In 2014, this new technology is about to revolutionize the meeting and event industry.
Event apps, a technology that has emerged in the last few years, is about to go global. But why now? What exactly are event apps and why are they now deemed to be indispensable to conferences of the future?
Events apps: a very complete digital guide
We are accustomed to using apps on smartphones and tablets on a daily basis. Now, meeting and event professionals have taken the lead as regards mobile technology so as to take event programmes to the next level by creating interactive apps with an enormous potential for the industry as a whole.
These apps can provide attendees with all the information that they need, in addition to extras like, for examples, geolocation, lead exchange and data synchronization, all thanks to cutting-edge technology.
Event apps have opened the door to certain features that were unthinkable before with a traditional event programme or website. From social and professional networking to live streaming of presentations, apps have an enormous potential for making events more participative and satisfactory.
These apps are causing a sensation in the industry because the are paving the way to new possibilities, in addition to delivering greater benefits to event planners, speakers and audiences, including the following:
Gamification: the most exciting new feature
Audience participation
We tend to regard audiences as a passive group of spectators; people who watch and listen in silence, without any kind engagement except for the odd laugh or round of applause.
But events do not have to be like that now. They can be lively and participatory. The audience can have a hand in shaping presentations, answering questions and providing demographic data. They become an active and necessary part of a presentation, lending it vitality and dynamism.
Live streaming of presentations
Basically, this refers to putting the audience in the driving seat. With the live streaming of presentations, the audience can view slides directly on their smartphones or tablets, thus allowing them to better understand the content and to browse backwards and forwards so as to check references and interesting points in the full presentation.
Moreover, presentations have a much longer life since attendees can access them after an event.
Data collection
Data collection is now easier than ever before, the power of mobile apps allowing organizers to sound out their audience’s opinion whenever they want. Apps allow users to browse and view maps, speaker bios, and presentations times. They also count and register all page views, thus allowing organizers to know in real time what interests their audience most before, during and after the event.
Networking
One of the most important problems faced by event planners is getting different groups to socialize. How can we help people to meet, socialize, make friends and generate important business leads? How can we encourage people to break out of their circle of acquaintances so as to make new contacts?
Event apps have enormous potential for connecting attendees, who can exchange contact details in an instant and dynamic fashion so as to break the ice and connect using social networking platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. In short, the networking functionalities of event apps are a very valuable tool that is catching on fast.
Flexible, updatable content
Event programmes or guides usually cannot be modified so as to include last-minute changes regarding keynote addresses or times. On the contrary, event app information can be easily modified or edited, even halfway through an event, so as to include updates which can then be instantly accessed by all the attendees with a simple click.
Social seating
Instead of seating guests haphazardly, why not seat them on the basis of their industry sector, preferences, or contacts? Event apps and web technology have facilitated new ways of organizing events, and the novel concept of social seating is a perfect example of how they can achieve small but significant changes.
Multi-source content
As mentioned before, audiences do not have to play a passive role; they can in fact make a valuable contribution to an event – whether via tweets, comments, image or video sharing – in response to presentation content.
Audiences are now continuously creating content during an event. The question is whether it is interesting enough to merit being posted.
Event apps: future challenges
As is the case of all emerging technologies, event apps require an investment of time and thought so as to make the most of their potential. They also come with several challenges for event planners.
Data protection
It is easy to lose confidence in something. The audience will want to use the application but they will also expect confidential information to be treated carefully. If your app has a networking function, make sure that your audience fully understands what kind of information that they are providing and how to collaborate.
Simplicity
The omnipresence of apps means that people have great expectations of mobile technology. They expect a seamless and efficient experience, all in an elegantly presented package. If you decide to use an event app, it should be interactive and user-friendly, and it must also provide relevant information. It is not a case of having an app just for the sake it.
Multiplatform
Smartphones and tablets use Android, iOS or Windows, so it is important to think about how to offer an optimum, across-the-board user experience – in terms of resolution, screen sizes and software versions – on all platforms. Apps fully adaptable to multiple platforms ensure a greater volume of traffic and possibilities of success.
Offline access
The Wi-Fi networks of convention centres are frequently unreliable, for which reason it makes sense to ensure that your app content is also available offline. People will understand that to view some of the content of your event app they will need Internet access, but they will become impatient if they cannot view basic information, such as the name of following speaker or how to find their way to a session room, due to a deficient Wi-Fi signal. Thanks to this offline functionality, attendees will always be able to access key information, without having to suffer slow load times due a saturated Wi-Fi network.
Exceeding expectations: why are event apps so irresistible?
As has been seen, there are many weighty reasons for developing event apps and for the buzz that they have provoked lately. They pave the way to host of possibilities that can also be tailored to the needs of each event.
But there are other reasons behind this year’s event app explosion. Basically because audiences are increasingly more tech-savvy, and since this technology is now omnipresent in all spheres of life, people will begin to ask why the events that they attend are not keeping up with the times or offering anything new.
There is also some degree of peer pressure. Just as events make the most of apps, audiences also expect to benefit in the same degree from the features that they offer. Soon, audiences will regard event apps as a basic requirement, just as Wi-Fi or refreshments.
