Navigating an event can often be overwhelming for attendees. It's tough to keep up with a packed schedule and meet everyone you want to talk to. That's where a mobile event app comes in handy.
In this guide, we'll show you how a mobile app, especially the Accelevents Mobile Event App, makes attending events easier and more organized.
Chapter 1: Decoding Mobile Event Apps
What is a Mobile Event App?
A mobile event app provides attendees with access to event information and content while also facilitating connections with speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and fellow participants.
Most apps are available for both iOS and Android devices. They may function as standalone event technology, but they are typically part of a broader event management software platform.
The best event apps significantly enhance the attendee experience by making events more convenient and engaging. However, choosing the wrong app can have the opposite effect, so it's crucial to carefully evaluate your options!
Types of Mobile Apps For Events
Standard or “Generic” Mobile Event Apps
You can find these mobile event apps under the brand of the app developer on the App Store and Google Play. They work well for simple events that prioritize functionality over brand promotion, delivering a dependable and effective way to inform and engage attendees.
White-Labeled Mobile Event Apps
White-labeled mobile event apps offer the functionality of a regular app but can be personalized to align with your unique branding and UX/UI preferences. Instead of featuring the app developer or app builder brand, they only display your brand.
White-label apps are typically accessible through white-label pricing plans. Accelevents, for instance, provides a comprehensive white-label solution that includes a custom domain, white-labeled sender email, branded ticketing and registration forms, and customizable email invitations, confirmations, and reminders.
Additionally, you get a fully white-labeled mobile app, featuring your unique name and logo on the App Store and Google Play.
Mobile Event Apps for Admins
These apps are designed to streamline the event management process for busy event professionals on the go. Here are some of the things you can do with the Accelevents Admin app:
- Register attendees, sell event tickets, and accept payments on the spot.
- Quickly check in attendees via QR code scanning or manual entry.
- Print attendee badges directly from the app.
- Empower attendees to self-check in on mobile devices such as iPads.
- Manage sponsors and exhibitors.
- Track key metrics like event registrations, session check-ins, and attendee engagement
Chapter 2: Why Attendees Need An App
Attendees typically face a variety of hurdles:
- Accessing Event Information: Getting timely information about sessions, speakers, and exhibitors often involves juggling pamphlets or searching through emails.
- Navigating the Venue: Finding your way through different halls and rooms in large conferences or trade shows can be daunting.
- Keeping Up With A Complex Event Schedule: With multiple sessions happening simultaneously, it's easy to lose track of time and miss out on key presentations or workshops.
- Networking Efficiently: People often attend events to connect with their peers, yet identifying and interacting with the right individuals can be challenging.
- Participating Actively: Engaging in sessions through Q&As, polls, surveys, or discussions is often less than straightforward.
Next, let’s explore how a mobile app can help solve these challenges.
Chapter 3: The Accelevents Mobile App For Attendees
The Accelevents Mobile App is designed to alleviate common attendee stressors and simplify the event experience:
- Registration Information: Attendees can easily update their registration details.
- Event Check-In: Attendees can check in using the unique QR code stored in the app, either by presenting it to staff for scanning or by using self-check-in kiosks.
- Session Check-In: There are two options for session check-in:
- Assisted Check-In: Show the unique QR code in the app to a staff member for scanning.
- Self-Check-In: Scan the session QR code displayed at the entrance using the app.
- Event Information: All essential information, such as the attendee directory, detailed venue map, and exhibitor booths, is conveniently available in one place.
- Agenda Management: Attendees can personalize the event agenda to match their unique interests and preferences.
- Push Notifications: Provide real-time updates and promote key speakers, sponsors, and sessions.
- Sponsorship Placements: Strategically place sponsorship carousels as banner ads throughout the app.
- In-App Event Content: Attendees can join live sessions or watch recorded event content on demand.
- Engagement Features: Engage attendees with Lobby and session feeds, gamification challenges, and feedback tools like Q&A, live polls, and post-event surveys.
- Attendee Networking Tools: Facilitate networking through chat, in-app messaging, and a user-friendly meeting scheduler.
As you can see, mobile event apps like Accelevents make the event experience more seamless and enjoyable for attendees. The key now is choosing the right app! Read on to discover how to pick the best one.
Chapter 4: Choosing The Right Mobile App For Your Attendees
Your chosen mobile app should perfectly fit the needs and goals of your upcoming events. Here's what to consider:
- Functionality: Does the app include key features like an event schedule with session details and speaker information, an attendee directory, and live streaming options?
- Depth of Features: Can the event technology handle the complexity of your event? For example, can attendees easily view and bookmark sessions in a multi-track agenda? Is it possible for remote viewers to access a high-quality live stream?
- User Experience: Is the app user-friendly and easy to navigate for attendees of all technical levels?
- Customization: Can the app be tailored to match your event branding and unique requirements?
- Content Management: Is it easy to update and manage event content within the app?
- Offline Access: Can attendees access important information within the app even when there’s no internet connectivity?
- Scalability: Can the app accommodate events of various sizes, from small gatherings to large conferences?
- Updates and Maintenance: Is the app regularly updated and maintained to ensure compatibility and security?
- Support: What level of customer support does the app provider or event management platform offer?
- User Training: Is there support and training available to help attendees make the most of the app?
Cvent, Whova, Bizzabo, Eventmobi, and Accelevents all offer robust mobile event apps. For more information on these and other options, check out our analysis of the 12 best event apps. Good luck!
Chapter 5: All About White Labeling Your Event App
The Benefits of A White Labeled Event App
White labeling your app puts your brand front and center, ensuring that your event attendees experience a seamless, branded journey from start to finish. If you’re new to the concept of white labeling, head over to our intro to white labeling to decide for yourself if white labeling is a brand boost or a budget drain.
