Active Network Expands Event Technology Footprint into Asia-Pacific

In addition to Sam Renouf’s post regarding our presence at AIME , here is our press release regarding our expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

Active Network Powers Professional Events Industry
with Expanded Footprint in Asia-Pacific

Experienced Staff in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney Help Global Customers Manage Events and Source Venues in Region 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – February 21, 2012 –Active Network (NYSE: ACTV) announced today at the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meeting Expo (AIME) that it is expanding its presence in Asia-Pacific with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. Through the recent acquisition of StarCite®, a leader in corporate strategic meetings management, Active Network now provides a comprehensive suite of event technology solutions for meetings of any size—from small, local events to global user conferences. Having successfully powered events in the Asia-Pacific endurance market through partnerships with well-known customers such as the Singapore Sports Council and Triathlon Australia, Active Network is now positioned to deliver local expertise and customer service to the professional events industry in the region.

Active Network is already a trusted event technology provider for industry leaders such as Cisco, American Express, and other global customers with a strong presence in Asia-Pacific. Rather than cobbling together multiple point solutions, through Active Network professional meeting planners can rely on a single source to handle all elements of event management and engagement technology. Furthermore, meetings and events professionals have access to StarCite’s global supplier marketplace to more efficiently and cost-effectively source local venues and hotels for their meetings.

“We are excited about growing our presence in the broader professional events industry in Asia-Pacific, building on the successes we have had to date in the strategic meetings management and endurance markets,” said JR Sherman, senior vice president and senior general manager of the Business Solutions division at Active Network. “Our value proposition lies in our ability to help event organizers drive deeper personalization and engagement with their attendees, while helping event organizers contain corporate spend and focus on maximizing ROI.”

For more information about how Active Network can help you manage your meetings, events, conferences and tradeshows, visit booth #4018 at Melbourne’s Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meeting Expo (AIME) or visit: www.activeevents.com.

About The Active Network, Inc.

The Active Network, Inc. is the leading provider of organization-based cloud computing applications with over 47,000 global business customers and 70 million annual transactions reported last year. Our technology platform, ActiveWorks®, transforms the way organizers manage their activities and events by automating online registrations and streamlining other critical management functions, while also driving consumer participation to their events. Our flagship media property, Active.com®, is the leading online community for people who want to discover, participate in, and share activities about which they are passionate. Headquartered in San Diego, California since 1999, the company has over 25 offices worldwide. To learn more, visit www.ActiveNetwork.com or www.Active.com. Follow Active Network on Twitter @ActiveNetwork, @Active and on Facebook.

About Forward-Looking Statements

The Active Network, Inc. cautions you that the statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Any such statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. More detailed information about The Active Network, Inc. and the risks and uncertainties that may affect the realization of these forward-looking statements is set forth in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).These filings may be read free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and The Active Network, Inc. undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Media Contacts:
Mona Klausing, Active Network
Mona.Klausing@ActiveNetwork.com
858-964-3813

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© 2012 The Active Network, Inc. All rights reserved. Active.com and ActiveWorks are registered trademarks of The Active Network, Inc. Active Network, is a trademark of The Active Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

What is Your Event Technology Resolution?

By: Eric Olson, General Manager, SMB Events
Active Network | Business Solutions

Eric Olson is general manager of SMB Events at Active Network | Business Solutions. He is responsible for driving global strategy and P&L for the company’s business-to-business events solutions serving small to medium sized businesses, associations and tradeshow and expo companies. These include event management and marketing technologies. During his tenure, Olson has grown the SMB Business Solutions business by more than 200%.

Last year I spoke more than a dozen times on event technology, and every time I encountered the same experience.  A nervous, overwhelmed event planner pushes her way to the front of the room, thanks me and says, “What do I do first?”

It’s maybe the single best question to ask about technology.  Yet, there is only one person in the room brave enough to ask it.

As digital tools flood into corporate and association events, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and it’s even easier to overwhelm your audience.  So, my response is always the same.

“Make sure you have a very clear list of business objectives for your events. Then focus on implementing ONE piece of technology to better achieve those objectives; Do that one thing really, really well.”

It’s really that simple. And since January is a time for diligently penning resolutions to drop a few pounds or drink a few less cocktails, I think it’s also time for every event planner to make a technology resolution.

Three Steps to Creating Your Technology Resolution:

1. Create a measurable, stack-ranked list of goals for your event or events in 2012. Whether the goals are to increase attendance or improve post-event sales, create a prioritized list of goals that you can control and measure.

2. Make a list of the technologies your audience uses most often in their daily lives. For example, I noticed a recent technology conference that 80% of the room was using an iPad to take notes and interact during a session. Yet, the event had no connection between the live experience and those mobile devices. Instead the event had a single microphone in the middle of the room. Think about the technologies your audience uses in their everyday life to 1) find content and 2) interact and collaborate with each other.

 3. Identify one technology from the list in #2 that will better help you achieve one of your goals from #1 and create a specific goal to implement it in 2012. For example, if your goal is to increase attendance and your audience is filled with LinkedIn lovers, your goal may be to implement a LinkedIn group to drive attendance at your event. Remember, technology doesn’t always have to hit your budget.

This exercise can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be for your organization. But, the hardest part is getting started. So, start with one thing. Make it measurable. And focus on doing it really, really well.

If you do it right, this isn’t just a resolution you can keep. It’s a resolution that can grow, expand and continue to benefit your business for years to come.

