An event app is a mobile application designed to enhance the event experience for attendees and organisers. Event apps have the power to transform an event. For attendees, it helps them easily navigate the event and build more meaningful connections. An event app helps organisers plan their event, gain greater insights, promote themselves and stand out from their competition.
Event apps are quickly becoming an important part of the event experience. A survey showed that 47% of planners consider event mobile apps a “must-have” [1] when running an event.
Who Uses Mobile Event App Software?
Attendees
An event app can make a big improvement to the overall experience for attendees. It makes signup and check-in much faster, provides greater networking opportunities and helps attendees plan their day by providing key information on the venue and exhibitors.
Organisers
Organisers can use an event app in several important ways. Whether this is event management, pushing out important notifications or collecting feedback to improve future events, an event app allows this all to be done from a central place.
Exhibitors
The exhibitor can gain a great deal of value from an event app as well. By providing the attendee with the tools to better plan their day and find what they’re looking for, the exhibitor has a much greater level of exposure to all visitors.
How Can Mobile Apps Improve Events?
Automating Check-in
As an event organiser, it’s important to make the event experience as seamless and stress-free as possible.
An event app makes the check-in process much more straightforward. Making tickets available in the app removes the last-minute stress of having to find and print out tickets.
The check-in process on the day can be improved by an event app too. Features like self-check-in remove the need for on-site staffing. This results in shorter queues, providing a better experience for all.
Promotes Networking
By giving attendees and exhibitors the ability to communicate and network before the event, they can find and start building strong connections right away.
Anyone who's attended an event knows how busy they can be. An event app can help attendees schedule meetings and discussions in advance, helping them speak with exactly the right people on the day.
Finally, an event app can help attendees and exhibitors follow up with people they didn’t manage to speak to. This means they can continue to build relationships even after the event has finished.
Collecting Event Feedback
If you’re an event organiser and your event has been a roaring success, what do you do next?
Make the next one even better.
By making it easy to collect feedback, the event planner can learn how to make the next event even more successful. An event app can help encourage people to leave feedback. By providing simple feedback forms with push notifications to remind people to complete them, attendees are much more likely to fill these out.
Supports Sustainability
Running an event can leave a large carbon footprint. This is due to energy requirements like heating, lighting and electricity, not to mention the increased travel and excess waste. It’s vitally important to try and mitigate the environmental impact from your event.
A mobile event app can help to digitise the ticketing process and reduce paper. Attendees can access their e-ticket on their smartphone instead of printing them out.
Paper can be reduced further by providing the event information in an app, instead of printed brochures. In addition, badge scanning can be used instead of business cards, again reducing paper use.
Improves Attendance Experience
An event app can enhance the event experience for everyone attending.
This starts with a more seamless check-in and sign-up process for the event. On the day, a mobile app can provide people with the tools to navigate the event, like interactive maps and stand information. Finally, by being able to build more meaningful connections through networking, an event app can benefit everyone involved.
Enhances Event Organiser's Efficiency
Organising an event can be a time-intensive and stressful experience for the organiser.
An event app makes the event far easier to manage by having all the information in one place. No more wasted time switching between spreadsheets or re-entering information across different systems. Automation is the final advantage of using an event app. We’ve already mentioned automatic check-in but this can also apply to deploying event updates and notifications as well.
Mobile event apps can vastly improve the event experience for attendees, organisers and exhibitors alike. By using technology, it’s possible to provide quick access to event information, build stronger connections and to run a smoother, more organised event.
Are you an event organiser who's considering if a mobile app is right for you? Get in touch with our friendly team to find out how ExpoBeacon can help.
[1] https://www.dmnews.com/infographic-events-marketers-play-it-safe/
