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Event Apps – Giving Event Organizers A Competitive Edge Event planning can be stressful. While you’re wading through endless checklists and last- minute mishaps, it can be hard to make sure you’re on track. Your event app can surely help in making the event successful in a great way. Following are some of the reasons to get an Event app: Improves overall productivity Creates market buzz Makes the company smarter and well organized Drives connectivity after the event Strengthens the use of technology How To Get the Most Out of Your Event App: Promote Your Mobile Event App to your audience: The most important, proven factor leading to your success will be how well you promote the service to your audience. Most of them will be new to this service, and no surprise, people need time to learn new things. Make sure they know about the service. Send out welcome emails at the right time: As an event organizer, you control when welcome emails are sent, so make sure they end up in your user’s inboxes when they are most likely to pay attention to their emails. Just like an effective email marketing campaign, it’s best to send welcome emails during normal business hours between Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you have initial exhibitors and sponsors, launch your event planning app for them before launching for attendees: Your exhibitors and sponsors need time to prepare their company profiles before attendees come to the application, so schedule a launch for your exhibitors and sponsors first. Benefit Your Sponsors with Your Event App: Event app is a great medium to promote your event. Further, it can help to improve the chances of visibility of your sponsors. It is also a great way to impress your sponsors and increase the chances for sponsorship for your event. How To Make Your Event Successful: Make it special! Using your event app Create fun campaigns like contests, free giveaways, and lucky draws to improve user’s engagement. Let participants personalize their event experience: Event apps can make it easy for attendees to filter through available sessions, picking the ones most relevant to their interests. This means that participants can tune out the “noise,” and personalize their own event experience. Networking opportunities can be built into a conference app, too. In the same way that attendees can select sessions they want to attend, they can take note of people they want to meet, and build their own personalized networking program. Note-taking is another useful event app feature, for users who want to take notes on the go. In-app messaging among delegates, exhibitors, and speakers allows people to send messages, facilitates matchmaking and networking, and helps people stay connected throughout the event. Real-time notifications can help event planners update participants on the go, without the hassle of trying to fit new information into the print program. If last-minute changes arise, the planners can notify people via the app right away. Event apps can be useful after your event ends, as well. You can use attendee feedback and surveys to gauge which sessions or speakers were most popular, and you can assess the distribution of interest across your event program. Were 8:00 a.m. sessions attended better than 3:00 p.m. ones? This information can help guide program development for next year’s event. Getting the best event app is a way to ensure that all event information is provided clearly in one place; it means participants spend less time searching for information, and more time networking and learning. Ultimately, the app contributes to your attendee’s experience so they get the most out of your event. As an event organizer you can focus in the right direction and you will surely hit the target!
The Value of Marketing Your Event to the Most Relevant Audience We are all limited by time and money, and event marketing is no different. Without limits to your target audience, you will be spread too thin to effectively use your marketing spend. You must use your time and money wisely, and focus on filling your event with as many of the right people as possible – the people who will actively engage with your speakers, learn from the sessions, network with each other, or purchase products your sponsors offer. Speakers Knowledgeable and influential speakers drive registrations. These types of speakers are usually known for their specialty, whether it is discussing proper treatments for heart disease, opening new doctors’ practices, or presenting the health benefits of long distance running. These gifted speakers have a following and it benefits you to market your speakers to the audience with whom their specialty resonates help you prmote your conference app. Pro tip: Be sure to include them prominently on the event website, within email communications, and include their Twitter handles or tag them in social media posts when possible. Press Release There will be newspapers and blogs that will cover your event just because it is a local event. Having a target audience in mind allows you to spend your time pitching the niche blogs, magazines, and publications that those potential attendees pay attention to. Most importantly, it allows you to focus and hone your pitch for those niche targets, increasing your success rate and decreasing the effort spent on PR. Pro tip: When pitching your event to journalists or other online publications focus on the specific benefits your event will have on their readership. Tailoring every message for each publication with you event app will take time but that extra effort is what will make you stand out from every other request they get reading “For immediate release.” Social media platforms Only very few brands or topics span large groups of people. Most likely, your potential audience is interested in a particular niche, and is well connected within that niche. When you can excite people about something very specific and particular, you can tap into the networks they’ve formed around those interests. We’ve written how building a social buzz is imperative for the success of your event – find your target audience, tap into their conversations on social networks, and make it easy for them to share the information you want them to share. Pro tip: Use sites like hashtags.org or Twubs to see what hashtags are most commonly used for your audience on Twitter and incorporate those into your messaging. Caution: don’t go overboard—use only one or two hashtags per