“Conference organizers and speakers have to understand that an audience with heads down looking at cell phones during education sessions does not mean they are not paying attention. On the contrary, they may very well be using their cell phone as a pencil taking notes.
Instead of banning mobile devices from conferences and events, organizers should encourage their use and go as far as encourage social sharing of the content and experience. Savvy conference organizers will embrace texting as a method to send messages to attendees during the event. They will secure conference mobile apps that have instant messaging and texting as part of their features.”