Barcelona. EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch, which aims to discover the latest technological innovations that will have a positive impact on meetings, events, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions, has attracted a record level of entries this year. 46 companies from 12 countries have entered from USA, UK, Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands and Syria.

Entries are judged on three criteria – innovation, completeness of product and impact to the meetings industry. Commenting on the entries, Chair of judges Corbin Ball, CMP Corbin Ball Associates said: “This year’s group of submissions represent a diverse range of innovations in meetings technology covering site selection/sourcing, social networking for events, group travel management, virtual meetings, and mobile technologies.

“The EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch has, over recent years, brought to the industry’s attention some of the most exciting new and innovative technological developments including past winners, Spotme and MeetingMetrics. This year will be no exception.” Pathable, an on-line community and social network for conferences and events, has scooped EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch Award for 2009.

Pathable’s community allows attendees at conferences and events to communicate with each other, striking up conversations around all aspects of the event from educational sessions and materials, common interests and relevant topics, providing them with an easy way to get to know each other before they physically arrive on site. Pathable helps by making recommendations, aggregating twitter and blog feeds; it even tells attendees which of their Twitter friends are registered.

EIBTM takes place 1-3 December in Barcelona. www.eibtm.com, http://pathable.com