tweet—as using more will make your tweet hard to read and less likely to be clicked on or shared. Sponsors The companies sponsoring your event have products targeted at specific audiences and you will best serve them by making sure those people are at your conference. Likewise, when you approach sponsors for your event they will want to hear that your target audience matches theirs. Pro tip: When attendees sign up for your event have them fill out a short survey providing in your event planning app you with demographic and psychographic data. Many larger sponsors want proof that your audience from past events matches the audience they want to reach. Keep surveys short – up to 5 questions. This will keep attention spans focused and advance ticket sales/registration completions. In app surveys are another great way to get audience feedback during your event and often have high completion rates. Paid Online Advertising Paid search (also called SEM for search engine marketing or PPC for pay-per-click) is a powerful tool when used well. When attempted without a specific target audience in mind, however, you can quickly burn through a very large budget without much to show for it. Identifying your most relevant audience, and the keywords they are likely to search, puts your money to its best use. The targeted ads on Facebook and remarketing ads on Google are also very powerful, and when you use the right lists or criteria, you can attract a very specific group of people. These tools allow you to be hyper-specific, and you should be. Pro tip: Having a clearly defined target audience will help put you in their shoes and allow you to think of the phrases they would search on in order to find your event. Remember, with search (paid or not) it’s all about the user, not you. Paid search is a specialty in its own right so be sure to consult with an expert in this area. The money you spend on promoting mobile event app with a pro will likely save you money in the long run. Too broad a target audience spreads your efforts too thin. Focus on the people who are looking for the information you offer and the services you sell.
Most Common Event Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Planning a large event is a major endeavor and it can be hard to avoid small mistakes. Such events atkes a lot of time and budget to handle big events. Even handeling such major events through a mobile event app is a major challenge if we miss the practical factors of event management. But if you can avoid these big (and common) mistakes, you’re more likely to avoid the issues that can ruin what would have otherwise been a successful event. Competing with another large event Know the events you have to compete with for your participants’ attention. Don’t plan your inaugural event for the same weekend as an established event’s 20th iteration – attracting the right participants may be difficult if they’ve had another event on their calendar for the last year. Sharing a venue with others Be aware of what other events are scheduled in your venue and whether they will be accommodating of your needs. Scheduling your event for the same hotel as Harley-Davidson’s Biker rally could be distracting to your participants and speakers. Inefficient Registration Don’t make your participants fax, scan, or mail registration forms in. Use technology! Whether you’re using Grupio’s efficient and streamlined registration platform, or some other technology package, make it quick and easy for participants to register. The best event app features help you meet these challenges. Not allowing yourself time to set up There are few more stressful things than trying to finish your preparation while your valued participants or speakers are tapping their feet waiting to get seated. Even if it means you need to rent the venue for an extra hour or two, make sure you have enough time to set up – it’s professional and far less stressful. Refuse to delegate Organizing large events takes countless hours of preparation, communication, and planning, and while we know challenges can arise with larger teams, delegation and help are invaluable. Find people you trust to do the work well, give them tasks to do, and then let them go to work. The best way to coordinate the event will be using a conference app. Not hiring enough help on event day So you thought you could handle doing your walkthrough of the venue, setting up the tables and chairs, welcoming the speakers, and live-Tweeting your event without any help? Think again. While we know that labor costs are a significant portion of any event budget, not having enough help can cause much bigger problems then the several hundred dollars you spent on extra labor. Not having a backup plan Know what you are going to do if certain parts of your schedule fall through. Whether it’s bad weather for an outdoor segment, travel delays for a majority of your participants, a venue cancellation, or a speaker cancellation. Know how to move forward in as quick, efficient, and painless a way as possible. Under estimating event app cost can also restrict your growth of your event promotion inistiative. Missing your walkthrough Pictures, descriptions, and video tours are great, but never miss the opportunity to do an in-person walkthrough of your venue. Go through the entire event as if it was taking place in front of you, with your clients present, and make sure this venue will work for your needs. Overlooking the opportunity for pre-event networking Whether you are organizing a large pharmaceutical conference, a regional political event, or a model trains enthusiasts club meeting, expect your participants to network early and often, and give them the means to do so in a way that helps your event. We’ve written in detail about Creating A Social Buzz at Your Event, but in short – use the tools at your disposal and encourage participants to connect before, during, and after the event. Forgetting how technology can modernize your event Make use of the technology to engage attendees and also the people who might attend next time. Use live streams to broadcast engaging speakers, turn a great instructional series into a webinar, and keep your users engaged throughout your event with a great event planning app. Big mistakes can cripple your event before the first speaker even arrives at the venue. Avoid these common errors to increase our attendance, decrease your stress, and make your event work like a well-oiled machine. Ready to get started with your own event app? Sign up for a Grupio demo now.
