JP2024062194A - Method, program and server for providing information about events - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method, program, and server capable of providing motivation for the use of digital data handouts instead of paper printouts at an event. [Solution] A plurality of pieces of handout information registered in a handout DB 23 each include information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduction resulting from providing a handout to a visitor instead of paper printouts, or information related to this amount of emission reduction. When a digital handout is provided to a visitor in an information providing server 1, a piece of handout provision information including information indicating that the digital handout has been provided to the visitor is generated and registered in a handout provision DB 24. In addition, the information providing server 1 calculates the total emission reduction amount for each visitor, participant, and the entire event based on the plurality of pieces of handout information registered in the handout DB 23 and the plurality of pieces of handout provision information registered in the handout provision DB 24. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method, program, and server for providing information about events.

A system is known that provides prospective visitors to an exhibition with information about the exhibition in advance in the form of an electronic document (see the patent document below). In this system, when a request for detailed information is received from a prospective visitor to the exhibition, request data is created from the received request for information that instructs the creation of an exhibition guide pamphlet, and the necessary information is extracted from a pamphlet database based on the request data. The extracted information is then compiled into a single exhibition guide pamphlet, which is presented to the prospective visitor who requested the information via a network. In this way, a pamphlet containing only information on the exhibition theme that is of interest to the prospective visitor can be created and provided to the prospective visitor electronically, simply by the prospective visitor accessing the server computer from their own computer.

JP 2002-183359 A

At events such as exhibitions, various printed paper materials are generally distributed to visitors. If these printed materials are replaced with digital data such as PDF files (hereinafter referred to as "digital handouts"), greenhouse gas (e.g., carbon dioxide) emissions resulting from the production and transportation of printed materials can be reduced. The fact that greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced has not been noted as an advantage of providing digital handouts instead of paper printed materials at events such as exhibitions. However, in recent years, serious environmental problems such as climate change caused by the greenhouse effect have become apparent, and there has been growing international interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If the above-mentioned advantages of digital handouts can be properly communicated to visitors, participants (exhibitors, etc.), and organizers of the event, it is expected that they will be motivated to use digital handouts instead of paper printed materials.

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a method, program, and server that can motivate people to use digital data distribution instead of paper printouts at events.

A method according to a first aspect of the present invention is a method executed by a server that provides information about an event in which digital data handouts are provided to attendees, wherein at least some of the plurality of handouts are handouts related to one or more participants of the event, the server is accessible to a storage device, and the storage device stores a plurality of pieces of handout information each including information about one of the handouts, and a plurality of pieces of handout provision information each including information about the provision status of one of the handouts, wherein one of the pieces of handout information includes at least one of information indicating an amount of greenhouse gas emission reduction by providing one of the handouts to the attendees instead of a paper printout and information related to the amount of emission reduction, and information indicating the attendees related to the handout, and one of the pieces of handout provision information includes information indicating that one of the handouts was provided to one of the attendees, and wherein the emission reduction amount for all of the handouts provided at the event is calculated based on the number of participants. The method includes a distribution information generating step in which the server generates a distribution information including information indicating that a distribution was provided to a visitor when a distribution was provided to a visitor and writes the distribution information to the storage device, and a total emission reduction calculation step in which the server calculates the visitor total emission reduction for each visitor, the participant total emission reduction for each participant, and at least a portion of the event total emission reduction based on the distribution information and the distribution information stored in the storage device.

Preferably, one of the handout information includes information related to the emission reduction amount regarding the number of pages of the printed material corresponding to one of the handouts, and the total number of pages of all of the printed materials corresponding to all of the handouts provided at the event is referred to as the event total page number, the total number of pages of one or more printed materials corresponding to one or more handouts provided to one of the attendees among all of the handouts provided at the event is referred to as the visitor total page number, and the total number of pages of one or more printed materials corresponding to one or more handouts related to one of the attendees among all of the handouts provided at the event is referred to as the participant total page number. The total emission reduction calculation process includes a first calculation process in which the server calculates at least a portion of the visitor total page number of each visitor, the participant total page number of each participant, and the event total page number based on the plurality of pieces of handout information and the plurality of pieces of handout provision information stored in the storage device, and a second calculation process in which the server calculates at least a portion of the visitor total emission reduction amount of each visitor according to the visitor total page number, the participant total emission reduction amount of each participant according to the participant total page number, and the event total emission reduction amount according to the event total page number based on the calculation result of the first calculation process.

Preferably, when the server acquires information about one of the handouts including information related to the emission reduction amount by providing the handout to the attendee instead of the printed matter, the server has a handout information generation step of calculating the emission reduction amount based on the information related to the emission reduction amount included in the acquired information, generating one of the handout information including the calculated emission reduction amount and writing it to the storage device, and the total emission reduction calculation step includes calculating at least a portion of the visitor total emission reduction amount for each of the attendees, the participant total emission reduction amount for each of the participants, and the event total emission reduction amount based on a plurality of the handout information and a plurality of the handout provision information each including the emission reduction amount.

Preferably, the total emission reduction calculation step includes, when the handout provision information indicating that one of the handouts has been provided to one of the attendees at least once is stored in the storage device, calculating at least a portion of the visitor total emission reduction, the participant total emission reduction, and the event total emission reduction so as to include the emission reduction resulting from providing the handout to the attendee in place of one of the printed materials.

Preferably, the handout information generation process includes, when a specific handout provision process is executed for providing one of the handouts to one of the visitors, generating one of the handout provision information including information indicating that the handout has been provided to the visitor and writing the information to the storage device, and the handout provision process includes at least one of a process of displaying one of the handouts on a visitor terminal device operated by one of the visitors in response to a request from the visitor terminal device, a process of downloading the handout to the visitor terminal device, and a process of forwarding the handout by email.

