Mobile event apps are not the newest technology on the market, but they are probably the most useful. With a slew of advantages for both participants and hosts, conference and event planners are quickly realizing that the benefits outweigh the costs. Not only do apps help with cost avoidance when it comes to printing, but once an app is built, it can be used again and again for each new event.
Sarah Lawrence, a business events expert for B&Q, a British retailer, was quoted in Conference & Incentive Travel’s State of the Industry Report 2016 on how her company uses mobile apps.
“We have 30,000 people in our company, so an event app can be a great tool that allows us to engage with all of them. When I last introduced an app for an event, it was not only for the delegates who were attending, but also for the other employees in our stores so they could engage with the event, see the content and pictures and post things up there, despite not being present. That made sure we got a lot of engagement and delegates were blown away by the fact that the whole board was there on the stage, answering all these questions.”
We’ve created mobile event apps complete with message functionality and instant meeting updates, electronic photobooks, speaker biographies, exhibitor information, and a map of the show floor for easy navigation. The instant polling and survey tools are popular and extremely useful features as well. Speakers don’t want to talk “at” an audience, they want to engage them in conversation and make presentations relevant to what the audience wants to hear.
Mobile event apps are even useful for incentive travel programs. Though the crowd might be smaller than at a large conference or meeting, features such as personalized agendas, VIP designations, games and sponsorship opportunities keep the group in-the-know at all times. And a favorite among participants? A central location to post and share trip photos.
Just like event registration websites, meeting participants have come to expect a mobile event app will be available to enhance their on-site experience.
Click to read our case study – Going Mobile With EventAPP™