How to Promote Your Event App Offline In this age of information and web-focused promotion, most event apps are promoted strictly online through social media sites like, Twitter and Facebook, or through web blogs, and corporate websites. Online event app promotion has a very large reach and should not be ignored or dismissed but often the conversion rates are quite low since it requires a lot of time and a consistent effort to produce results. Good old-fashioned offline promotional techniques that have been selling things since the birth of advertising, if properly used, can still create results in the current tech age. While these techniques may cost a little more than web based efforts they give hard results and provide a base on which to build an app community. These methods are particularly useful for apps that are targeting a specific areas or niches industries. Local Promotion Find out where the local community meets the most and host a low-key promotional event there. Perhaps it’s a park, local bar, restaurant or coffee shop; wherever it may be make sure to add a little something extra for anyone who downloads the app while at the event – like a free drink or t-shirt. This could be a hook for new users to talk about and share the app with their friends. Get the Press Involved Create a press release about the conference app and send it out to local newspapers and industry publications. Write a sponsored article about your industry and event and incorporate your app into the message. Remember to promote the idea the event is part of, not the app itself. The big story is not going to be the app – but the app can get media coverage if it is connected to a larger idea or story that is interesting from a news perspective. QR Codes Not only do millions of U.S. consumers scan QR codes every day; that number also continues to skyrocket. Recent research from Pitney Bowes suggests that there are already millions of QR code users in the US, and over 50% of smartphone users have scanned a QR code. Creating a custom QR code is fairly easy and free, but make sure to create a simple web landing page so people can easily learn about and download the event app without a hitch. Remember, QR codes are a hugely powerful tool to link online and offline efforts, but only when used correctly. You can do the QR code scanning using the best event app. Custom Stickers Creating eye-catching stickers will draw the attention of potential users; use them in places that target audience members frequent the most. Don’t forget to incorporate the QR Codes when designing the sticker – make it as easy as possible for people to download the event app no matter where they are. You can further enhance the sticker option by using event app gamification feature. T-shirts and Flyers One page flyers can get lots of downloads but be careful not to turn them into sales promos – write some tips about the app and present them in a useful way. Flyers are easy to print and they’re relatively inexpensive. They are a great way of promoting an event app when targeting areas like shopping complexes, office complexes, niche shops, and other promotional events. Is there a clearer way to make a statement without “selling” than a with T-shirt? Use the event app logo combined with a catchy call to action that people will notice and remember. Don’t forget to hand out a couple of T-shirts with those flyers. Who doesn’t love a free tee! Launch Party Nothing shouts “our app just launched” more than a good old party. Invite key industry influencers as well as, current contacts, top customers, media, and brand ambassadors. Do some additional research and invite industry or topic related bloggers and local tech celebrities that have shown an interest in the industry. Encourage attendees to share photos of the launch party across social media during the event and make sure to get testimonials from users on video at the event that can be used for further promotion of your event planning app. The world is now becoming smaller as the connections between offline and online become larger and more common. A combined offline and online effort can get more downloads than either of them alone. Just like with any other promotion technique, make sure to test out different combinations of methods to see which are most effective. Looking for specific ways to use an event app during your next event? Check out our previous post on using event apps for more details. Ready to find out how Grupio’s mobile solutions will help your next event succeed. Contact us to schedule a demo.