Preferably, the server has an information display step of displaying information relating to the emission reduction amount, including at least a portion of the calculation result of the total emission reduction amount calculation step, on at least a portion of a visitor terminal device operated by the visitor, a participant terminal device operated by the participant, and a related party terminal device operated by a related party involved in at least one of the holding and management of the event.

A program according to a second aspect of the present invention is a program including instructions executable by a server that provides information about an event where digital data distribution is provided to attendees, the program including the instructions causing the server to execute the method according to the first aspect.

A server according to a third aspect of the present invention is a server that provides information about an event where digital data handouts are provided to visitors, and has a processing unit and a memory unit that stores a program including instructions executable by the processing unit, the program including the instructions for carrying out the method according to the first aspect.

A server according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a server that provides information about an event where digital data distribution is provided to attendees, and has means for carrying out the method according to the first aspect.

The present invention provides a method, program, and server that can motivate people to use digital data distribution instead of paper printouts at events.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information providing server. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are diagrams for explaining examples of information included in the detection history information, the target information, the distribution information, and the distribution provision information, respectively. 4A, 4B, and 4C are diagrams for explaining examples of information included in the visitor information, participant information, and event information, respectively. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the operation of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a process related to calculation of the total greenhouse gas emission reduction amount. 9A to 9D are diagrams showing examples of screens that display information related to greenhouse gas emission reduction amounts. Fig. 10A is a diagram for explaining a modified example of information included in the distribution information, and Fig. 10B is a flowchart for explaining a modified example of a process related to calculation of a total greenhouse gas emission reduction amount.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. The system shown in the example of Fig. 1 includes an information providing server 1, a host server 3, a visitor terminal device 5, a participant terminal device 6, a related party terminal device 7, a visitor detection device 8A, and an ID reading device 8B, which are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 9 such as the Internet.
The information providing server 1 is an example of a server of the present invention.
The visitor terminal device 5 is an example of a visitor terminal device of the present invention.
The participant terminal device 6 is an example of a participant terminal device of the present invention.
The related party terminal device 7 is an example of the related party terminal device of the present invention.

The system shown in Figure 1 provides digital handouts (e.g., electronic documents in PDF files) to visitors to events such as exhibitions and seminars, and also obtains information on the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions achieved by providing digital handouts instead of paper printouts, and provides this information to event visitors, event participants (e.g., exhibitors), and event organizers. This system also collects information on the behavioral history of visitors, and provides the collected information to event participants and organizers.

[Information Providing Server 1]
The information providing server 1 performs a process of providing information on events such as exhibitions and seminars. For example, the information providing server 1 performs a process of providing digital handouts to the visitor terminal device 5 in response to a request from the visitor terminal device 5 operated by the visitor, a process of calculating the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by providing digital handouts instead of paper printouts, and a process of providing information on the reduction in emissions to the visitor terminal device 5 and the like. The information providing server 1 also performs a process of recording information on the behavior history of the visitor at the event based on information on the behavior of the visitor collected by a visitor detection device 8A described later, and a process of providing information on the behavior history of the visitor to a participant terminal device 6 and a related party terminal device 7 described later. For example, the information providing server 1 is configured to include one or more computers connected to a communication network 9. The information providing server 1 shown in the example of FIG. 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a processing unit 13.

The communication unit 11 communicates with other devices (host server 3, visitor terminal device 5, participant terminal device 6, related party terminal device 7, visitor detection device 8A, ID reading device 8B, etc.) via the communication network 9. The communication unit 11 includes a device (such as a network interface card) that communicates in accordance with a specific communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or wireless LAN.

The storage unit 12 stores one or more programs 121 including instructions executable by the processing unit 13, data temporarily stored during processing by the processing unit 13, data used in the processing by the processing unit 13, data obtained as a result of the processing by the processing unit 13, etc. The storage unit 12 may include, for example, a main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.) and an auxiliary storage device (flash memory, SSD, hard disk, memory card, optical disk). The storage unit 12 may be composed of one storage device or multiple storage devices. When the storage unit 12 is composed of multiple storage devices, each storage device is connected to the processing unit 13 via a computer bus or any other data transmission means.

The processing unit 13 is responsible for overall control of the overall operation of the information providing server 1 and executes predetermined information processing. The processing unit 13 includes, for example, one or more processors (such as a CPU (central processing unit), MPU (micro-processing unit), DSP (digital signal processor)) that execute processing in accordance with instructions of one or more programs 121 stored in the memory unit 12. The processing unit 13 operates as one or more computers by the one or more processors executing instructions of one or more programs 121 stored in the memory unit 12.

The processing unit 13 may include one or more dedicated hardware (such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)) configured to realize a specific function. In this case, the processing unit 13 may execute all of the processing described in this embodiment on a computer, or may execute at least some of the processing on dedicated hardware.

The program 121 may be recorded, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium (optical disk, memory card, USB memory, or other non-transitory tangible medium). The processing unit 13 may read at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 recorded on such a recording medium using a recording medium reading device (such as an optical disk device) or an interface device (such as a USB interface) not shown, and write the program to the storage unit 12. Alternatively, the processing unit 13 may download at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 from another device connected to the communication network 9 using the communication unit 11, and write the program to the storage unit 12. The one or more programs 121 may include instructions that cause the processing unit 13 to execute at least a portion of the processing according to this embodiment described below.

The storage device 2 stores various information used in the processing of the information providing server 1. The information providing server 1 and the storage device 2 can communicate with each other via any communication path (LAN, leased line network, Internet, etc.). For example, the storage device 2 may be included in a file server or database server that accepts access from multiple devices, or may be a dedicated storage device that can be accessed only by the information providing server 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage device 2 stores a detection history database 21, a target database 22, a distribution database 23, a distribution provision database 24, a visitor database 25, and a participant database 26. The storage device 2 also stores event information 27 including information on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the event, and multiple distribution materials 28 prepared for visitors by event participants, etc. In the following description, database may be abbreviated to "DB".

