| Background | | | | where record-keeping is important, once back at |
| If you're organizing a conference or large meeting | | | | the office, content can be transferred to a hard |
| with multiple educational sessions, most likely you'll | | | | drive and the CD can be stored in a CD organizer |
| need to capture the presentations and handouts in | | | | or with the company librarian and easily retrieved |
| some type of booklet or proceedings. In some | | | | for later use. Flash drives do not have a standard |
| cases you can get away with putting everything | | | | shape or size, therefore, cataloging them is not as |
| online only but for many industries, including | | | | easy. |
| medical, engineering, financial and legal, where | | | | 3 benefits of USB flash drive proceedings: |
| attendees are required to pay a substantial fee | | | | 1. Smaller than CDs: |
| for the education program, meeting planners | | | | USB flash drives are smaller in physical size than |
| prefer to have something the attendees can take | | | | CD's, people can put them in their purses or |
| home with them. | | | | pockets, making them highly transportable, |
| So what is the best way to deliver the | | | | however, this also increases the chances of |
| educational program? Paper is effective but over | | | | misplacing the item. Event planners can minimize |
| the years, meeting planners have come to prefer | | | | this problem by also adding a lanyard to the USB |
| digital over paper, since proceedings in a digital | | | | drive or providing unique packaging for storage |
| format are less costly to produce and ship. In | | | | but this of course increases the cost even further |
| fact, in a recently conducted survey by | | | | above the CD. |
| CadmiumCD at the 2010 Alliance for Continuing | | | | 2. Reusable: |
| Medical Education conference, >90% of | | | | USBs can have content added to the stick after |
| education and meeting planners surveyed indicated | | | | being preloaded, making them useful to the |
| they preferred digital formats over paper, so | | | | attendee for more than just the proceedings. For |
| which is better, CD or USB? | | | | example, during the educational sessions, notes |
| 3 Benefits of CD Proceedings | | | | can be typed and downloaded to the USB drive |
| 1. Inexpensive: | | | | keeping the notes and presentations together, |
| CD's offer the lesser expensive option when | | | | with CDs this is not possible. One way to combat |
| compared to USB. Prices are dependent on | | | | the note-taking issue with CDs is to have all |
| volume and packaging options but in general, | | | | presentations pre-downloaded on the hard drive |
| prices for CDs can be on the order of 4-7X less | | | | and then proceed with typing and saving notes |
| than the same quantity in USB flash drive | | | | directly to the hard drive. |
| formats. This cost difference can be significant, | | | | Also, if going with USB drives, it is recommended |
| and depending on volumes, finding a sponsor to | | | | that you purchase ones with at least 2GB |
| offset the higher cost of USB drives may be | | | | memory to maximize their value this is because |
| next to impossible. For example a preloaded USB | | | | the proceedings typically take up 0.5 GB, leaving |
| drive with corporate logo could cost ~$10/stick to | | | | the attendee with 1.5GB of space to use |
| produce whereas the CD would cost ~$2/CD. For | | | | throughout the year, thus improving the utility. |
| a quantity of 5000 units, it can be a difference of | | | | 3. Versatile: |
| $40,000! It might be easy to find a sponsor for | | | | USB flash drives can be used on laptops, |
| $10,000 but asking somebody to kick in $50,000 | | | | desktops and the much smaller netbooks. |
| for a name and some content on a proceedings | | | | Netbooks typically do not have CD readers |
| stick may be difficult. | | | | therefore they would not be able to read |
| Clients trying to get the most from their budget | | | | proceedings on a CD but they can read USB |
| will offer proceedings on a CD and online. They will | | | | sticks, however, since most organizers put the |
| send attendees a link prior to the event, alerting | | | | content online, reading presentations on a netbook |
| them to the online proceedings and directing them | | | | is not a problem. There are two ways to |
| to download the presentations to their netbooks, | | | | accomplish this: |
| laptops or smartphones prior to the event. | | | | 1) Netbook readers can connect to the internet |
| 2. Many packaging options: | | | | directly whereby attendees can download the |
| CD packaging options range from inexpensive | | | | most up-to-date proceedings to the hard drive or |
| clear plastic kick-out boxes, to 100% recycled | | | | 2) Attendees can download content to their |
| cardboard sleeves to customized digipacks and | | | | smartphone and transfer the presentations to the |
| everything in between. The packaging you choose | | | | Netbook via their connection cord. |
| is dependent your program and again budget. For | | | | Conclusion |
| example, one client that is tied to the Green | | | | Whether you choose to use CD or USB is |
| building industry distributes their CDs in 100% | | | | dependent on your budget and how much you |
| recycled cardboard sleeves printed with | | | | want the attendee to use the delivery method |
| soy-based ink. Another client prefers the kick-out | | | | throughout the year. CDs are less expensive, |
| box option because of their smaller event size it | | | | have many packaging options and can be stored |
| didn't make sense to custom print sleeve holders. | | | | in a filing system. USBs are smaller, can be |
| Another client prefers to use a custom-printed | | | | reused, and are very versatile when it comes to |
| digipack to increase the perceived value of the | | | | device readability. However, no matter what |
| content. Also, some clients prefer to handout | | | | proceedings format you choose, working with the |
| customized notepads and place the CDs in sleeve | | | | right vendor and communication with your |
| holders on the backside of the front cover. The | | | | attendees will be key. Let participants know well in |
| point is, the event planner has many choices and | | | | advance of arriving at the conference how they |
| their proceedings provider will be able to help | | | | will receive the proceedings so they can be |
| them find the right packaging solution. | | | | prepared. |
| 3. Easier Storage: | | | | If you have any questions about which format or |
| While the packaging CDs come in varies, the CD | | | | packaging is best for your next event, contact |
| itself is a standard size, therefore in organizations | | | | your proceedings provider. |