Event Management App Features that Will Keep Your Attendees Engaged
There’s an app for that. When we talk about mobile apps in the event industry, they fall into two categories – apps that help you plan and apps that are meant for your attendees. In this blog we are going to focus on apps that are for your attendees.
One of the biggest advantages of a mobile app is it eliminates the need for paper printing. So, it can be cheaper and allows you to update it as required. Last minute speaker change? No problem – update it in the app and send out a notification to all attendees. That’s much better than trying to explain to everyone why page 17 is wrong.
With these apps you have the ability to keep your attendees up to date, share a schedule of the many event happenings, and even promote your brand leading up to and during an event. Wondering what features makes the perfect event app?
Matching your Look
You’ll want to find/create an app that has the ability for personalization. Specifically, an app that allows you to showcase your brand – colours, logos, and even fonts!
The eye is drawn to colour. By simply having a repetition of your brand throughout the app (and throughout your event), you will increase your attendee’s exposure to your business and therefore increase your own brand recognition. In a study done in 2006, Satyendra Singh found that “…about 62-90 percent of [an] assessment is based on colours alone.” When it comes to people making initial reactions based on the colours they see at an event, your brand colour and style can leave a strong enough impression to boost awareness and promote your business alone!
Digital Communication and Engagement
From the start of the event marketing process to when the last guest has left the venue, communication and engagement are critical. Your guests need to know that they are heard, and their questions must be answered in a timely manner. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to reach out to event organizers about where to park, extra tickets, or how to find the room and never hearing a reply! Some of the best apps have a private social network feature where you can engage with your audience, and better yet, users can engage with each other as well (ideal for conferences, meetings, or other large networking events).
We like apps that offer an activity feed which allows for engagement between attendees and organizers, offers photo and information sharing on a private social network, as well as private messaging features that can be used to increase communication and encourage engagement.
Event Schedule
If there is one thing that both you and your attendees need access to, it is the event schedule. You already know how unreliable printed event programs can be (if not, check out our blog!), so when it comes to creating or downloading an app, you need to find one that shares a detailed view of the event schedule. EventManagerBlog.com found that “52.7% of event app developers report that attendees use their apps mostly for sessional information.” This sessional information can include anything from the various panels occurring throughout the day, to presentations, seminars, demonstrations, and other details that your attendees need to be aware of.
Access to Vendor/Sponsor Information
The conference is set up, and there is a perfect place for everything and everyone in it, specifically your vendors and sponsors! But do your attendees know where to find these important people/companies? One of the important app features for sponsorship support is one that provides vendor and sponsor information. Who are they? What services/products do they provide? How do they get in touch with them? And most importantly, where are they located at the event (what booth, what floor, what room at what time, etc.)? This simple addition in your event management app will guarantee that all the information your attendees need is directly at their fingertips. And it is one that strengthens your vendor and sponsor bonds for next year.
Reminder Settings
When there are a flurry of activities happening all at the same time (or with overlapping times) it can be a helpful addition to have reminder settings on your event management app. A feature such as this, as seen on the Attendify app, will give attendees the chance to set reminders for upcoming event features they do not want to miss out on, or remind them to seek out one of the speakers afterwards to ask questions. This is not an essential feature to have on your app, but it is a helpful one that takes the attendee experience just another step ‘above and beyond.’
Ready to boost your event management and create an event experience worth sharing?
Want to know an app we love? Download Attendify, or check out the Canadian Event-Mobi. We’re also here to help you create an app with these amazing features and revolutionize your guest experience by giving them a single platform to connect, engage, access, and learn more on! (Because we KNOW you have enough to do without having to manage the app as well!)
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