How it really works... ePosters

At this year’s IBTM World, interactive e-poster system Kubify picked up the very first Tech Watch ‘People's Choice’ award. The technology aims to offer a simple and creative way to improve event posters. Kubify co-founder Tamsin Treasure-Jones gives CEI the lowdown on how it works.

What are ePosters?

Kubify developed ‘Learning Toolbox’, an ‘ePoster’ (electronic poster) platform, featuring interactive material that is easy to create, interact with and share. It provides a richer experience for attendees whilst also giving event organisers more flexibility than when working with traditional paper posters or simple (PDF online) ePosters, which present a very flat description of a researcher’s work.

Our ‘Bring Your Own Device’ approach means there is no associated expensive hardware. The Learning Toolbox platform automatically creates a small mini-poster for each ePoster. These mini-posters can be displayed in central spaces at the event. Attendees use their own phones to scan the QR codes on the mini-posters that will then allow them to view and explore the full ePoster. Learning Toolbox ePosters can also be presented and discussed at the event, for example with presentations using standard A/V equipment or in roundtable discussion formats.

How does the technology work in practice?

Using the Learning Toolbox platform, event organisers send out invites to ePoster authors to create their posters. The authors can then use the platform’s editing tool to create interactive ePosters that can include videos, website links, audio, surveys, images, presentations and other documents. The platform creates both the interactive ePoster and the small printable mini-poster.

These mini-posters are easily displayed at the event and attendees can use an app to browse these mini-posters or search the online ePoster showcase to find and explore the ePoster further. This interaction can include posting comments and questions on the ePoster and voting for their favourite ones. It is also easy to bookmark ePosters in order to return to them quickly and to share ePosters with others. Authors can also send out messages to those who have chosen a favourite ePoster and thus build their network.

What are the benefits?

You can provide attendees with a much richer experience, while giving posters a more visible and higher profile at conferences. The solution also removes the need to hire expensive hardware or large numbers of poster boards.

Is it available in different languages?

The Learning Toolbox online editing environment and the Learning Toolbox app are available in English, German, Spanish and Dutch, but most of the interfaces (especially in the app) are quite visual so it's easy to use and navigate. For the content, Learning Toolbox supports any language and we have had authors creating stacks using Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Arab characters.