What you need to know before building an app for your event

Event apps have become extremely popular: more and more organizations are investing in these apps because they create a better event experience by making it easier to manage event updates and communication for attendees. When promoted properly during the build-up to an event, the app can also be a powerful marketing tool. A collaborative campaign to get users to download and use the app before the event has proven to help boost the number of visitors and the general hype and anticipation surrounding an event.

Whether it’s networking, scheduling management, or getting general updates about the event, an event app can lead to a better event experience for your attendees. 

Conference & Event Mobile App Features 

The smartphone boom caused a fast evolution in the core features of program-based event apps. All the successful conference and event mobile app focus more on customer engagement, and hence the features circle around offering visitors new ways to engage with event-related content.

Deliver an Outstanding Experience

Most event apps are designed from the viewpoint of attendees who will be using the app before and during the event. The focus must be on providing the best user experience. Here are some features and capabilities you should consider:

Setting up appointments with vendors: Let attendees reach out directly to vendors, making the meeting process smoother for everyone. 

Networking: When networking is one of the main goals of the event, seamless communication between attendees, partners, speakers and exhibitors can be a great feature to have. This is made possible through in-app messaging and notifications.

Capture real-time feedback with session surveys, polls, and Q&A: Create real-time engagement during sessions by running polls, collecting questions for Q&A, and sending out surveys in a timely manner. Everything is captured and made available via mobile apps.  

Personalized session scheduling: Personal session scheduling can be used to generate a personalized event timetable for each attendee attendee based on the sessions they will be attending.

Session favoriting: Allow attendees to favorite sessions that seem interesting, but are unsure of attending. 

Attendee Profiles: All relevant information regarding the Attendee Profiles – be it names, emails, phone numbers, etc. can be easily collected with an event-based app. Following up on them becomes easy.

Other features to consider

The utility of your app to your visitors depends entirely on the kind of data and content they are provided with. For example, you can help them navigate your event by providing the following: 

• Clearly navigable maps of the event
• Exact locations of the exhibitors
• Function room locations

Biographies of speakers, notable guests, and summaries of their presentations should also be provided on this platform of the app. Integration helps apps offer a broad range of information. 

Exhibitors must be urged to include as much detail as possible. Collect data from their personnel profiles beforehand. Create a video demonstrating their products and services and share them on the app.

Here’s a brief overview of other event-app features to consider: 

• Event agenda
• Custom schedule planner
• Interactive maps 
• Push notifications for visitors
• Audience response system
• AI chatting platform for attendees
• Speakers, guest and exhibitor Directories
• Clear ad-space for promoting event sponsors
• Destination maps and guides
• Password protected account
• Tutorial guide for the event, a clear walkthrough system
• Trouble-free software updates for the event app
• App usage analytics & reports
• Forum for submitting reviews, feedback, etc.
• Separate video channels and playlists;
• Display gallery for event images; 
• Live feed of updates, news, and blogs
• Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sharing integration
• Bookmarking feature for attendees to tag certain sessions

Remember, the aim is to create an easy-to-use app that drives event engagement during the event. 

Seamless Integration with Event Management Software

In 2019, most tech suppliers have adopted a need of offering integration services. Presently 87% of event apps come with in-built integrations and registration systems.To save time and make things easier, consider creating an event app that integrates with your event website in real-time, so you don’t need to worry about duplicating efforts, paying for custom integrations, and having conflicting data.

For example, using the Attendease dashboard is extremely easy to publish and update content on both the event website and event app simultaneously. Imagine a last minute change on schedule, a speaker that canceled, or a new session that is going to be promoted. All this can be easily managed from one unique platform, reducing duplicated efforts while also avoiding conflicting information on different platforms. Having such system can also eliminate the need for print material and avoid outdated information to go around. Through the mobile app you can have everything guests need to know at their fingertips.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Events also serve as the perfect time to focus on sponsorship opportunities. With your mobile app, you can provide an additional space to promote your sponsors and give them more visibility.

Container Apps vs. Standalone Apps

In order to provide a fully branded experience to your attendees, consider building a standalone app. That means you will have your own white-labeled app available at the Google Play or Apple Store. Many event tech providers who offer event app services offer “container apps” which means attendees need to download the third-party provider’s app and enter a code in order to access your event app. This method is widely used by tech providers as it offers a quick solution for event managers, however, that is on the expense of building a fully-branded application. When seeking an event app developer or an event technology provider, make sure to ask if the apps they build are using standalone or container systems and what that means to you.

How to Create a Mobile Event App

Modern event and conference apps carefully blend the live experience with the digital experience. In order to create an event app, consider using an event management platform that provides an event app feature.

Attendease is one of the leading names in the field of creating branded and full-featured mobile event apps. Offering all the key features needed in an event app, Attendease powers the app algorithms to provide attendees with an intuitive, seamlessly branded and convenient digital experience to go hand-in-hand with a live experience.

Request a demo today to see how Attendease makes event management easier than ever before.