The Evolution of Event Marketing Marketing an event requires time and a little premeditation. Getting the word out about an event beforehand is crucial to the success of the event so you want to make sure you are devoting ample time and resources into marketing. So what are the best ways to market an event? Expectations and Challenges Event marketing has evolved over the past few years in huge ways. New technology has evolved the position of the customer, consumer or buyer; marketing is now focused on building their relationship with a company or brand. Audiences have higher expectations than previously held and are interested in being more engaged and gaining a real personal value from events. Event planners and marketers are now challenged with proving that events are valuable by offering customers a greater return on their investment. As more technological advances are made, they must be embraced by organizations in order to optimize customer experience before during and after events. Mobile technologies and social media continue to offer ever increasing ways to provide value to event attendees; these technologies extend the life-cycle of an event and enables marketing to be more frequent and more engaging. Increase Engagement through Technology Here are a few ways that mobile event apps can help increase the effectiveness of event marketing: • Streamline and Expedite Online Registration • Increase Engagement on Organization Websites and Social Media • Collect Valuable Attendee Demographic Data • Publish Immediate Event Updates • Extension of Organizational Branding • Increases Networking Ability through Messages, QR code scanning, etc. Not only is mobile technology a great way to reach audience members before and after an event, organizations are now encouraging audiences to use their mobile phones and tablets during events in order to stay connected to other attendees as well as to the organization. Mobile apps can keep attendees up to date with last minute scheduling changes during the event and they allow users to stay organized and make the most of their limited time at the event. Integrated event campaigns that use as many communication channels as possible via a custom event app are the very best at engaging an audience and pulling off a successful modern event. Today’s event attendees are tech savvy and expect the same from the events they attend. The future of event marketing looks bright as technologies, particularly in the mobile arena, continue to advance thereby increasing an organization’s ability to communicate and engage with its target audience. Another great advantage of integrating a technology that can measure your events Return on Event (ROE). It has been found that only 23% of the survey respondents are able to track event ROI vs. 37% of tech adopters. Revenue reporting is important for measuring every event program’s growth. It has also been found that organizers who are able to track their event ROI can closely define their future event budgets. Planners are integrating their event technology to enable full-funnel measurement and real-time action. It has been reported that 51% of the adopters have found success by integrating technology in there event management. And non-adopters only stick to the top-funnel metrics as they do not have the access to directly connect to their sales pipeline. Other benefit includes personalization. The Best event app allows companies to capture the data of the audience from their session interests to their food preferences. This allows in creating personalized experience throughout the event lifecycle. With the data, companies can automate better post-event follow-ups and personalize their outreach based on guest data, which is integral to enhance sales cycles and get better customer engagement. B2B companies are more apt to integrate event technology as they are looking for more valuable touchpoints, which will improve their sales cycles, and personalize the experience of their clients. One of the most important reasons to integrate the conference apps or event app can help in is lead generation. As said by Andrea Vahl, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies, “In these days of social media, face-to-face content can really enhance your online connection with your potential customers. Make sure you are using the Twitter hashtags regularly and watch the social media marketing that happens for the event on Facebook so you can comment on the posts and gain visibility with other attendees before the event.” And the best way to do so is by correctly targeting the demographics. The right event audience is the one that has an interest in what the event has to offer throughout the sessions. Upselling! What upselling at an event? Is this possible? Well, yes. You can easily upsell by introducing your customers with the products and services that they may not know about or may not realize that could address their needs. It is very easy fo the audience to fall back at the same kind of vent every time. Thinking out of the box can inspire and connect your with your new and existing audience in a refreshing way, which will in turn will increase the chances of attracting new attendees. But before you setup the event application, it is important that you keep these things in mind. Build a model up-front to understand the sensitivities of your event ROI based on various metrics. Keep brainstorming session with your team to come up with unique, viable, and strong ideas. Identify multiple touches in your promotion. ( In order To generate the highest amount of registrants, you need a mix of email, social, public relations, and other types of paid promotions.) Events occur in real-time, and attendees often use social networks to engage with other participants in a live environment, so do not forget to include social media channels. To make sure your event app development cost is justified, follow-up with attendees after the event and take feedback. Looking for specific ways to use an event app during your next event? Check out our previous post on using event apps for more details. Ready to find out how Grupio’s mobile solutions will help your next event succeed. Contact us to schedule a demo.
