The International Association for Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) wrapped up its annual meeting and trade show in Atlanta earlier this month. Attendance was reported to be on par with the previous year at just over 1,800 attendees. Maybe it was the recession, AIG Effect, green movement or just the next big thing, but technology was everywhere. Attendees were tweeting, texting and mobile “Apping” like mad, trying to live the new American dream—to work smarter, faster, leaner, meaner, greener, friendlier and stay in business.

The technology infusion included a variety of tools placed at the attendees’ disposal. The Deal Center was an online appointment-setting platform combined with meeting space on the trade show floor. Taptopia was an iPhone App that provided visitors with an exhibitor list, show map and event schedule. My Expo! Expo! was a social networking platform powered by The Social Collective, as was CrowdCampaign, a platform for using Twitter to vote on potential questions that general session moderator Guy Kawasaki would ask other learned panelists. XNIP was an event bookmarking tool that allowed users to text requests for digital information (exhibitor brochures, contacts, etc.) to be placed online for later retrieval.

Session after session focused on social media, employed social media, or led to a discussion of social media. Wednesday’s general session, moderated by serial innovator Guy Kawasaki, included panelists Chris Brogan, New Media Labs, Rick Calvert, CEM, BlogWorld and New Media Expo, Ann Hamilton, Walt Disney World Resort and David Rich, George P. Johnson and was titled “The Art of Social Media Marketing.” The fact that audience tweets were projected onto the screen behind the panel is still being discussed online. A show of hands in many of the sessions revealed an army of tweeters in every room commenting and chronicling the sessions to the outside world.

The conference sessions on technology dove deep into the subject matter. The eMerge technology track covered search engine optimization, web analytics, Internet sales conversions, Web 2.0 tools, attendee engagement and technology trends. A hands-on computer lab taught by Lindy Dreyer and Maddie Grant of Social Fish took attendees through the paces with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare, del.icio.us and other tools. Dreyer and Grant also presided over a session on community development, including reputation monitoring, building word of mouth, and content management strategies.

The trade show floor was populated with the usual suspects. However, several newcomers stood out from the crowd in the technology arena. Fantail Consulting and Technologies introduced its business and technology management solutions using cloud computing and software platform services. Fish Software demonstrated its smart measurement technologies and marketing analytics for ad agencies, brand marketers and show organizers. Crick Information Technologies caused a stir with its “Living Tradeshow” event bookmarking solution, and Core-Apps exhibited its “Follow Me” smartphone App for trade shows.

Although electricity was in short supply for the legion of laptop users, and an attendee guide, outlining the various tools and platforms made available before and during the show, would have helped adoption rates, the technology upgrade that occurred between the 2008 and 2009 meetings was palpable. A fair number of folks are still trying to get their arms around the implications of social media, but most agree it will be the servant rather than the savior the industry is looking for.

The break table and luncheon discussions focused on the future. Attendees asked not when (no one knows the real answer to that question) but how the industry will recover. The consensus? There is no “normal” to return to.

Michelle Bruno is a writer, blogger and event professional based in Salt Lake City, UT. She blogs about new media and face-to-face events at forkintheroadblog.com.

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