The detection history DB 21 includes a plurality of pieces of detection history information related to the history of visitor detection by a visitor detection device 8A described later. For example, as shown in Fig. 3A, one piece of detection history information includes a "visitor ID", a "detection date and time", a "target ID", and a "participant ID" as information indicating that one visitor has been detected by one visitor detection device 8A.
"Attendees ID" is information for identifying individual attendees, and indicates a visitor detected by the attendee detection device 8A.
"Detection date and time" indicates the date and time when a visitor was detected by a visitor detection device 8A. "Target ID" is information that identifies the target of a visitor's actions at the event (such as products or services provided by the participant) and indicates a target associated with a visitor detection device 8A.
"Participant ID" is information for identifying an individual participant (such as an exhibitor), and indicates one participant associated with one visitor detection device 8A.

A plurality of visitor detection devices 8A are installed at locations where events such as exhibitions and seminars are held. Each visitor detection device 8A is associated with a target of visitor behavior at the event (such as a product or service provided by the participant) or associated with a participant of the event.
For example, the visitor detection device 8A is placed near the product display location in the booth where the participant exhibits, and detects visitors who are interested in the exhibited products. The detection history information generated by the visitor detection device 8A when it detects a visitor includes the "target ID" of the exhibited product and the "participant ID" of the participant related to the product (e.g., the participant who exhibited the product).

The target DB 22 includes a plurality of pieces of target information related to targets of the actions of visitors at an event (products, services, etc. provided by the participants). For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, one piece of target information includes a "target ID", "target content information", and a "participant ID" as information related to one target.
"Object ID" indicates one object.
"Subject content information" is information about the contents of the subject (product, service, etc.), and includes, for example, the name, model name, and type of the subject.
The "participant ID" indicates one participant related to one subject.

The handout DB 23 includes multiple pieces of handout information related to digital handouts provided to attendees instead of paper printouts. As shown in Fig. 3C, for example, one piece of handout information includes, as information related to one digital handout, a "handout ID", "handout content information", a "target ID", a "participant ID", a "handout storage location", and "emission reduction amount related information".
The "distribution ID" is information for identifying an individual digital distribution, and indicates one digital distribution.
"Distribution content information" is information about the contents of a digital distribution, and includes, for example, the name, type, and data size of the digital distribution.
"Object ID" indicates an object (goods, service, etc.) related to one digital distribution.
"Participant ID" indicates a participant (eg, exhibitor) associated with a digital distribution item.
The "distribution storage location" is information about the location where the digital distribution (distribution 28 in FIG. 2) is stored in the storage device 2, and includes, for example, the directory and file name where the distribution 28 is stored. The storage location of the distribution 28 is not limited to the storage device 2, and may be another device (such as a data server) connected to the communication network 9.
"Emission reduction related information" is information related to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (emission reduction amount) resulting from distributing one digital handout to visitors instead of paper printed materials, and includes, for example, the number of pages of one printed material that corresponds to one digital handout.

In the following explanation, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from providing visitors with a single digital handout instead of a paper printout may be referred to as "emission reductions."

The handout provision DB 24 includes a plurality of pieces of handout provision information relating to the provision status of digital handouts to attendees. For example, as shown in FIG. 3D , one piece of handout provision information includes a “handout ID”, a “attendee ID”, and “provision status information” as information relating to the provision status of one digital handout.
A "distribution ID" indicates one digital distribution.
"Attendee ID" indicates a visitor to whom a digital distribution item was provided.
"Provision status information" is information regarding the provision status of a digital distribution item, and includes, for example, information regarding the date and time of provision and information indicating the type of provision (provision via viewing on a terminal device, provision via download, provision via email forwarding, etc.).

The visitor DB 25 includes a plurality of visitor information items related to visitors. For example, as shown in Fig. 4A, one piece of visitor information includes a "visitor ID", a "total number of pages of the visitor", and a "total emission reduction amount of the visitor" as information related to one visitor.
"Visitor ID" indicates one visitor.
"Total number of pages per attendee" indicates the total number of pages of one or more printed materials corresponding to one or more digital handouts provided to one attendee among all digital handouts provided at the event.
"Total visitor emission reductions" refers to the sum of greenhouse gas emission reductions resulting from providing one or more digital handouts to one visitor in place of paper printouts among all digital handouts provided at the event.

The participant DB 26 includes a plurality of pieces of participant information related to the participants. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B , one piece of participant information includes, as information related to one participant, a “participant ID”, a “total number of pages of the participant”, and a “total emission reduction amount of the participant”.
The "participant ID" indicates one participant.
"Total number of participant pages" refers to the total number of pages of one or more printed materials corresponding to one or more digital handouts related to a single participant (e.g., related to products or services exhibited by a single participant) among all digital handouts provided at the event.
"Total Attendee Emission Reductions" refers to the sum of greenhouse gas emission reductions resulting from providing attendees with one or more digital handouts associated with a particular attendee among all digital handouts provided at the event in place of paper printed materials.

As shown in FIG. 4C, for example, the event information 27 includes "total number of pages in the event" and "total emission reduction amount in the event" as information related to the emission reduction amount of greenhouse gases in the entire event.
"Total number of pages at event" indicates the total number of pages of all printed materials corresponding to all digital handouts provided at the event.
"Total event emission reductions" refers to the sum of the emission reductions for all digital distributions provided at the event.

[Organizer Server 3]
The organizer server 3 is a device operated by the organizer of an event such as an exhibition. The organizer holds personal information of each visitor. The organizer server 3 performs processes such as obtaining and recording information about visitors (such as personal information) from the visitor terminal device 5 and the like, and obtaining and recording information about participants from the participant terminal device 6 and the like. For example, the organizer server 3 includes a processing unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit similar to the communication unit 11, the memory unit 12, and the processing unit 13 of the information providing server 1.

