Let’s go on a brief trip back in time to a previous heyday period of event technology.
If you asked an event professional about event technology from 2016 through 2019, the majority would immediately have been thinking about an event app.
Developing and integrating a mobile app for events was top-of-mind for planners. From helping address green and sustainability efforts to putting content and engagement at attendees’ fingers, the rush was on.
But then March 2020 rolled around, and planners completely put all those event app plans in their back pockets.
Now, as the pendulum has shifted back to both in-person and hybrid events, it’s time to re-open the conversation around mobile event apps.
Today’s mobile event apps aren’t the same. This time, they’re evolving:
- Better user experiences and interfaces.
- Truly integrated into the event experience from start to finish.
- Audiences who have become more familiar and comfortable with technology and want to control how and when they interact with event organizers, speakers, and each other.
Let’s take a look at how today’s mobile event apps can – and why they should – be the cornerstone of today’s in-person and hybrid events.
1. Personalize the Attendee Experience
Recent studies show mobile users spend roughly a third of their daily waking hours – 4.8 hours – on mobile apps.
And that’s where your event attendees are too.
Let attendees personalize their in-person or hybrid event experience through an app. They can find information about schedules, maps, other attendees, speaker information, and more. Creating a personalized plan helps attendees focus on their interests and needs, which helps save them time and significantly boosts their productivity and engagement too.
2. Serve as the Event Engagement Hub
Today’s mobile event apps have many features that transform your event or meeting into a highly engaging event.
Use your event app as the engagement hub, communicating with attendees before an event even starts. Push notifications, polls, quizzes, and more help attendees start interacting with each other, speakers, and sponsors. In 2022, consider using advanced functions like polls countdown for your next event.
3. Facilitate Like-Minded Connections
With many attendees participating in events to network and make new connections, virtual events opened new doors for attendees to connect from around the world. As a result, planners benefitted from a larger audience reach and attendees were able to connect with peers they may not have met otherwise.
An event app’s built-in networking features make it simpler for attendees to keep those connections flowing. And because networking in an event app isn’t limited by a defined time period, organizers can help their communities flourish 365 days a year.
4. Be an Organizer’s Best Friend
Mobile event apps don’t only provide benefits to attendees. They also serve as an extremely powerful tool for event planners.
For example, one of the biggest headaches for organizers is providing real-time updates to attendees. However, this is now much easier thanks to app push notifications. Update messages can be quickly sent to event audiences. And because they’re seen right on mobile devices, important messages aren’t missed in a crowded inbox.
And with many events today having a livestream, many organizers also need a simple way to launch a real-time messaging protocol (RTMP) feed. Some event apps, like ConnexMe, now contain the ability to generate an RTMP feed right from your phone – putting a virtual studio on the go in planners’ palms.
5. Keep Experiences Touchless
While signs are pointing toward the pandemic evolving to an endemic status, many attendees will still prefer reduced contact and touchless experiences.
Consider using your event app as a QR code scanner that can be used with onsite registration, session check-in, networking, or sharing documents with participants to download. For example, in the latest version of ConnexMe, you can now create a QR code for any document, which can then be sent out, printed, or even shared on stage. Then, participants scan the QR code with their phone or tablet to immediately access the document. Scanning QR codes at exhibitor booths tracks booth visits and also reduces contact, and that data can be shared with sponsors to enhance their ROI.
Bonus benefit? All those scanning activities through your app are data you own and provide valuable information.
6. Track Real-Time Analytics
There is always an opportunity for enhancement and improvement. And with all interactions, such as messaging, responses to polls and surveys, live posts, session attendance, document access and more trackable, there is a gold mine of data on both aggregate and individual levels that can provide valuable insights.
Use valuable real-time event analytics to address any concerns or feedback, enhance the user experience, and measure whether your events are going on the right path.
Start inviting attendees to give and share feedback through the event app. Participant feedback can be utilized during the event to make real-time changes or after the event to make improvements to future events.
Analytics from live polls, session ratings, and attendee messaging are also essential tools to understand attendees’ needs better. For example, publish targeted polls to gauge attendee sentiment. Evaluate when and how attendees engaged with others throughout the event. Determine which sessions and speakers ranked highest. Study where and how much time attendees spent engaging with the app. All of this helps you create more impactful and engaging content for your next event.
As in-person and hybrid events become common again, a mobile app provides attendees with a convenient and familiar digital toll that enhances their overall event experience. And organizers, attendees, and other sponsors or stakeholders benefit from the increased connections and engagement that a mobile event app facilitates.
For more information on improving your next event, get inspired by all the different ways an event app can be used to transform event experiences and improve participant engagement.
