Tag Archives: Big Data

Eight is Great!

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This year GovEvents celebrates its eighth anniversary being the premier online resource for government and military events worldwide. GovEvents was created to provide a one-stop-shop for the government community to find the events that aid in their professional development, their organization's mission, and their business goals.

 

We're proud of the growth we've seen over the past eight years, but more importantly, we're thankful to the community that has made it possible. In that spirit, we wanted to provide our "Top 8" list of things you may not have known about GovEvents and the government events market.[Tweet "This year GovEvents celebrates its eighth anniversary . #GovEventsBlog"]

 

#8) When we launched, our team researched and posted approximately 90% of the events on the site. Today, that statistic is flipped with our members posting 90% of the events you see and the GovEvents team filling in the other 10%.

 

#7) Speaking of members, we have more than 80,000 registered members on our site driving the diversity and depth of the information our users have access to.

 

Continue reading →

Defining the Internet of (Government) Things

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The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated devices that may have completely different uses, shapes, or sizes, but all have one thing in common-- data and the ability to transfer it autonomously. IoT can be the microchip that helps you find your lost dog, a monitor in a heart valve that alerts doctors and patients to irregular beats, a thermostat that you can turn on remotely, motion detectors that tell you when someone is approaching your door, and so much more. Building on these everyday applications, state, local, and federal agencies are finding ways to use IoT to better serve citizens.[Tweet "IoT was named one of the top subjects discussed at federally-focused events. #GovEventsBlog"]

Since IoT was named one of the top subjects discussed at federally-focused events, we wanted to take a closer look at how government organizations are tapping into the plethora of IoT devices, networks, and capabilities to improve our country's security and welfare. The major trends around IoT in government include:[Tweet "The major trends around IoT in government include: Smart Cities, Cybersecurity and more. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Government Event Market Remains Consistent

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Last month we surveyed GovEvents' organizer members to get a pulse on what they are seeing in the government events' market. The common theme we found is that the environment for government events seems to be stable and unchanging.

This is good news in the wake of the GSA event scandal that dealt a big hit to the government events' market in 2012 and 2013, but should we get comfortable with this status quo? First, let's look at some of the stats:

  • 61% of respondents said they are planning the same number of events as they did a year ago.
  • 42% of organizations said they are spending the same amount of money on events as they did last year.
  • 57% of respondents said that attendance at events is about the same as it was a year ago with 29% noting a rise.[Tweet "GovEvents Survey Findings: Government Event Market Remains Consistent. #GovEventsBlog"]

These findings were similar to those discovered by Market Connections earlier this year. In that survey of government employees, the results showed that event attendance continued to be flat for the last couple of years after seeing an uptick after the issues around the GSA event were addressed. Continue reading →

Behind the Curtain: Oracle Federal Forum

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Now in its tenth year, the Oracle Federal Forum is taking a fresh approach to its annual show. As always, it brings together government technology, business and industry leadership, IT experts of every flavor, as well as technology thought-leaders to provide a hands-on look at the future of government IT.

Oracle's Federal Forum theme this year is, "Modern Cloud, Endless Possibilities," and is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Washington, D.C. Oracle and its industry partners will examine how agencies can begin embracing the power of cloud computing while also acknowledging that government has considerable investments in existing, on-premises technology. In addition to being a hands-on technology event, Oracle will also offer sessions and workshops on more business-oriented content for HR, finance and budgeting, and marketing professionals.[Tweet "Behind the Curtain: Oracle Federal Forum. What you can expect from this year's event. #GovEventsBlog"]

The team at Oracle took some time away from their planning and preparation to share some insights on what people can expect from this year's event.

With 2017 being the tenth anniversary for this event, can you share a little bit about how the Federal Forum has changed over the years? Continue reading →

Know Your Audience

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Knowing your audience means more than knowing their names and titles. It means understanding what impact demographics, geography, behavior, and attitudes will have on how they participate in your event and what they take away from it.

Here are a few items to consider:[Tweet "Know Your Audience - demographics, geography, behavior & attitude. #GovEventsBlog"]

  • Demographics - While stats on age, gender, and ethnicity can paint broad brushstrokes of generalizations, they can also provide some really interesting insights that can make your event more personal for attendees. Take advantage of growing diversity in your attendees by highlighting different types of cuisines. This will serve to make some people feel at home while introducing others to new foods and traditions. If your attendees skew to a younger demographic having free, reliable wifi will be expected and critical to their event experience.[Tweet "Take advantage of growing diversity in your attendees. #GovEventsBlog"]
  • Geography - Do your attendees live near your event site? If travel is involved for many, providing a city guide will be a good addition to all of the event material. Do many of your attendees take public transportation to get to your event? Hand sanitizer in the event goody bag (handed out at the beginning of the event) may be a welcome Will a good number of people be getting a cab or Uber to leave your event? Picking a venue with heated porticos during the winter months is a nice consideration.
  • Behavior -- How many of your attendees are active on social media? If you have a group with low participation, then scaling back social media efforts at the show makes a lot of sense. While it can still be a great way to attract new attendees, if social is not used by the majority of people attending, things like hashtag contests and photo booths will not be of interest.
  • Attitude -- Knowing what is going on in your attendees' professional sphere is important. For a government audience, is sequestration looming? If so, stress and tensions may be high. This can influence the tone of information presented (recognizing the stress) as well as the activities offered (yoga or massage chairs for relaxation).

[Tweet "Knowing the audience allows for the event to be tailored to what they want to hear. #GovEventsBlog"]More than the things you do at the event, knowing the audience allows for the event to be tailored to what they want to hear, not what you want to tell them. What are some examples of "know your audience" changes you've made or seen at events? Share your thoughts in the comments.