[Visitor terminal device 5]
The visitor terminal device 5 is a device equipped with information and communication functions, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, and is operated by a visitor. The system shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of visitor terminal devices 5 corresponding to a plurality of visitors. The visitor terminal device 5 is equipped with a processing unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit similar to the communication unit 11, memory unit 12, and processing unit 13 of the information providing server 1, as well as an input unit (input devices such as a touch panel, mouse, and keyboard) for inputting user instructions to the processing unit, and a display unit (display device such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying information. The visitor terminal device 5 is also equipped with a camera capable of reading optical codes such as QR codes (registered trademark) and barcodes.

[Participant terminal device 6]
The participant terminal device 6 is a device equipped with an information and communication function, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, and is operated by an event participant (such as an exhibitor). The system shown in Fig. 1 has a plurality of participant terminal devices 6 corresponding to a plurality of participants. The participant terminal device 6 is equipped with a processing unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit similar to the communication unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the processing unit 13 of the information providing server 1, as well as an input unit (input devices such as a touch panel, mouse, or keyboard) for inputting user instructions to the processing unit, a display unit (display device such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying information, and the like.

[Stakeholder terminal device 7]
The related party terminal device 7 is a device equipped with an information and communication function, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, and is operated by related parties involved in the holding and management of the event (such as the organizer or manager of the event). The system shown in Fig. 1 has a plurality of related party terminal devices 7 corresponding to a plurality of related parties. The related party terminal device 7 is equipped with a processing unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit similar to the communication unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the processing unit 13 of the information providing server 1, as well as an input unit (input devices such as a touch panel, mouse, or keyboard) for inputting user instructions to the processing unit, a display unit (display device such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying information, and the like.

[Visitor detection device 8A]
The visitor detection device 8A is a device placed at a place where an event is held, which detects visitors and transmits information about the visitors to the information providing server 1. The system shown in Fig. 1 has a plurality of visitor detection devices 8A. For example, the visitor detection device 8A has a reader function (short-distance wireless communication function) that reads information from a device such as an RFID tag attached to a portable item (such as a card) distributed to each visitor at the event, and a communication function (wireless LAN, LPWA, LTE, etc.) that transmits the read information (device identification information) to the information providing server 1.

[ID reader 8B]
The ID reading device 8B reads the optical code printed on the admission ticket distributed to each visitor by the event organizer and the optical code printed on the above-mentioned item (such as a card) used by the visitor detection device 8A to detect visitors, and transmits information on the two read optical codes to the information providing server 1. Each of these two optical codes contains identification information (ID). The two pieces of identification information (ID) contained in the two optical codes are linked to a common visitor ID in the information providing server 1.

Here, we will explain the operation of the system shown in Figure 1 having the above-mentioned configuration. Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the overview of the operation of the system shown in Figure 1.

The event organizer prepares admission passes C1 to be distributed to each visitor. An optical code (QR code (registered trademark), barcode, etc.) containing identification information (ID) previously assigned to each visitor is printed on the admission pass C1. The visitor's name, the name of the event, the name of the venue, the date of the event, etc. may also be printed on the admission pass C1.

In addition to this admission pass C1, the organizer also prepares a tagged card C2 to be distributed to each visitor at the event venue. This tagged card C2 has an optical code including unique identification information (ID) printed on it, and is equipped with a device (such as an RFID tag) that can be read by the visitor detection device 8A. Unique identification information is also stored in the device of the tagged card C2. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the identification information included in the optical code of the tagged card C2 and the identification information stored in the device, and the two may be the same. The tagged card C2 can be reused at different events.

For example, when accepting visitors at the entrance to an event venue, the organizer uses the ID reading device 8B to read the optical codes printed on the admission pass C1 and tagged card C2 to be given to the visitor, and transmits the two pieces of identification information contained in the two read optical codes to the information providing server 1. The information providing server 1 links the two pieces of identification information received from the ID reading device 8B to a common visitor ID.

On the other hand, event participants (exhibitors, etc.) register digital handouts (e.g. electronic documents in PDF files) to be provided to visitors at the event instead of printed materials in the information providing server 1 using the participant terminal device 6. At this time, the participant sets up an association between the visitor detection device 8A and a target (products, services, etc. provided by the participant) in the information providing server 1, and also sets up an association between the digital handouts and the target (products, services, etc. provided by the participant) in the information providing server 1.

At the event venue, a participant installs a visitor detection device 8A to detect visitors who are interested in the products, services, or other items that the participant provides. For example, a participant installs a visitor detection device 8A at their exhibition booth at the event venue, near the location where the products, services, or other items are exhibited.

While the event is being held, participants can access information relating to visitor attendance at exhibition booths and the like (such as the number of visitors who visited and the number of visitors detected by each visitor detection device 8A) from the information providing server 1 using the participant terminal device 6. This allows participants to grasp the visitor attendance at their exhibition booths, product display locations, and the like in real time. After the event ends, participants can also access personal information from the organizer server 3 using the participant terminal device 6 of visitors who visited their exhibition booths and were detected by the visitor detection device 8A, as well as personal information of visitors who received digital handouts related to their products and the like.

The visitor carries the tagged card C2 given to them along with the admission ticket C1 at the event venue. When the visitor finds an exhibition area of an object of interest (such as a product or service offered by an event participant) at the event venue, the visitor has a visitor detection device 8A installed near the exhibition area read the information stored in the device (such as an RFID tag) of the tagged card C2. This causes the identification information stored in the device of the tagged card C2 to be transmitted to the information providing server 1. The information providing server 1 identifies the visitor ID of the visitor detected by the visitor detection device 8A based on the identification information of the tagged card C2 received from the visitor detection device 8A, and registers the detection history information (FIG. 3A) in the detection history DB 21. The information providing server 1 permits the visitor detected by the visitor detection device 8A to be provided with (viewed, downloaded, forwarded by email, etc.) digital distribution materials associated with the visitor detection device 8A.

