December 2016

Event apps have gained in popularity over the past few years. Event planners are using mobile apps to automate and modernize many functions that have traditionally been done in a manual, paper-based way. Numerous developers and start-ups have launched mobile event apps and they are growing and improving at a rapid pace. The industry is now maturing and even though there are many players, the leaders are rising to the top.

In a world where “going green” is a major consideration for companies large and small, the event app makes a lot of sense. The biggest advantages of using an event app are to reduce paper and waste and to provide more timely information. Printed programs and signage can change multiple times and are often outdated before they are printed. Apps are also replacing most forms of written communications for delegates and attendees. We are also in a world where immediate, up-to-date information is expected to be available at a touch of a button so event planners are jumping onboard.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways a mobile event app can modernize your next event starting with registration. Apps aren’t intended to replace registration software but most are able to pull information from the reg software into the event app. This way all the attendees can be listed on the app and shared with other attendees. This is perfect for networking and figuring out who’s who in an organization. You can even upload a picture of every attendee or let the attendees do that themselves by customizing their own profile and adding additional contact info, a personal bio, and other pertinent information.

The most important document any attendee needs is the event agenda…where to go and when. The mobile app enables planners to keep the agenda completely up-to-date at all times and it goes a step further. It can show attendees exactly what room to go to and bring up a venue floor plan to guide attendees to the right place.

What if you make a change at the last minute? Say you have to move breakfast from one room to another. You can send out a push notification directly to the mobile device of every attendee, alerting delegates of the change. Want to see the bio of a keynote speaker? Go to the agenda and click on the name of the presenter and their bio can come up directly on your phone. Maybe you want to do that in reverse. Maybe there is a keynote presentation you don’t want to miss. Click on the presenter’s bio and the app will tell you exactly where and when they are speaking. Take it a step further by creating your own personal agenda. Every attendee can select the sessions they want to see and put them in their own personalized agenda that sends them notifications when their selected agenda items are about to start.

The features and applications are endless and for the most part, limited only by your imagination. There is live polling, analytics, a city guide, a place to download pertinent event documents, social media integration, photo gallery, the list goes on. You can even have a scrolling list of event sponsor ads to help monetize the cost.

Many app developers require companies to make a large investment to license their own custom app for enterprise use while other developers license container apps to resellers who can then personalize and brand the app for their specific end clients.

AV Strategies has partnered with Touchpoint®, one of the industry’s leading Event App developers. As a licensed partner of Touchpoint®, we can create and deliver customized Touchpoint® event applications. Our app provides cutting edge experiences for attendees by providing valuable, meaningful, and timely event information and delivers a richer event experience for attendees while providing detailed analytics and insights for event planners.

We can do all of this in a way that conforms to your company brand including your logo, colours, and company graphics. Clients can choose which features they want to use and which ones are not required. AV Strategies then builds out your own personalize app that meets your exact requirements. And because we are a licensed reseller there is no need for our clients to purchase their own enterprise license. We have done that for you and can in-turn, provide our clients with their own personalized event app.

With a simple download from either iTunes or Google Play, attendees can enjoy all of the features we have mentioned. The app also allows organizers to deliver videos and text welcome message, send out important event updates, and more. You can even use it to start promoting the event and grow engagement in the weeks leading up to the start of your meeting. The app is supported on all Apple and Android devices and on any other devices through a mobile web version. To find out more about our event app solution visit our website or download our info sheet with pricing.