Event Mobile Apps – 7 Strategies to Apply Before You Launch

: by Molli Moss; in Blog; on 21 February 2016

mobile phone app Your conference attendees will expect a mobile at your next event. According to research conducted by KPCB, adults spent more than (3) three hour a day on the internet on their phones and more than 89% of that time is spent using mobile apps, vs mobile web. If you don’t offer a mobile app, planning for your next event will be the only thing your attendees can’t do on their phone.

Mobile apps for events offer an alternative to printed programs, add new media channels for advertising and sponsorship, and offer new ways to facilitate communication and engagement between attendees.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to mobile apps. Consider the following strategies before you make the mobile app investment.

1. What are your primary objectives for launching a mobile app and how will you measure success?

Are you trying to encourage adoption so you can phase out a costly printed program? Are you trying to foster stronger engagement between attendees? Are you looking for an easy way to collect session evaluation data from attendees? Are your sponsors looking for new and better ways to engage your attendees?

How you define your own objectives will determine your metrics for measurement. For example, if your goal is to transition your printed program to an online only version, you may want to simply measure what percentage of your attendees downloaded the app. Depending on your specific objectives, other measurements might include survey completion data, or click-throughs to sponsors ads. Your mobile app company should be able to help you with these metrics so be specific about the kind of data you want.

You’ll likely also want to conduct your own cost-benefit analysis – money saved by eliminating print, perception of going green and saving a tree, the possibility to increase (or sustain) current sponsorship and ad revenue, etc.

2. Native App or Mobile Web?

Native apps are designed using the specific programming language of each platform. An iPhone app won’t work on an Android and vice versa. Native apps are generally fast and reliable and work well in offline situations. Mobile web apps are generally not platform specific, and work on all web enabled devices. They generally require access to the internet.

Native apps have the edge in overall user experience because they’re designed to use the familiar functionality of your phone. Most native apps are designed so that the data is downloaded to the phone so it's more effective in offline conditions, a huge plus for show organizers that don’t have the budget for wifi for all attendees. And since the cost to develop native apps has dropped considerably in recent years, there is really no reason not to select an app developer that builds native apps.

3. Should you bother developing apps for Windows or Blackberry?

No. Unless your producing events for Microsoft or know that you have a higher than average base on Windows phone users, it's generally not cost effective to deliver a native Windows apps. Very few app developers even offer this anymore. And Blackberry? No one under 30 knows what that is. In my experience most Windows or Blackberry phone users also have iPads or Android tablets and can access the app from those devices.

4. What features would you define as must-haves?

There are so many options to choose from it can be mind-boggling. Each app company specializes in their own array of super cool features. Before you get lured into fancy features or overwhelmed with product comparisons, start by making a list of the top 5 or 6 things that are critical to achieve your objectives. That may help narrow the choice down to a few providers who do those things the best. Here is a list of the basics:

Session listings by theme or track
Custom branding and high quality graphics
Social networking and privacy controls
Venue maps – layouts of conference facility
Exhibitor listings and interactive exhibit hall maps
Banner ads and sponsorship branding
Analytics – data on how people use it, where they spend their time

5. How will you promote the app?

Promotion is critical. Let your attendees know, in advance, that an app will be available. Give clear instructions for how to access it and what it will offer. Promote in on your website. Blog about it. Get your attendees to tweet about it. Promote it on-site too, as people check in and announce it in your opening session. Make sure your staff or host committees have the app and are well versed in its use so they can answer questions.

6. What other technology offerings do you currently have and how will your mobile app complement it?

One of the stickiest issues, I think, is creating a seamless user experience when you already have systems and tools in place for attendees. Do you offer an itinerary builder on your website? How will that translate into the app? Are you using QR codes or mobile-based games? Will those be built-in to your app or will attendees have to download 2 or 3 apps in order to engage with your event? Do you offer lead retrieval, session tracking, and online session evaluations? How will each of those elements integrate? It’s not often feasible to integrate everything, especially in year one, but it’s important to understand the experience of your attendee so you can give clear instruction on how things will work (or not work) together.

7. Define your budget and pricing requirements.

When this article was originally published in February of 2012, the price tag for a full featured, custom branded, native app for a single conference was between $15,000 and $30,000. Today, full featured apps are in the range of $7500- $11,000. There are apps that offer the basics for even less.

Make sure you understand the pricing model, especially if it includes a revenue sharing component. Revenue sharing offers a way to lower the initial cost in exchange for sharing ad or sponsorship revenue with the app developer. In some case the app company might even offer commission-based ad sales. I personally will not consider a revenue share model. I prefer to know the entire cost up front. And like any other high visibility sponsorship opportunity, I believe it should be managed and sold as part of a comprehensive sponsorship program, not as an a la carte benefit.

8. Test-drive the app.

Now that you have defined what you are looking for and developed a high level plan, share this with several app companies so they can provide proposals for service. And most importantly, download their apps and test them out. Take notes on what you like and don’t like about the app while you are still in “new user” mindset. Assign people to evaluate and rank usability on each platform. Compare notes. Ease of use should be one of the most important criteria.