Visitors view event behavior history information (detection history information detected by visitor detection device 8A at the product display area, etc.) provided by information providing server 1 on visitor terminal device 5, and select digital handouts related to the desired target (product, service, etc.) from this behavior history. Visitor terminal device 5 requests digital handouts related to the target selected by the visitor from information providing server 1. In response to this request, information providing server 1 reads the digital handouts requested by the visitor from storage device 2 and provides them to the requesting visitor terminal device 5. That is, information providing server 1 performs processing to display the digital handouts on the requesting visitor terminal device 5 and to download the digital handouts to the requesting visitor terminal device 5. In addition, when a forwarding e-mail address is specified by visitor terminal device 5, information providing server 1 performs processing to forward the digital handouts read from storage device 2 (or information such as the URL for downloading the digital handouts) to the specified e-mail address.

Figure 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in the system shown in Figure 1, and shows an example of processing for registering various types of information in the organizer server 3 and the information providing server 1.

The participant terminal device 6 accesses the organizer server 3 and performs a process to apply as a participant to an event such as an exhibition (ST100). The organizer server 3 registers the participant information (participant name, etc.) entered from the participant terminal device 6 in this application process in a database or the like (ST105). The information providing server 1 acquires this participant information from the organizer server 3, generates participant information (Figure 4B) based on the acquired information, and registers it in the participant DB 26 (ST115). At this time, the participant total emission reduction amount and participant total number of pages in the participant information are each set to their initial values (zero).

The participant terminal device 6 accesses the information providing server 1 and requests the registration of products, services, etc. that are the targets of the actions of visitors to the event (ST120). Upon receiving this request, the information providing server 1 generates a new target ID that is not registered in the target DB 22 of the storage device 2, and inputs target content information (such as the name, model name, type, and description of the product or service) from the participant terminal device 6. The information providing server 1 then generates new target information (Figure 3B) that includes this information and the participant ID, and registers it in the target DB 22 (ST125). As a result, the generated target ID is stored in the storage device 2 as a registered target ID.

The participant terminal device 6 accesses the information providing server 1 and requests the registration of a digital handout to be provided to event attendees (ST130). The information providing server 1, upon receiving this request, generates a new handout ID that is not registered in the handout DB 23, and inputs handout content information (digital handout name, type, data size, description, etc.) and emission reduction amount related information (number of pages of the printed material corresponding to the digital handout, paper size, etc.) from the participant terminal device 6. The information providing server 1 also determines the storage location (directory, file name, etc.) of the digital handout in the storage device 2. The information providing server 1 then generates handout information (FIG. 3C) including this information and the participant ID, and registers it in the handout DB 23 (ST135). When the digital handout is uploaded from the participant terminal device 6, the information providing server 1 stores the digital handout in the handout storage location specified in the handout information (ST140).

The participant terminal device 6 accesses the information providing server 1 and requests the setting of an association between a visitor detection device 8A installed in a product exhibition area or the like and a target (product, service, etc.) or a participant (ST145). Upon receiving this request, the information providing server 1 inputs from the participant terminal device 6 information specifying a specific visitor detection device 8A prepared at the participant's hand and information specifying a registered target (product, service, etc.) or participant. The information providing server 1 generates setting information that associates the identification information of the visitor detection device 8A specified by the participant terminal device 6 with the target ID of the target specified by the participant terminal device 6 or the participant ID of the participant, and stores this in the storage device 2 (ST150).

On the other hand, the visitor terminal device 5 accesses the organizer server 3 and performs an application process to attend an event such as an exhibition (ST160). The organizer server 3 generates visitor registration information including the personal information (visitor's name, occupation, email address, etc.) and visitor identification information input from the visitor terminal device 5 in this application process, and registers it in a database or the like (ST165). The optical code of the admission pass C1 described above is formed so as to include this visitor's identification information. Note that at least some of the visitors whose personal information is registered in the organizer server 3 may be visitors who are invited to the event based on an arbitrary list of personal information.

A visitor entering the event venue is given an admission pass C1 on which an optical code including the visitor's identification information (ID) registered in step ST155 is printed, and a tagged card C2 on which an optical code including a unique identification information (ID) is printed. At this time, the staff member in charge of reception duties at the event uses the ID reading device 8B to read the optical code of the admission pass C1 and the optical code of the tagged card C2, respectively, and transmits the two identification information (IDs) included in the two optical codes to the information providing server 1 (ST170). The information providing server 1 links the two identification information received from the ID reading device 8B to a common visitor ID. The information providing server 1 generates visitor information (FIG. 4A) including this visitor ID, and registers it in the visitor DB 25 (ST175). At this time, the total number of visitor pages and the total visitor emission reduction amount in the visitor information are each set to their initial values (zero).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in the system shown in FIG. 1, and shows examples of processing for recording the behavior of visitors at an event, providing digital handouts to visitors, and providing information regarding greenhouse gas emission reductions to visitors, etc.
Step ST220 is an example of a distribution information generating step of the present invention.
Step ST225 is an example of a total emission reduction calculation step of the present invention.
Steps ST235, ST250, and ST265 are each an example of an information display step of the present invention.

When a visitor detection device 8A installed in a product display area or the like detects a visitor (ST200), the information providing server 1 generates detection history information (Figure 3A) based on the information received from the visitor detection device 8A and registers it in the detection history DB 21 (ST205).

