To App or not to App
Let’s cut right to the chase – it’s 2020 and if you’re not using an event app in conjunction with your meetings and conferences, you may as well be communicating by carrier pigeon.
I charge per wing flap
In the age where everyone wants all of their info 5 minutes ago and attention spans seem to be shorter and shorter, you need an event app for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few of them:
Paperless is the new black. There are so many reasons to go paperless. For one, it’s a huge money saver. Also, most agendas are obsolete about a minute after they’re printed, am I right? It’s also a way to stay on top of green initiatives. When you are using an event app you almost completely eliminate the need for printed documents. Which leads me to the next point
Sharing materials. All presentations, speaker bios, and handouts can be shared via an app. You can attach specific documents to various sessions so you can easily find the information and save them digitally.
Communication. Is it raining and the reception needs to move indoors? No problem. A quick push notification and everyone will have the new location in hand, along with a pin drop to lead them there. Do you want to remind attendees to take a survey (which also lives in the app, incidentally)? No problem. Schedule changes? No problem.
Attendee engagement. Gone are the days of sitting passively in sessions. With an app, you can offer real-time questions for a speaker, or take a quick survey from the stage. You will also find ways to get attendees to interact by winning badges for posting in the activity feed and sharing contact information with each other.
Metrics. You can measure EVERYTHING. You know who has downloaded the app and how they are using it. You can easily pull data on just about anything. It is a very easy way to calculate ROI on multiple levels. It’s also a little fun to catch someone saying that they downloaded the app when you know dang well they haven’t.
Attendee experience. An app makes it so much easier for attendees to communicate with the event team and get prompt replies. They can ask questions, request help, or give instant feed back that allows for on the fly adjustments. This can really help with staffing. You don’t necessarily have to have a body sitting at a reg desk all day. If you step away, a sign saying to contact you on the app for quick replies, is a great plan B.
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I know what you’re thinking…..this is a fantastic idea that sounds like a lot of work and money. Well, that’s where we come in. We are app experts and can do as little as getting it set up for you or as much as managing the app in its entirety. You might call us “appsperts”. Ok, maybe don’t. But still call, or send a carrier pigeon. Either way, we will get you up to speed.