, QuickMobile.
During PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2014 conference from Jan. 12-15, at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, the Hackathon will show Convening Leaders’ attendees how a hackathon can benefit their own conferences and meetings. It will also feature IT students from Boston-area colleges and local Web/mobile developers competing for $5,000 in prize money.
“QuickMobile has been conducting internal hackathons since its inception, and the results are invaluable to our company and customers,” said Payne. “While hackathons are common at technology conferences, it’s about time that the growing event industry takes advantage of their benefits. A great deal of ingenuity can come from unexpected collaborations, and the external expertise and experiences will undoubtedly deliver innovative ideas and creative solutions that can benefit everyone involved in meeting planning, management and execution as well as attendees.”
Participants will be tasked with building working mobile functionality within a 45-hour timeframe. Their solutions will be based on the theme of “[R]evolutionize Connectivity” and must address one of several provided scenarios dealing with event connectivity and communications challenges. Solutions will be presented to a panel of QuickMobile team members and academic experts who will judge the entries and determine prizes. The winner receives $3,500, and second place receives $1,000. Third place receives $500.
“Mobile meeting app innovation takes center stage at the Hackathon, and we couldn’t have picked better partners than QuickMobile and FreemanXP to make it happen,” said Kelly Peacy, senior vice president of education and meetings, PCMA “Mobile technology has changed the way that our industry professionals approach many aspects of their jobs, and it has had a tremendous impact on how our attendees engage before, during and after events. The Hackathon provides Convening Leaders’ attendees with the opportunity to witness firsthand an exciting evolution in mobile event app technology and how to potentially use this innovative hackathon meeting style in their own events. It’s a complete win-win for our membership.”
The Mobile App Hackathon kicks off Jan. 13, inside the Learning Lounge 2.0, which is a Freeman-powered new area within the conference dedicated to creating opportunities for the PCMA community to collaborate and engage.
“PCMA challenged us to create a space where its members could interact, share and get more involved,” said Chris Cavanaugh, president, FreemanXP. “In addition to fostering community, the Learning Lounge is also an innovation incubator. The Hackathon is one important example of PCMA’s commitment to innovation as it brings together the fresh new perspective of the developer community, with the ideas and contributions of PCMA members.”
To register for the event or for more information, visit: http://bit.ly/1cFBcEx.