For example, the visitor detection device 8A generates detection information including the unique identification information read from the device (such as an RFID tag) of the tagged card C2 carried by the visitor, the identification information assigned to the visitor detection device 8A, and information on the date and time of reading, and transmits this information to the information providing server 1 at any timing. Based on the device identification information of the tagged card C2 contained in the detection information received from the visitor detection device 8A, the information providing server 1 identifies the visitor ID linked to the identification information of the optical code of the tagged card C2, which has a one-to-one correspondence with this identification information. The information providing server 1 also identifies the target ID of the target (such as a product or service) associated with the visitor detection device 8A or the participant ID of the participant, based on the identification information of the visitor detection device 8A contained in the received detection information and the setting information (ST150) stored in the storage device 2.

By having the visitor detection device 8A placed in the product display area at the event venue read the tagged card C2, the visitor can receive digital handouts associated with the product. For example, the visitor terminal device 5 displays a list of digital handouts that can be received. The visitor selects a specific digital handout from the list and inputs an instruction to request that the digital handout be provided in a specified manner (viewing, downloading, email forwarding, etc.). When the visitor's instruction is input, the visitor terminal device 5 requests the information providing server 1 to provide the specific digital handout in the specified manner (ST210). In response to the request from the visitor terminal device 5, the information providing server 1 executes a handout providing process to provide the specific digital handout to the visitor in the specified manner (ST215). For example, in response to a request from the visitor terminal device 5 operated by the visitor, the information providing server 1 performs a process of displaying the digital handout on the visitor terminal device 5, a process of downloading the digital handout to the visitor terminal device 5, a process of forwarding the digital handout to an arbitrary address by email, etc.

When a distribution process is executed to provide a digital handout to a visitor, the information providing server 1 generates distribution information (Fig. 3D) including information indicating that the digital handout has been provided to the visitor, and registers the information in the distribution DB 24 (ST220).

In addition, the information providing server 1 calculates the total visitor emission reduction amount for each visitor, the total participant emission reduction amount for each participant, and the total event emission reduction amount based on multiple pieces of handout information (Figure 3C) registered in the handout DB 23 and multiple pieces of handout provision information (Figure 3D) registered in the handout provision DB 24 (ST225).

For example, when handout provision information (Figure 3D) indicating that a digital handout has been provided to a visitor at least once is registered in the handout provision DB 24, the information providing server 1 calculates the total visitor emission reductions, total participant emission reductions, and total event emission reductions so as to include the emission reductions resulting from providing the digital handout to the visitor instead of a printed material. In other words, the information providing server 1 calculates the total emission reductions (total visitor emission reductions, total participant emission reductions, total event emission reductions) assuming that the emission reductions resulting from a digital handout being provided to a visitor two or more times are the same as the emission reductions resulting from the digital handout being provided to the visitor once. In this example, it is assumed that the same printed material is not provided multiple times to the same visitor.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining an example of a process related to the calculation of the total greenhouse gas emission reduction amount, and shows a specific example of the process executed in steps ST220 and ST225 (FIG. 7).
Step ST320 is an example of a first calculation step of the present invention.
Step ST325 is an example of a second calculation step of the present invention.

In response to a request from the visitor terminal device 5, the information providing server 1 executes a process of providing a digital handout to a visitor (ST300). When a digital handout is provided to a visitor in step ST300, the information providing server 1 searches the handout provision DB 24 for handout provision information (FIG. 3D) including information indicating that the digital handout has been provided to the visitor (ST305). That is, the information providing server 1 searches the handout provision DB 24 for handout provision information including the visitor ID of the visitor and the handout ID of the digital handout. If no matching handout provision information is found by this search (No in ST310), the information providing server 1 generates handout provision information including the visitor ID of the visitor and the handout ID of the digital handout, and registers it in the handout provision DB 24 (ST315).

When generating the distribution information, the information providing server 1 obtains the number of pages contained in the emission reduction amount related information (Figure 3C) of the digital distribution distributed in step ST300, and calculates the total number of visitor pages, the total number of participant pages, and the total number of event pages based on the obtained number of pages.
Specifically, the information providing server 1 searches the visitor information (Figure 4A) of the visitor to whom digital distribution materials were provided in step ST300 in the visitor DB25, and calculates the latest total number of visitor pages for that visitor by adding the number of pages obtained to the total number of visitor pages in this visitor information.
The information providing server 1 also searches the participant DB 26 for participant information (Figure 4B) of the participant related to the digital distribution material provided in step ST300, and calculates the latest total number of participant pages for that participant by adding the number of pages obtained to the total number of participant pages in this participant information.
Furthermore, the information providing server 1 adds the acquired page number to the total event page number of the event information 27 (FIG. 4C) to calculate the latest total event page number.

Based on the calculation results of step ST320, the information providing server 1 calculates the total visitor emission reduction amount according to the total number of visitor pages, the total participant emission reduction amount according to the total number of participant pages, and the total event emission reduction amount according to the total number of event pages (ST325). For example, an estimated value of the greenhouse gas emission reduction amount (unit emission reduction amount) corresponding to one page of printed matter is given in advance, and the information providing server 1 calculates the total emission reduction amount (total visitor emission reduction amount, total participant emission reduction amount, total event emission reduction amount) by multiplying this unit emission reduction amount by the number of pages of printed matter.

The information providing server 1 updates the corresponding visitor information (Figure 4A) in the visitor DB 25 to include the calculated total visitor emission reduction amount, updates the corresponding participant information (Figure 4B) in the participant DB 26 to include the calculated total participant emission reduction amount, and updates the event information 27 (Figure 4C) to include the calculated total event emission reduction amount.

Return to Figure 7.
In response to an instruction from the visitor, the visitor terminal device 5 requests the information providing server 1 to display information related to reducing greenhouse gas (such as carbon dioxide) emissions (ST230). Upon receiving this request, the information providing server 1 generates display information for displaying a screen such as that shown in Fig. 9A, and transmits this to the visitor terminal device 5 (ST235). The visitor terminal device 5 displays a screen corresponding to the display information (ST240).

