Not espousing any political views here (though I will if you ask nicely), but I gotta give a tip of the hat to Oprah, Kamala, and the Zoom wizards behind their Michigan Town Hall Meeting. The meeting brought together hundreds of disparate pro-Harris/Walz groups through the magic of LED screens, with only a small audience of 400 in the actual theater. 

In a split second, any of the faces on the screens could be spotlighted and enlarged to cameo a celebrity, an enthusiastic youth voter, those Swiftys, or a heartbreaking personal story. It all felt up-close, personal, and oh-so energetic without seeming cultish. Oprah deftly called out to the screens and audiences, twirling around like a true conductor on stage. More than 300,000 viewers watched it on YouTube. It’s worth watching because it’s a true example of a digital-first media strategy and a lesson for anyone who wants to be more engaging and effective in a virtual environment. 

To be fair it was not without its political skirmishes. According to Fox News, a young TikTok creator who took issue with their portrayal at the event racked up over 2 million views. And if the YouTube version is too slow, try the TikTok short form. 

Geeks like us will love watching the AV pros at Office Hours Global dissect this hybrid event from a technology standpoint. How to keep the audio from garbling and the placement of the LEDs are just two touchpoints in the conversation. 

It’s so easy to accept the default settings when you are joining a virtual meeting. No one wants to scroll through lists of setting options. But, to make the best impression in online meetings and presentations, you must be intentional. This means not just accepting the defaults, but making informed choices that enhance your personal and professional brand.

We’ve used Zoom as our default example, but other conferencing systems like Google Meet and MS Teams have similar settings. 

Background Noise Removal
We’re not sure why, but in most conference software, background noise removal is not the default setting. You can minimize distracting sounds (like the construction outside your office or your kids trudging in from school) by letting Zoom and other meeting systems reduce them for you. In Zoom navigate to Audio Settings and then choose ‘Zoom background noise removal’ and the ‘Auto’ setting.

Push to Talk
Stop struggling to unmute yourself in a Zoom meeting. One way is to set up a button to unmute using the Elgato Stream Deck. If you don’t have a Stream Deck you can turn your keyboard’s spacebar into a “push to talk” key. In Zoom navigate to Audio Settings and then scroll down to the bottom of the window and select “Press and hold ‘Space’ to temporarily unmute yourself”. Now press and hold the spacebar when you want to talk, and then release it to go back on mute. (This is especially useful in an animated meeting with lots of back and forth.)

Reverse Your image
Ever seen someone on a meeting call and the writing on their t-shirt is backwards? Or the sign behind them is backwards? This is distracting, and unprofessional. If your camera image has this problem (always good to have a friend look at you on their screen before you go live), you can reverse it. In Zoom. choose Settings, then “Background & effects”. Under Video, select the top item, Mirror my video. Other conference apps have a similar setting.

To find out more about hardware tools that can make your online events better, be sure to explore the VEG database of hardware. 

You know the way AI has crept its way into your daily life? Summarizing your emails. Trying to complete your sentences. Offering to rewrite your most heartfelt letters in its mundane prose? Well, it’s happening to our kids, too.

In school, at least according to reports from my 12-year-old grandson, they’re learning how to use AI to create works of art, cite their facts, and outline their papers. Khan Academy has partnered with Microsoft to launch Khanmigo, a suite of tools to help teachers use AI to better their classroom management. And Khan Academy uses AI to personalize its tutorials for students. But what about AI outside of the classroom? Some of the most interesting products I’ve encountered are spicing up their offerings with a judicious, kid-friendly use of AI.

Pixiecade is a drawing game that lets kids turn their hand-drawn images into a video game by drawing with special colored markers that translate to various game movements. Now Pixiecade is adding AI to its mix by letting kids access images with prompts like “draw me a castle”. 

Readyland is a series of print books that work with Amazon Alexa. The Alexa device listens for prompt words from young readers and then creates an interactive reading experience. For example, if Alexa says “What do you see in the forest” and the child answers “trees” Alexa can provide a nice dialog. Readyland has been adding sprinkles of AI into its series so, for example, if the child says “Mommy I’m hungry” (not a part of the book), it can redirect the child. 

Hello Wonder is an AI-powered browser built to act as a family companion. If a child’s hobby is Legos or horseback riding, if the parents are planning a trip to a National Park, or if everyone’s trying to plan out the week, Hello Wonder is there, drawing on AI to help the conversation along. 

Dubai’s Startup Scene
Dubai has grown into a thriving international tech hub, not just for the UAE and MENA, but increasingly on a global level. The city boasts the fastest-growing VC ecosystem in the world, according to Pitchbook data. In October 2024 Dubai will host the 9th edition of Expand North Star, targeting the investment and startup community. Add this to GITEX, TECHSPO, and several other Dubai-based tech events and you’ve got an emerging powerhouse. 

Who Hates Badge Scanners?
Slow and expensive, right? Emperia Scan captures leads with a mobile software solution that snaps a photo and captures the attendee content in a flash. It’s only available for Reed Exhibition customers now but expect others to follow suit. Best news? It can work offline.