Asian startups that are shaking up how events are run (part one)

While the Internet is commonly being seen as distinct and separate from real life, that notion is increasingly being challenged. Augmented reality, as well as mobile commerce technologies like QR codes and NFC, are blurring the lines between the physical and virtual world, allowing consumers to transit seamlessly between both.

This trend is happening in the events space as well. Startups in Asia are at the frontier of this revolution, arming event organizers and participants with digital tools that enhance productivity and foster personal connections.

Here, we’ll look at just how these Singapore-based startups are shaping the way events are organized and merging them with the digital world.

Beepmo: A location-based professional social network for mobile

Billing itself a professional social network, this startup invites direct comparison with LinkedIn and BranchOut. Yet it isn’t the same.

Co-founded by Simon Lower and Mark White, Beepmo has developed a mobile app that enables event participants to easily find and connect with one another. It is now available on the iOS, and coming soon to Android and BlackBerry.

I do like a lot of what I’m see at Beepmo.  I can post status updates, find people that are nearby and filter them out by certain characteristics. I can connect with people directly on the app, chat with them, and even add them on LinkedIn without launching the LinkedIn app, similar to Rapportive.

The ‘Ice Breaker’ feature stands out as one of my favorite features. This nifty tool allows me to see the common friends a person and I have on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Beepmo, and even the common interests we share, based on Facebook ‘likes’.

I also like that I can check out nearby industry-related event. Not only is it a great feature, it makes much sense business-wise, offering Beepmo a potential revenue stream.

It becomes not just a social network, but also a platform for organizations to promote their events, like what Bandwagon is doing for the music scene in Singapore.

Launched only this month, Beepmo has so far seen over 2,000 connections made across 70 industries in 26 cities.

The app is still in its early days, however, so a lot of features aren’t ready yet. The most glaring obmissions are the event-related tools, which according to Simon, are on the way.