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Background

When organizing a conference or large meeting with multiple educational sessions, it is common to capture the presentations and handouts in a booklet or proceedings. While some industries can get away with providing the content only online, many industries, such as medical, engineering, financial, and legal, prefer to have a tangible takeaway for attendees who have paid a substantial fee for the education program.

So, what is the best way to deliver the educational program? While paper is effective, meeting planners have increasingly favored digital formats over the years due to their lower production and shipping costs. In fact, a survey conducted by CadmiumCD at the 2010 Alliance for Continuing Medical Education conference found that over 90% of education and meeting planners preferred digital formats over paper. Now the question arises – CD or USB?

3 Benefits of CD Proceedings

1. Inexpensive:

CDs offer a more cost-effective option compared to USB. The price difference can be significant, especially when considering volume. Finding a sponsor to offset the higher cost of USB drives may be difficult. For example, a preloaded USB drive with a corporate logo could cost around $10 per stick, while a CD would cost approximately $2 per CD. With a quantity of 5000 units, this can translate to a difference of $40,000! Securing a sponsor for $10,000 is feasible, but asking for $50,000 for a branded USB drive may be challenging.

Clients looking to maximize their budget often provide proceedings on a CD and online. They send attendees a link in advance, allowing them to download the presentations to their electronic devices before the event.

2. Many packaging options:

CD packaging options vary from inexpensive clear plastic kick-out boxes to 100% recycled cardboard sleeves and customized digipacks. Choosing suitable packaging depends on the program and budget. Some clients in the Green building industry distribute CDs in 100% recycled cardboard sleeves printed with soy-based ink. Others prefer kick-out boxes for smaller events where custom-printed sleeve holders are unnecessary. Some even include customized notepads with CDs in sleeve holders. Event planners have numerous choices, and proceedings providers can guide them in finding the right packaging solution.

3. Easier Storage:

CDs have standardized sizes, which simplify storage and cataloging. They are easily transferred to a hard drive once back at the office, while the CDs themselves can be stored in organizers or with the company librarian for convenient retrieval. In contrast, flash drives lack a standard shape or size, making cataloging more challenging.

3 Benefits of USB Flash Drive Proceedings:

1. Smaller than CDs:

USB flash drives are physically smaller than CDs, allowing people to easily carry them in purses or pockets. However, their small size increases the risk of misplacing them. Event planners can minimize this problem by providing lanyards or unique packaging for storage, although this increases the cost beyond that of CDs.

2. Reusable:

USB drives can have content added to them after preloading, making them useful to attendees beyond just the proceedings. Notes can be typed and downloaded to the USB drive during educational sessions, keeping them together with the presentations. CDs do not provide this capability. To address note-taking with CDs, all presentations can be pre-downloaded on a hard drive, allowing attendees to type and save notes directly to it.

Moreover, when opting for USB drives, it is recommended to purchase ones with at least 2GB memory to maximize their value. The proceedings typically occupy 0.5GB, leaving attendees with 1.5GB of space for other uses throughout the year, improving the utility of the drive.

3. Versatile:

USB flash drives can be used on laptops, desktops, and netbooks. Since most organizers also put content online, reading presentations on a netbook is not a problem. Netbook readers can connect to the internet directly, allowing attendees to download the up-to-date proceedings. Alternatively, attendees can download content to their smartphones and transfer the presentations to the netbook with a connection cord.

Conclusion

Whether to choose CD or USB depends on the budget and how extensively attendees should use the delivery method throughout the year. CDs are less expensive, offer various packaging options, and can easily be stored in a filing system. USB drives are smaller, reusable, and versatile in device readability. Regardless of the chosen proceedings format, working with the right vendor and communicating with attendees in advance about how they will receive the proceedings are crucial. This ensures preparedness and a smooth process.

If you have any questions about the best format or packaging for your next event, feel free to contact your proceedings provider.

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Ihab Salloum