10 Tech Gadgets for Eventprofs
Skift Take
No secret – I am a geek. I love technology and gadgets. I don’t get the latest, but I strive for the greatest. With the tough busy life we all conduct, tech can actually be very helpful. Of course it can be a great distraction, of course watching cat videos on Youtube is not going to help to get things done. At the same time I cannot imagine my life without some tech gadgets that have changed my effectiveness, health and organization.
I wanted to share some cool gadgets I have used over the past few years, as well as some new cool ones I’ve saved for you – and I can’t wait to get for myself. A nice post for you to bookmark when you think ‘I wish there was a tech tool to do that’. I constantly ask myself that question, here are the answers.
1. Grid-It
There is nothing more upsetting than a nightmare of cables all tangled in your bag. My OCD is very satisfied when I use my Grid-it. I can fit most of my cables, rechargers and cords that I cannot afford to live without.
2. Lumo Lift
I wear my Lumo Lift every day. I hate it to death but I cannot do without. It vibrates whenever I slouch. The great thing about it is that it is preventing me to become the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Jokes aside posture is so important and you cannot afford to slouch all day. Once you calibrate the device it works via bluetooth with a smartphone app but also without it. It gives you stats about your posture.
3. Bobino Cord Wrap
I bought my first Bobino years ago. I have a dozen. They are an excellent compliment to my Grid-it. It helps with bulky and long computer cords. Also invaluable with headphones. I love the Xlarge and small sizes as they really do well with both these scenarios.
4. RavPower External Battery Pack 26800 mAh
If you are serious about using your phone, you most definitely have a battery power pack. You should expect two things from external battery packs. They should be fast and have lots of charging power. RavPower is consistently rated as one of the best in both. You can charge up to three devices simultaneously. It is compatible with Apple products and it runs and runs. That’s what you need!
5. Satechi Smart Travel Router
Have you ever found yourself in a hotel room with a crappy WiFi connection? We have all been there. Something many ignore is that most hotels offer a wired connection, usually much faster than the WiFi. With this neat device you can set up a WiFi network on the go and connect all your devices (bypassing device limit) as well as use it as an adapter for the world. Somewhat bulky to carry around but still worth it.
6. G-Technology Drive
I often carry my drive with me to access large documents, photos or videos. If you run a Mac you will appreciate in this drive the Thunderbolt port that makes transfers very, very fast. Same goes for the USB 3.0 capability, substantially faster than traditional USB ports. Your PC or Mac needs to have 3.0 ports otherwise the benefits are wasted. There is no such thing as enough drive space so 1TB is the absolute minimum.
7. Griffin Power Dock Station
On the expensive side to be honest, but well worth it. I can’t do without this incredibly useful charging station and it satisfies my need to keep the world organized. I need to charge at least 5 devices at once. I wish there was actually a ten device option (thanks Apple, I love you). Such a liberating thought to see all those wires beautifully displayed with no mess. I know, I need help.
8. Tile
I love Tiles, to the point that we gave them out (goody bag idea alert) to our guests at one of our events with a personalized EventMB logo on. How cool is that? If you are not familiar with tiles they help you to track anything thanks to bluetooth. Now let’s make things clear, I don’t lose things but they lose my bags in airports. This is why I have a tile in every single bag I check in. So that when the airline staff come to you and say: ‘We lost your bag’ – you can confidently reply, ‘I know that!’.
9. Nespresso
Being Italian, we are entering a very delicate and personal subject: coffee! If you work in events and you don’t drink coffee, probably you don’t work in events. Coffee is a serious topic for coffee drinkers. Nespresso is a great compromise between quality and ease of use. If you work from home, like I do, you can’t be bothered with cleaning coffee spells, grinding, flushing. At the same time, we all agree that filter coffee is not coffee. This is probably a subject that my European friends will understand better. Saying that if you like Espresso and want a good one with no drama, Nespresso is a good choice. Consider reusable capsules to save money as it can be quite expensive.
10. Dell UltraSharp Curved LED Monitor
There are some tech choices you make based on logic, others are based on emotions. I LOVE this screen. The first time I saw it, I committed to spread the good word about it. If you hate multiple screens this curved beauty (that was awkward) can be a great solution to run multiple windows at the same time. Picture yourself watching that funny Facebook video on it, priceless!
In Conclusion
I’ve shared some gadgets I believe will make a difference in your tech obsessed daily life. Of course you can keep being an excellent event professional without them, I have just given you a snapshot of the tools I use on a daily basis. Some will relate to them, others probably won’t. In any case and whether we like it or not, tech has become prominent in our lives. Some tools help de-clutter and give true solutions, others, well, are just fluff.