Beyond the Features: Getting the Most Out of Mobile Event Apps

Mobile event apps, however, can require a significant investment to be successful.聽If you鈥檙e trying to decide on a mobile event app (or have had challenges with an event app in the past), find out what other industry pros have to say in this guide.

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Feature-rich mobile event apps aren鈥檛 just a replacement for printed materials. They help your attendees network with likeminded individuals, interact with experts, and become active participants in the event experience.

Mobile event apps, however, can require a significant investment to be successful.

If you鈥檙e trying to decide on a mobile event app (or have had challenges with an event app in the past), find out what other industry pros have to say in this guide. You鈥檒l learn:

  • How a poor app experience puts your event鈥檚 brand and credibility at risk
  • How to spend less (or next to nothing) on a better app
  • How to transform passive, unsatisfied attendees into engaged advocates for your event

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Invest Time and Resources Into Your App, Not Just Money

Event apps should never be an afterthought. Your app should be part of your overall strategy 鈥� not just an additional delivery channel for your content. Challenge your team to include app content development in every stage of the process. How can your event app be worked into session planning? Onsite logistics? Catering?

鈥淢obile event apps aren鈥檛 an accessory,鈥� says Guidebook Director of Customer Engagement Jacob Wittenberg. 鈥淚f you want to get the most out of yours, make it a central part of the process.鈥�

Why listen to Wittenberg鈥檚 advice? Two reasons:

Your mobile event app is only as valuable as its content.聽It goes without saying that event apps are a formidable replacement for anything that you could create on paper. But if you limit your content to a list of speakers, sponsors, and vendors, you鈥檙e wasting the potential of your mobile event app.

鈥淎t the end of the day, the quality of the content is up to you,鈥� says Wittenberg. 鈥淕o the extra mile and provide additional value beyond what you could with paper 鈥� like including the daily weather forecast.鈥�

Mobile event app adoption doesn鈥檛 happen overnight.聽鈥淟ack of adequate promotion naturally leads to lack of awareness and adoption,鈥� says Wittenberg. 鈥淥ffering a mobile event app is only worthwhile if people use it. So make sure there鈥檚 enough time to promote yours.鈥�

At a minimum, your team should do the following to encourage attendees to download and engage with your event鈥檚 mobile app:

  • Include a link to download the event app on your event page
  • Encourage attendees to download the app through email and social media
  • Ask speakers, presenters, and sponsors to promote the app
  • Offer an incentive for attendees who engage the most in the app

The more people using your app, the better. But be careful 鈥� downloads and installs can give you a false sense of security. The most important metric for your team 鈥� the one that truly expresses its value 鈥� should be engagement.