This is my first post on the GTEC blog for 2010. Spring is traditionally the time when GTEC had information to post, so here we go!
Get this…. GTEC has an iPhone app! The GTEC App is now available on the iTunes store as a free download at http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/gtec/id370930820?mt=8&uo=6.

About three months ago, I was approached by Brian Hurley, the CEO of Ottawa-based Purple Forge. Brian had the idea to customize his approaches to iPhone apps for politicians into a tool that GTEC could offer to our delegates. The conversation was a bit of an eye opener for both of us. Brian was already well aware of how his application could draw attention. The buzz from the application he developed for the CPAC Convention in the United States was actually covered on CNN.

Through the conversation, Brian and I laid out the main elements of a tool that could place useful information in the hands of our delegates, and also leverage social media to create a higher level of engagement within the government technology community. While the application is available now to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users, the goal is to have a BlackBerry version by the time GTEC happens in October.

The application has much of the information and functionality you would find on the GTEC website, but when this information is put into the hands of delegates through their mobile devices, many new opportunities can be created to “connect, inform and engage” our audience. At this point, the application has the following capabilities:

• 2010 conference profile
• 2010 Distinction Awards Profile
• 2010 Exhibitor listings
• GTEC Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Flicker feeds
• Register and Attend functions
• Interactive Maps
• Media feeds
• Social media capability through “Social” and “Engage” functions.

What makes the app a viable option for us is the fact that personal use of iPhones and iPod Touch is dramatically on the rise. Within the technology and government communities, thousands of people are using these devices at home, and are able to carry them at GTEC for their own use. We already have WiFi networks in place at GTEC, making it possible to use the iPod for the conference, and we plan to have devices available (yes, iPads!) for people to try at the event if they do not already own one.

The application will evolve as the event approaches and we acquire more speakers, update our exhibitor and visitor lists, and discover new ways to leverage this tool. For now, I am pleased we have a new tool that could represent a dramatic improvement in the way we communicate to delegates and the ways in which delegates experience GTEC.

Like anything else, the application will be customized and improved as we build out the event.

Log on to the iTunes App store today to download your free copy: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/gtec/id370930820?mt=8&uo=6.