August Tech Talk - WEC19

Wow, Wow, Wow! What a summer of technology and events it has been - can it really be August already? For those of you who weren't able to make it to WEC19 in Toronto this June, you missed out. As a freelancer, I can get heavily bogged down in my little bubble. Working to meet deadlines and client demands are my priority, but continued education is what keeps me in business! It helps me stay up to date on new and innovative ways to make my work even more professional-looking and workflow more efficient.

One of my golden finds was in the workshop titled "Lights, Smartphones, Action!" with Beth Ziesenis. She introduced several helpful video apps and programs that I actually put into play at an event a week after this show. I work on the marketing and branding side of events, as well as handle the communication services (texting) and event photography. When you are wearing this many hats onsite, finding a tool that can create a dynamic wrap-up video with minimal effort is a treat! Sure, I can hand over my jpgs to the AV Team so they rotate them in a stale, boring fashion OR, I can spend hours at the end of the day, working until 3:00 a.m. trying to create something that looks funky and fun. OR, I can use Magisto.com, select my photos, a template, upload my photos and send the finalized video link over to the AV Team in a flash. And...I can get to bed before midnight knowing that the next morning will be a good one!

As mentioned, the online video editor I learned about is Magisto.com and it has a ton of templates and ideas from social media promos to marketing and video templates. This program has added a whole new dimension to my services without the added stress of doing it all from scratch! I signed up for the annual fee - $119.90/year which, for the time it saves, the variety of templates and music that it provides, makes it worth every dime!

I also attended a workshop titled "Embracing the Gig Economy in Meetings & Events." Although this workshop was geared around the freelance business specifically, I did connect with others attending and was gently steered towards a project management software called Monday.com. Although I was somewhat familiar with its functionality (and probably saw the ad during the SuperBowl), after talking to others in the industry, it helped to solidify my purchase decision. Monday.com has been fantastic in terms of not only helping to organize my projects, but also keeping my colleagues in the loop, tracking my time, and sharing files as needed. King of like Dropbox, Excel, and iTimeKeep in one. Where has this been all my life? Needless to say, I was awakened in Toronto and will sign up for next year's in Grapevine. In the meantime...back to work!

As always, I'd love to hear what apps you are using to keep track of your busy lives or make your life a little easier. Drop me a line and share at connie@conniescheer.com.

Connie Scheer
Freelance Content Creator and Planner for Branding and Events