Cheers to good technology and great events in 2012 and beyond.

Data Center Migration Update

Earlier today we completed our database migration, and RegOnline is fully functional. We’re excited to be in a cutting edge data center environment, providing our clients with the best performance and data security available.

If you have any questions about how this move affects your accounts, please check out previous blog entries. And, as always, our support team is here to help you during business hours.

We appreciate your patience during this important improvement, and we look forward to helping you put on amazing events in 2012 and beyond.

Data Center Migration Update

After a long night of hard work we are pleased to announce that we have reached a major milestone in our datacenter migration and the site is back online in our next generation data center!  There is a small number of customers that are taking a little longer to complete, and may experience the maintenance page, but we expect to have those users back on line before 8:30 a.m. MST.

8:40 A.M. MST Update

Progress continues on those customers having difficulty accessing the system: We are now anticipating that we will have the few customers still having issues resolved by 10:30 A.M. MST. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused.

10:30 A.M. MST Update

We have resolved most issues with customers and expect to have full resolution in the next few hours.  We’re running late with this resolution and we want you to know we’re working non-stop until it is resolved.

Thank you all for your patience and continued support. Have a wonderful weekend!

Data Center Migration Scheduled for TONIGHT, 9:30PM, MST

UPDATE: Data Center Migration, January 20, and New IP Address Information

The Active Network Data Center Migration will occur on FRIDAY, January 20, 2012 beginning at 9:30PM Mountain Standard Time. Please note the system will be UNAVAILABLE for approximately 8 hours, meaning registration forms will be inaccessible. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

In order to ensure no interruption in service, if you are using a custom or third party gateway integrated with RegOnline, you may need to update your settings. If your payment gateway restricts transactions to certain IP addresses, you need to verify that you allow traffic from the following RegOnline associated IP addresses:

74.120.127.1 and  74.120.127.3

**IMPORTANT UPDATE: We have added the additional 74.120.127.3 IP address. Please make the necessary accommodations to verify access for this additional IP address (details can be found here).

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The Active Network has opened a state of the art datacenter and will be migrating all of their customers to this new site.  In January 2012 RegOnline systems will be migrated to this center which requires new IP addresses to be issued as part of this move.  The new datacenter provides RegOnline customers with improved stability, monitoring, and systems that we anticipate will lead to a more predictable user experience.

The migration process will take approximately eight (8) hours and will be conducted over a weekend during the first half of January although these times may change based on a more detailed schedule that is being prepared. Please expect additional communication regarding this migration over the next few weeks.

What Does This Mean For Our Customers?

Our IP addresses will change meaning that anyone who has made changes to their firewall or has a custom third party gateway implementation will have to update their records.

Who Does This Impact?

-Customers with a 3^rd Party Gateway with IP restrictions

-Customers who have firewall rules in place for API calls

-Customers who work in highly secured environments

If you are one of these customers please continue reading for important information

3^rd Party Gateways Integrated with RegOnline
If you are using a custom or third party gateway, your gateway may require you to specify which IP addresses are allowed to process transactions.  If this is the case, make sure to add the following IP address to your gateway configuration in order to ensure no interruption in credit card processing.

IP Address
74.120.127.1 and 74.120.127.3

Firewall or Network Exceptions to Access RegOnline
If you have firewall exceptions for RegOnline for either workplace rules, API calls or other security reason to access RegOnline, please contact our support department.
Exceptions on Receiving Email from RegOnline (Whitelisting)
If you have an exception added to allow email from RegOnline please make sure you add the following IP addresses (all port 25) added to your whitelist

IP Addresses
74.120.127.72
74.120.127.73
74.120.127.74

Still have questions?

1. Make sure that the appropriate IT or Network staff within your organization is aware of these changes, as they can help to determine if any changes are required.
2. Still need help? Please do not hesitate to contact our Support department for more information: https://customerportal.activenetwork.com/NewCase.jsp  Stay tuned to the blog for more updates.

We’ll keep you posted about the details, but for any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact our support department directly.

More Active Network| Business Solutions News!

What an exciting time to be Active!

Last week we  announced the launch of Active Network | Business Solutions. This new division was further augmented by the acquisition of StarCite®, a SMMP company, to supplement existing  RegOnline and Enterprise level solutions. With StarCite as the newest member of the Active family, we now fully provide the leading technology powering a comprehensive suite of solutions for the events industry.

This pivotal news is being highlighted today at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference in San Diego. Active Network is the Technology provider to this annual  conference, and will hold a formal press conference this afternoon,  regarding the launch for industry reporters and analysts.

The unparalleled technology offering of Active Network | Business Solutions is truly unique in the events industry! Read what Aberdeen’s Christopher Dwyer had to say about the news:

“The acquisition of StarCite® by Active Network marks a major milestone that will surely shake up the meetings industry,” said Christopher Dwyer, Senior Research Analyst at Aberdeen Group. “This comprehensive technology offering will help bridge the divide between marketing meeting spend and procurement / sourcing for both small and large meetings and conferences and I am excited to see where the evolved event lifecycle will go in the coming months. From an industry analyst’s perspective, this partnership could be the catalyst for the evolution of modern strategic meetings management.”

So, what does all this mean?

The infographic explains the powerful solution that is Active Network | Business Solutions.

Look forward to more communication in the future, but we want to hear from you. Tell us what you think, by posting a comment below!

Written by:
Michelle Nikolayevsky
Product Marketing Manager
Active Network| Business Solutions