New technology coming to Summit Business Conference

Poken, an electronic social networking device and electronic shopping tool, will make its North American debut at the Summit Business Conference October 18-19 in Boulder, Colorado.

Participants will wear Pokens, whimsical devices that use near field communication (NFC) to retrieve and store information from fellow attendees.

The Summit Business Conference brings eight headline speakers to a single stage, providing independent entrepreneurs and small businesses access to insights usually available only to Fortune 500 companies.

Rather than exchanging business cards, Summit attendees can collect contacts by holding two Poken Sparks together, exchanging a “high four” between the four-fingered hand of playful characters such as a kitten or panda.

The green glow signals the networking connection has been made.

“Our conference site, the Hotel Boulderado, will be the first location where attendees can view how Poken Sparks and Poken Tags will impact retailing for years to come,” says Jon Schallert, president of The Schallert Group and a speaker at the conference.

For example, using Poken Tags, a wine store could pass information and videos about fine wine to customers, while the store receives database information about the prospective purchaser.

Poken devices, created in Switzerland and just now coming to North America, were invented for social networking – a paperless way to collect contact information – but are finding applications in more fields.

This fall, Indiana State University became the first university to distribute Pokens to all incoming students, easing introductions and boosting student retention.

Poken’s cutting-edge devices fit the conference’s aim to elevate small businesses, Schallert says.

“The Summit Business Conference is a way that any size business can play on a level playing field with big companies that normally get this expert advice. There’s a synergy that comes from introducing this new technology with these top business experts.”

In addition to Schallert, speakers are Marti Barletta, author and worldwide expert on marketing to women; Henriette Klauser, author and authority on writing productivity; Michael Kerr, author and humor expert; Debra Fine, author and networking expert;Terri Norvell, author and leadership development expert; Andy Core, author and wellness expert; and Shawne Duperon, an Emmy-winning TV producer and publicity strategist.

CONTACT:  Jon Schallert, 303-774-6522, info@summitbusinessconference.com