Meeting/Event Apps and the
Features You Must Consider Before
Planning Your Next Event
Mobile apps give your attendees the engaging and connected experience they want. Learn more about the most popular features and see what suits your needs best.
Communication/Networking
1. Networking/ Social Media/ Friend Finding
2. Social Media Onsite Integration
3. Messaging/Sharing for Events (SMS, email, group announcements, photos)
4. Lead Exchange/ Interaction with Contact Managers
5. Surveys & Polling
6. Moderated Q&A
7. Alerts/Conference Messaging/Updates
Content
8. Rich Content / Self-Service Profiles
9. Content Distribution (Paper Replacement)
10. Attendee List & Conference Program and Schedule Distribution
11. Concierge / Local Information
Revenue
12. Reporting & Analytics
13. Sponsored Ad Revenue
Additional Value
14. Agenda Management
15. Gamification
QuickMobile
Ev
entPilot
Zerista Meeting Hub
DoubleDutch
Features to Consider
1.
Networking/Social Media/
Friend Finding
Thanks to social networking sites, like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, connecting with people has never been easier. Allow attendees to extend their professional networks while providing invaluable feedback of the event via various social media accounts. Meeting planners and venue managers can then manage problems, such as late speakers and sessions that lack significant content, by monitoring the event tweet streams. As a result, planners and managers can maximize return attendance by seeking out what attendees most desire at events through following social conversations.
2.
Social Media Onsite Integration
Before the event, attendees are able to craft creative and informational bios. Allow attendees to opt into public social media platforms when they want to collaborate and build relationships with an array of individuals. However, not all content is meant to be shared publically. If content needs to be kept private, create closed groups for attendee-only digital conversation.
3.
Messaging/Sharing for
Events (SMS, email, group
announcements, photos)
With tools like direct messaging and content sharing, attendees can develop and maintain powerful relationships with one another throughout the entire event. Attendees can also make their networking approach two-fold by scheduling one-on-one meetings with contacts through the mobile app.
4.
Lead Exchange-Interaction
with Contract Managers
With the proliferation of technology, business cards are professional tools of the past. Exhibitors can now scan attendee badges (barcodes or QR code) directly within the mobile app as they visit different booths or meet new contacts. The list of scanned leads is easily accessible through the app and is available to download. The barcode or QR retrieval mode allows attendees to effectively and efficiently collect important contact information from each other without the hassle of business cards.
5.
Surveys & Audience Polling
Once registration is completed and the pre-excitement of the event fades, it can be difficult to keep attendees involved and interested as a long day of presenters continues on. Yet, you can encourage audience participation within presentations by creating surveys and audience polling. This allows for a better understanding of attendees’ thoughts about topics and generates great dialogue.
6.
Q&A
Moderated Question & Answer
Put attendees with a fear of public speaking at ease and enhance their event experience by providing question submission opportunities. Moderators have the ability to publish answers directly into the event app for everyone to see. They can sort through audience questions, share the top ones on the large screen and publish the answers for later review.
9.
Content Distribution
(Paper Replacement)
From the thousands of schedules printed and packets handed out, events are notorious for generating waste. Improve sustainability and reduce waste by integrating session materials right into the mobile app. Mobile device documents are lighter and easier to use, quicker to access, cost nothing to print and ship and are overall friendlier to the environment. Leave that extra breifcase at home.
10.
Attendee List &
Conference Program and
Schedule Distribution
Attendees, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors are bound to misplace the event’s program/schedule at least a few times before the event ends. Empower attendees to discover, download and save all materials they find at an event on any device. Switching to a paperless event translates into both cost and environmental savings.
Features to Consider (continued)
7.
Alerts/Conference
Messaging/Updates
Fill empty seats quicker by scheduling push notifications to reach selected attendees just before the start of a speaker event and/or utilize promoted posts to elevate sponsors or make important messages more prominent.
8.
Rich Content/
Self-Service Profiles
People don’t have the time or the attention span to peruse information that does not interest or benefit them. Attendees, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors can save time and lessen headaches by creating rich, interest-based profiles that allow them to find and connect with other like-minded individuals. Quality can be added to an event by providing attendees with dynamic content, including but not limited to, speaker photos and bios, exhibitor contact info, media links, organizer alerts, web links to videos, polls and more.
11.
Concierge/Local Information
Easy access to local information gives out-of-town attendees the opportunity to navigate in unfamiliar cities. Plus, a helpful, mobile concierge provides event goers the opportunity to discover local attractions.
12.
Reporting & Analytics
With the ability to track page views and other attendee activity, businesses can continuously adapt and improve their marketing and advertising strategies. Event planners can determine which sessions, speakers and exhibitors are trending for future reference.
13.
Sponsored Ad Revenue
Attract more sponsors and reap the benefits of letting them shine. By offering promoted messages, sponsor directory, branded splash pages, sponsored badges, push notifications and more, businesses can reduce the overall cost of the event.
16.
Way Finding & Mapping
Event venues are typically not small in size, and attendees often find it a daunting task to navigate their unknown halls and staircases. Through mapping features you can pinpoint exhibitors and session locations so attendees can easily find their way around an event.
17.
Offline Access
Apps have access to an “offline cache” that can let them store data in a local (on the device) database for use when Wifi issues occur. Utilizing this feature can save people from Wifi connection frustrations!
18.
Cross Device & OS Sync
No two people are alike, so you can’t assume everyone has the same mobile device or computer. Enhance attendee networking by using an app accessable across all devices.
14.
Agenda Management
With the power to manage their own schedules, attendees have the ability to make the most out of events. Attendees can filter by category, day, time, keywords, etc. to build a schedule that fits their particular needs and wants within a large scale meeting or event.
15.
Gamification
Games are not just for kids ... they create enjoyable challenges and competitions that increase attendees’ engagement and reward participation throughout the event. Additionally, games can be customized in various ways to benefit sponsors and drive home revenue. Leaderboards can be used to drive competitive behaviors amongst attendees.
Features to Consider (continued)
19.
Multi-Event App
It’s not surprising that most businesses develop, coordinate and produce more than one large scale event each year. So, why stress yourself each time? Host multiple events - all within one app.
20.
Hybrid & Virtual Meeting Access
Events require many months of careful planning from a dedicated team. So, when the day finally arrives, it is important to provide the best view, even to those not physically attending the event. Open your event to distant audiences with integrated streaming video, on demand video and live chatter. You do not have to limit your event strictly to your in-house audience members.
Quicksilver Associates is a full service creative business communications company. For over 38 years we have been helping corporations, associations and not-for-profits with their important meetings and events. Many of our clients have used a meeting app or have inquired about meeting apps and we have generated this report to provide basic information on the topic.
This report is solely to provide information on the features to consider when choosing a meeting app and a comparison of the features offered on these 4 apps. Quicksilver does endorse any of the four apps presented in this comparison. This comparison was generated from public information and is not based on experiences with the apps.
