Web sites, online advertising, social media, blogs, Webcasts, virtual meetings, podcasts … the digital media options for exhibition marketers have exploded. A new report released last week by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research and George P. Johnson reveals that almost 80 percent of event marketers are using these tools in some fashion, and it drills down to explore which ones are most widely used and how their ROI is being evaluated.

Here’s the word from a bona fide meetings technology expert: Don’t rush out and buy meetings technology.

Mike Malinchok, CPC, who launched a strategic meetings management consultancy in late May—S2K On Purpose LLC—says one of the biggest mistakes companies make is to move too fast. “We’ve created this belief that you’ve got to go out and buy the technology in order to develop an SMMP,” he says. Here’s what he says you should do instead.

The one-day Meetings Technology Expo, scheduled for June 25 at Chicago’s Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, has been postponed, according to Paul Paone, show organizer. The regional show will be rescheduled for the fall. Visit the show site for updated information.

Exhibit Surveys Inc. has partnered with event consulting firm Constellation Communication Corp. to offer an online planning tool that helps exhibitors set trade show objectives, calculate return on investment, and estimate the effects of changing their strategies—for example, reducing or increasing booth size.

“The key thing is defining objectives, and the tool is designed to go beyond the typical trade show data,” says Skip Cox, president and chief executive of Exhibit Surveys. “Yes, we want business development objectives, like leads and sales, and marketing communication objectives, but there are also other ways to be productive." More on the tool.

On July 1, the Georgia World Congress Center will be the first convention center to roll out the Worker Identification System developed by the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association. The technology enables facility management to identify exhibition workers electronically and ensure that only the right people are allowed in the building.

Here’s how it works and what it can do to make meetings and conventions more secure.

What? That headline can't be right. But a very popular technology blog, called “Make Use Of,” argues in a posting titled “6 Reasons to Fire Your Event Planner and Use Google Instead” that you might be replaceable by the search engine. The post praises many Google services that support event planning and shares some of the great Google tools available. You know me, I love the Google tools, but “Fire the Event Planner”? Judge for yourself, and read up on Tiny URL, Delicious, and my favorite waste of time.