The screen shown in the example of Figure 9A includes the number of materials (digital handouts) viewed by the visitor, the total number of pages per visitor, and the total emission reductions per visitor. This screen also includes the ranking of the total emission reductions per visitor among all visitors, the total number of pages per event for the entire event, the total emission reductions per event, and the ratio (contribution) of the total emission reductions per visitor to the total emission reductions per event.

On the other hand, the participant terminal device 6, in response to an instruction from the participant, requests the information providing server 1 to display information related to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) (ST245). Upon receiving this request, the information providing server 1 generates display information for displaying a screen such as that shown in FIG. 9B, for example, and transmits this to the participant terminal device 6 (ST250). The participant terminal device 6 displays a screen corresponding to the display information (ST255).

The screen shown in FIG. 9B includes the number of times materials (digital handouts) were viewed by visitors, the total number of pages of participants, and the total emission reductions of participants. This screen also includes the ranking of the total emission reductions of participants among all participants, the total number of pages of the entire event, the total emission reductions of the event, and the ratio of the total emission reductions of participants to the total emission reductions of the event (degree of contribution).

Furthermore, the involved party terminal device 7 requests the information providing server 1 to display information related to reducing greenhouse gas (such as carbon dioxide) emissions in response to instructions from the involved parties involved in hosting and managing the event (ST260). Upon receiving this request, the information providing server 1 generates display information for displaying a screen such as that shown in Figures 9C and 9D, and transmits this to the involved party terminal device 7 (ST265). The involved party terminal device 7 displays a screen corresponding to the display information (ST270).

The screen shown in Fig. 9C is a screen for the event organizer, and includes the total number of event pages and the total emission reduction amount of the event held this time. This screen also includes the ranking of the total emission reduction amount of events hosted in the past, the number of events hosted in the past, the cumulative total number of event pages of events hosted in the past, and the cumulative total emission reduction amount of events hosted in the past.
9D is a screen for an event manager, and includes the total number of event pages and the total emission reduction amount of the event for the most recently managed events. This screen also includes the number of events managed in the past, the cumulative total number of event pages for the events managed in the past, and the cumulative total emission reduction amount of the events managed in the past.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example of the process of calculating the total emission reduction amount (total visitor emission reduction amount, total participant emission reduction amount, total event emission reduction amount) in the information providing server 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

Figure 10A is a diagram for explaining a modified example of information included in the distribution information. Figure 10B is a flowchart for explaining a modified example of the process related to the calculation of the total greenhouse gas emission reduction amount, in which step ST320 in the flowchart shown in Figure 8 is deleted and step ST325 is replaced with step ST325A.

The handout information in this modified example includes an emission reduction amount, as shown in FIG. 10A. The emission reduction amount indicates the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions caused by providing a visitor with a digital handout corresponding to the handout ID instead of a printed item. When the information providing server 1 registers the handout provision information in the handout provision DB 24 in step ST315, it calculates the total emission reduction amount (total visitor emission reduction amount, total participant emission reduction amount, total event emission reduction amount) based on the emission reduction amount included in the handout provision information.

Specifically, the information providing server 1 searches the visitor information (Figure 4A) of the visitor who provided a digital distribution item in step ST300 in the visitor DB25, and calculates the latest visitor total emission reduction amount for that visitor by adding the emission reduction amount contained in the distribution item provision information generated in step ST315 to the total visitor emission reduction amount of the searched visitor information.
The information providing server 1 also searches the participant DB 26 for participant information (Figure 4B) of the participant related to the digital distribution provided in step ST300, and calculates the latest participant total emission reduction for that participant by adding the emission reduction amount included in the distribution provision information generated in step ST315 to the participant total emission reduction amount of the searched participant information.
Furthermore, the information providing server 1 calculates the latest total event emission reduction amount by adding the emission reduction amount included in the distribution information generated in step ST315 to the event total emission reduction amount in the event information 27 (FIG. 4C).

The information providing server 1 may calculate the emission reduction amount included in the distribution provision information (FIG. 10A) when generating the distribution provision information in step ST135 (FIG. 6).
For example, when the information providing server 1 is requested by the participant terminal device 6 to register one digital handout in step ST130, the information providing server 1 acquires information related to the amount of emission reductions resulting from providing the digital handout to visitors in place of printed materials (such as the number of pages of the printed material equivalent to the digital handout, the size of the paper, etc.) from the participant terminal device 6 as emission reduction related information. Based on this acquired emission reduction related information, the information providing server 1 calculates the amount of emission reductions resulting from providing the digital handout to visitors in place of printed materials, generates handout information including the calculated amount of emission reductions, and registers it in the handout DB 23 (ST135).
Step ST135 in this modified example is an example of a handout information generating step of the present invention.

As described above, the multiple pieces of handout information registered in the handout DB 23 each include information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emission reduction by providing a handout to a visitor instead of a paper printout, or information related to this emission reduction. When a digital handout is provided to a visitor, a piece of handout provision information including information indicating that the digital handout was provided to the visitor is generated and registered in the handout provision DB 24. In this embodiment, based on the multiple pieces of handout information registered in the handout DB 23 and the multiple pieces of handout provision information registered in the handout provision DB 24, the total emission reduction amount (total visitor emission reduction amount, total participant emission reduction amount, total event emission reduction amount) for each visitor, participant, and the entire event is calculated. This makes it possible to express the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions achieved by using digital handouts in concrete numerical values. Therefore, it is possible to motivate visitors, participants, and related parties of the event to use digital handouts instead of paper printouts.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various variations.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the process of providing digital handouts to visitors is performed by the information providing server 1, but the present invention is not limited to this example. In other embodiments of the present invention, the process of providing digital handouts to visitors may be performed by a server other than the information providing server 1.

