American Thoracic Society Contracts with CDS to Provide Beacon Technology at ATS 2017

May 3, 2017

The American Thoracic Society has tapped registration partner Convention Data Services to provide beacon technology for ATS 2017, the annual conference the society’s 113th annual conference, set for May 19-24 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C.

For the first time at ATS, CDS will provide the event’s 16,000 attendees and exhibitors with smart badges containing wireless beacons designed to gather data regarding session attendance, exhibit hall traffic, activity in satellite locations and attendance at special functions.

Registration data from the event will be integrated with the beacon technology on a real-time basis, which will provide ATS with rich insights regarding attendee activity and patterns. 

“Beacon technology is a way for ATS to assure that we can deliver the most relevant and useful knowledge to the participants at our meeting at the time and place that is most appropriate for different categories of attendees,” said Stephen Crane, PhD, ATS executive director.

He added, “We look forward to increasing the value of our meeting for those who attend now and in the future.”

With the data collected and real-time reporting, ATS will have the opportunity to see activity during their event and gain a better understanding of how attendees are using conference resources.

A graphic dashboard featuring heat maps and charts will easily allow the show’s management team to access the data and view results at-a-glance.

The wealth of information that will obtained will enable ATS to develop new ways to enhance the event for future participants, including through the creation of new content for next year’s event, marketing promotions, sponsorship opportunities and ideas to attract and engage attendees.

For ATS 2017, CDS will partner with Panvista to provide the beacon technology.

“Our mission at CDS is to deliver innovative products and services to our clients who look to us for recommendations and new solutions to accomplish their strategic event objectives,” said John Kimball, president and CEO of Convention Data Services.

He continued, “Offering beacon technology to our show management clients will accomplish this by providing another means to capture relevant event data for analysis. By identifying trends, ATS will have the ability to create a dynamic experience for their conference attendees and engage in a more personal way.”

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