While more and more attendees, exhibitors and speakers are moving to mobile apps, there still seems to be some hesitancy on the part of those responsible for event planning to do so. If you are not sold on moving to iPad rentals or the use of BYOD, here are 9 benefits of this technology and great testimonials about it.
Easy Peasy Mobile Benefits
- No more paper! All the information is in one or more app. This makes it really easy on the attendee to find the information, especially if the app has a search component to it.
- Everything is a tap of an icon. Just like social channels, the attendee just taps on the screen to move into the information.
- Networking is easy. Attendees can find each other through profile searches and even integrate the app to LinkedIn.
- You and your sponsors can build their brands through 10 to 30-second video commercials before or during app use.
- Attendees will be more engaged. They can send social messages or emails right from the device. No need to hunt down the event planning staff if they have a question, concern or complaint.
- If your conference is very large, attendees can use second screens to make all the sessions interactive presentations.
- You will have real-time analytics to determine who is using the app and how they are using it.
- You can have an interactive social activity feed, event announcements and upcoming sessions displayed on a Video Wall for all to see.
- You can integrate a gamification app into the mix and watch attendees show their competitive side!
Mobile Technology Testimonials
"Planners want all their conference information and interactive functionality in one app for their specific event. Today's attendees are much more comfortable using event apps than ever before," stated Patrick Payne, CEO of QuickMobile.
"Once they realize how much easier it is to access information as opposed to leafing through pages, they're hooked. The adaption rate at the smallest conference of 300 is 67% of attendees, while the largest conference of 1,500, which tends to attract older members, is about 33% of attendees," said LeAnne Nienhuis, Education and Customer Programs Manager for the American Public Power Association.
Suggestion: If you want a greater rate of acceptance at your next conference, engage Millennials to be your "tech advisors". They can set up training sessions, greet attendees as they complete their electronic registration or check-in onsite, or be a general tech mentor.
"Attendees have increased interaction with event apps and have a feeling of involvement. More networking possibilities and ease of scheduling appointments with others at the meeting are possible," said Jordan Schwartz, President of Pathable.
"More people in the industry have stopped thinking about apps as a simple event navigation tool, but rather as an extremely valuable way to engage people and improve their meeting," revealed Eric Olson, CEO & President at Zerista.
Original Source: June 2014 Meetings Focus
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