1... Information providing server, 11... Communication unit, 12... Storage unit, 121... Program, 13... Processing unit, 2... Storage device, 21... Detection history DB, 22... Target DB, 23... Distribution DB, 24... Distribution providing DB, 25... Visitor DB, 26... Participant DB, 27... Event information, 28... Distribution, 3... Organizer server, 5... Visitor terminal device, 6... Participant terminal device, 7... Related party terminal device, 8A... Visitor detection device, 8B... ID reading device, 9... Communication network

A program according to a second aspect of the present invention is a program including instructions executable by a server that provides information about an event at which digital data distribution is provided to attendees, the program including the instructions causing the server to perform each step of the method according to the first aspect.

A server according to a third aspect of the present invention is a server that provides information about an event at which digital data handouts are provided to visitors, and has a processing unit and a memory unit that stores a program including instructions that can be executed by the processing unit, the program including the instructions for performing each step of the method according to the first aspect above , and the processing unit executes the program .

A server according to a fourth aspect of the present invention provides information about an event where digital data distribution is provided to attendees, and comprises means for performing each step of the method according to the first aspect.

Claims (9)

1. A method implemented by a server providing information about an event at which digital distributions are provided to attendees, comprising:
at least some of the plurality of distributions are distributions associated with one or more participants of the event;
the server has access to a storage device;
The storage device includes:
A plurality of pieces of distribution information each including information relating to one of the distribution items;
A plurality of distribution item provision information each including information on the provision status of one of the distribution items is stored;
One of the distribution information items is
At least one of information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduction by providing one of the distribution materials to the visitors instead of paper printed materials and information related to the amount of emission reduction;
and information indicative of the participant associated with the distribution;
One of the distribution information includes information indicating that one of the distribution items has been provided to one of the attendees,
the sum of the emission reductions for all the distributions provided at the event is called the total event emission reductions;
The sum of the emission reduction amounts for one or more of the distribution items provided to one of the visitors among all the distribution items provided at the event is called the total emission reduction amount per visitor,
The sum of the emission reductions for one or more of the distributions related to one of the participants among all the distributions provided at the event is called the participant total emission reductions;
a distribution information generating step in which, when one of the distribution items is provided to one of the attendees, the server generates a distribution information including information indicating that the distribution item has been provided to the attendee, and writes the distribution information to the storage device;
and a total emission reduction calculation process in which the server calculates at least a portion of the visitor total emission reduction for each visitor, the participant total emission reduction for each participant, and the event total emission reduction based on the plurality of pieces of distribution information and the plurality of pieces of distribution provision information stored in the storage device. The one of the distribution information includes, as information related to the emission reduction amount, information on the number of pages of the printed material corresponding to the one of the distributions,
The total number of pages of all the printed materials corresponding to all the distribution materials provided at the event is called the total number of pages of the event;
The total number of pages of one or more of the printed materials corresponding to one or more of the handouts provided to one of the attendees among all the handouts provided at the event is called the total number of pages per attendee;
The total number of pages of one or more of the printed materials corresponding to one or more of the distributed materials related to one of the participants among all the distributed materials provided at the event is called the total number of pages of the participants;
The total emission reduction calculation step includes:
a first calculation step in which the server calculates at least a part of the total visitor page number of each visitor, the total participant page number of each participant, and the total event page number based on the plurality of pieces of handout information and the plurality of pieces of handout provision information stored in the storage device;
and a second calculation step in which the server calculates, based on a calculation result of the first calculation step, at least a part of the visitor total emission reduction amount of each of the visitors according to the visitor total page number, the participant total emission reduction amount of each of the participants according to the participant total page number, and the event total emission reduction amount according to the event total page number.
The method of claim 1. a distribution information generating step in which, when the server acquires information on one of the distribution items including information related to the amount of emission reduction achieved by providing the one of the distribution items to the visitor instead of the printed matter, the server calculates the amount of emission reduction based on the information related to the amount of emission reduction included in the acquired information, generates one of the distribution item information including the calculated amount of emission reduction, and writes the generated information to the storage device;
the total emission reduction calculation step includes calculating at least a portion of the visitor total emission reduction of each of the visitors, the participant total emission reduction of each of the participants, and the event total emission reduction based on a plurality of pieces of handout information and a plurality of pieces of handout provision information each including the emission reduction amount;
The method of claim 1. the total emission reduction calculation step includes, when the distribution information indicating that one of the distribution items has been provided to one of the attendees at least once is stored in the storage device, calculating at least a portion of the visitor total emission reduction amount, the participant total emission reduction amount, and the event total emission reduction amount so as to include the emission reduction amount resulting from providing the one of the distribution items to the attendee in place of the one of the printed items;
The method of claim 1. the handout provision information generating step includes, when a predetermined handout provision process related to providing one of the handouts to one of the attendees is executed, generating one of the handout provision information including information indicating that the handout has been provided to the attendee, and writing the handout provision information to the storage device;
The distribution item providing process includes at least one of a process of displaying one of the distribution items on a visitor terminal device operated by one of the visitors in response to a request from the visitor terminal device, a process of downloading the distribution item to the visitor terminal device, and a process of forwarding the distribution item by e-mail.
The method of claim 1. the server has an information display step of displaying information on the emission reduction amount including at least a part of the calculation result of the total emission reduction amount calculation step on at least a part of a visitor terminal device operated by the visitor, a participant terminal device operated by the participant, and a related party terminal device operated by a related party involved in at least one of the holding and management of the event;
The method of claim 1. A program including instructions executable by a server that provides information about an event where digital data distributions are provided to attendees, the program comprising:
A program including the instructions for causing the server to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A server that provides information about an event where digital data distribution is provided to attendees,
A processing section;
a storage unit that stores a program including instructions that can be executed by the processing unit;
The program includes the instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
server. A server that provides information about an event where digital data distribution is provided to attendees,
A server comprising means for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.