How To White Label Your App
Setting up a white-label app is a breeze. You provide us with some basic info like your app's name and a few images for the store listings. If you're tech-savvy, you can even use your own developer account.
Check out our support article on white label attendee app requirements for all the important details and step-by-step instructions. It's your roadmap to making your event app truly yours without getting lost in the tech jargon.
How Long Does It Take To Get Your Very Own App?
Before you see your app shine in the stores, remember that the development process can take up to 15 business days. Additionally, approval from the App Store and Google Play can also take 24 to 72 hours. Patience, event pros!
Chapter 6: Why Mobile Event Apps Are Vital For Engaging Events
Your event app is not just a digital brochure – it's a dynamic tool to drive engagement and make your event unforgettable. Use the app to keep attendees engaged and connected; we've packed our app with features to do just that!
Let’s take a closer look at some key app features that can significantly boost event engagement:
Q&A Sessions
Q&A sessions offer a fantastic opportunity for attendees to get deep into live discussions. This feature is a favorite among participants because it enables them to pose questions without physically standing up and joining a microphone queue. Instead, they can discreetly submit their queries through the app.
Session Chats
Encourage attendees to chat on the app, fostering a deeper level of engagement without causing interruptions for your speakers. Session chats not only facilitate interactions among onsite attendees - they bridge the gap with those logging in remotely, creating a seamless experience where everyone feels like they're in the same room.
Gamification Features
Consider incentivizing event participation by implementing a gamification system that rewards attendees with points for checking into onsite sessions, joining or watching a virtual session, or purchasing early bird tickets. Attendees can easily track their point balance through our in-app leaderboard.
Event & Session Feedback
Accelevents has a straightforward survey builder that makes it easy for event planners to build their own event and session surveys. Distribute them via in-app push notifications and email to drive engagement and gather valuable feedback.
Chapter 7: How Apps Foster Meaningful, Long-Term Connections
Fostering meaningful and lasting connections at events is key for attendees, and our award-winning app is designed to make this process seamless and efficient. Below we explore how attendees can build and maintain valuable relationships during and beyond the event.
Evergreen Event Connections
At Accelevents, we help your attendees build lasting connections that go beyond a single event. Here’s how it works:
Option 1: The Connection Request Feature
By simply clicking the "Connect" button, attendees can easily request a connection with other event participants. Once the connection request has been sent, the recipient has the option to approve it, leading to a notification confirming the connection.
Option 2: Peer-To-Peer QR Code Scanning
Event participants can scan someone's QR code to view their profile and add them as a connection, eliminating the need to search through an attendee list.
Whether attendees connect via the app or by scanning QR codes, our event tech carries these connections over to future events, allowing participants to continue networking seamlessly.
Private Messaging
Attendees can take networking to a more personal level by sending private messages to onsite and virtual attendees participating in the same session.
One-On-One Meetings
Give attendees the power to schedule meetings themselves or enhance their networking experience by scheduling meetings on their behalf. All resulting meetings will be conveniently displayed in the Attendee App.
Chapter 8: Why A Mobile Event App Ads Value For Exhibitors
Help Exhibitors Connect With Attendees
In today's fast-paced event landscape, exhibitors seek opportunities to effectively connect and engage with attendees. Here's how the app adds significant value for them:
Facilitate Discovery With Exhibitor Booths
Give attendees the opportunity to connect with exhibitors beyond the physical booth visit. They can explore exhibitor information, request meetings with booth staff, and engage in chat. This offers exhibitors exceptional networking opportunities, especially valuable when in-person booth traffic is high.
Encourage Exhibitor Booth Visits
As part of a gamification challenge, in-person attendees can earn points when they visit exhibitor booths in the app.
Attendees can easily track their point balance through the app's leaderboard, adding an element of competition and play to their event experience.
Enhance Lead Capture
Simplify Lead Collection
Attendees can effortlessly share their contact details with exhibitors by presenting their unique QR code for scanning. Exhibitors can quickly scan leads, qualify them, and add notes using the mobile event app, which doubles as a lead scanner.
Provide Gamification Challenges
As part of a gamification challenge, in-person attendees can earn points when they get their QR code scanned.
Provide Mobile App Offline Protection
Picture this: your event is in full swing, exhibitors are eager to collect leads, and then, the internet connection drops. No need to panic! In such situations, exhibitors can rely on their app's "Go Offline Mode" feature. They have the option to select either Manual Capture or QR Capture.
With Manual Capture, exhibitors can manually input lead details, ensuring no valuable information is lost during connectivity issues.
On the other hand, QR Capture allows exhibitors to easily scan attendees' QR codes, instantly populating their name and email, requiring only additional information to be filled in.
The best part is that when the connection returns, captured leads sync automatically within 5 minutes!
And hey, if attendees using the Attendee App face connectivity hiccups, they also get an offline page with access to event details. While offline, they can't do much else, but it's still handy!
Chapter 9: The Value of Mobile Event Apps For In-Person & Hybrid Events
Attending large conferences and trade shows can be exhausting, especially for those who frequent numerous events each year. It's often challenging to navigate these events and make meaningful connections within a limited timeframe.
As event organizers, your goal is to ensure attendees have a seamless and stress-free experience and the opportunity to establish lasting and valuable relationships. This is where mobile event apps like Accelevents’ conference app play a crucial role. They simplify event navigation and provide an engaging platform for attendees to connect and foster meaningful relationships.
Feel free to reach out if you're interested in elevating your next hybrid or in-person event with an app. We'd love to give you a demo of our event platform!
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