5 Useful Event Marketing Blogs to Follow Do you struggle to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies in event marketing and planning? Keeping up with the latest news, discussions, and products is essential in the event industry. Following event app blogs will give you the immediate information that printed materials lack. Online articles will appear within hours of an important discussion or occurrence and keep you ahead of the game but knowing which resources are the best will save you time so you don’t have to search through a sea of information to find the gems. Event Manager Blog This blog is the resource for all things events; from event technology to social media, they have all the bases covered. There are resources for wedding planning, event management and party planning, but their true area of special interest lies in innovation and is widely referenced by other event planners. As one of the leading blog for planners it is a great source of information to get the best event app features. Techsytalk Techsytalk offers a slightly unique perspective on event planning with a focus on social media and the tech savvy side with event planning. It offers tips and new on social media techniques for event planners and corporate event planning, as well as info on the latest conference app and technologies available. Whether you’re tech savvy or not staying on top of these trends is a must and the articles are quick, easy reads that are very shareable. Bizbash BizBash provides quality facts on everything from venue selection and marketing tips to party planning ideas. They offer an abundance of creative ideas you can use at your next conference while keeping you up on what’s trendy in the event world. This site is a go-to resource for the latest event planning industry news. The Meeting Pool Started by two veteran event planners who are curating great content from highly relevant and topical sources as well providing the latest on new event planning app, social media trends, event technology and everything else an event professional may need. Velvet Chainsaw’s Midcourse Corrections The information here is very useful, easy to read and engaging. Their focus is on conference planning and event education techniques. There is a wealth of strong, well researched information here and they have recently ventured beyond their scope to include topics on social media, speaker practices and general industry news. These event blogs are chock full of goodies to help both organizers and attendees get the best out of their event planning app and event going experiences but this is just the tip of the iceberg. What mobile event app marketing and planing blogs would you add to this list?
7 Reasons You Should Invest in Mobile Apps for Events The venue is booked. The invite list is prepped. But wait a second. Are you forgetting about a mobile app for your event? There are more and more reasons why mobile apps for events should be on the must-have side of your to-do list – and as consumers become more and more tech-savvy, those reasons are more important than ever. Here’s why you should consider investing: Engage Your Attendees When you invest in a mobile event app, you’re investing in technology your invitees already use. After all, a whopping 90 percent of Americans have a cell phone, and smartphone usage is expected to rise heavily from its current 58 percent penetration rate. Simply put, event attendees are primed to use their smartphones at an event, and when you present them with one of the best mobile event applications, you get a chance to engage their attention, their time, and their dollars. Does it get much better than that? Promotion In Your Pocket A great mobile conference app is an opportunity to promote your event multiple times to your attendees – and to include sponsors in the messaging mix. When a potential attendee downloads your event planning app, they open up an entirely new promo channel … one that reaches them in their pocket whether they’re around email/snail mail or not. Tease and Please What’s an event without a bit of mystery? a mobile event app can provide a great chance to tease upcoming event highlights. You can even use them to reward those who download with exclusive perks, peeks, and program information. The result? Attendees who are engaged, excited, and primed for the event. Demystify Your Event Mystery may have its place in dinner theater, but not in other events. The best event app features act as shrewd guide to users. They can be especially useful for large conferences, narrowing down choices and providing an easy-to-use guide for attendees. Attract New Attendees With paperless conferences and mobile event apps on the rise, it’s more important than ever to be on the forefront of event technology. In fact, many attendees are attracted to events by the technology options on hand. Don’t risk losing their business to another more tech-savvy event. Mobilize and Monetize Your Sponsors What better way to supplement your event coffers than with even more opportunities for sponsorship dollars? Simply put – mobile event and conference apps are a golden opportunity for event organizers. That’s because they allow sponsors to pay for even more in-depth promotion and engagement opportunities. It’s a win-win for both parties. Bottom Line: Apps Just Plain Make Sense Still don’t think it makes sense to invest in a custom event app? Truth be told, you can’t afford not to invest in one. That’s because consumers are becoming tech-savvier every year. Are you going to risk falling off the train of progress just because you fear investing in an event app that makes your life (and the lives of your attendees) easier? We didn’t think so. Don’t take it from us – take it from the thousands of event planners and attendees who have experienced more streamline event planning and enjoyment with the help of mobile event app. If your budget doesn’t include expenditure on an app, it’s time to re-prioritize. Your next event will thank you.
Benefits of Using a Mobile Event App Meeting apps are rapidly taking over the event industry – they are ubiquitous productivity tools that help to drive connectivity and engagement with your attendees. If you are a Meeting Planner or Conference Organizer here are some tips and insight for using Meeting Apps. Generate Residual Income Enhance the event for your sponsors and give yourself more “digital real estate” by offering sponsorships and other discount offers via the meeting app. Get Instant Feedback through Surveys Most mobile event apps have built in survey functionality enabling you to poll attendees easily and quickly both during and after the event. Communicate Information Dynamically to Attendees Meeting Apps let you update your attendees just about in real time during your event – instantly connect and communicate and no worries about email connectivity issues for/with your attendees. Extend Your Brand Meeting Apps provide a great way to brand your event by customizing your meeting app with corporate colors, logo, email contacts, social connections and links to forms. Go Green conference App affords more productivity for your business, it’s all digital, saving time and money on “old school” registration forms requiring data entry and helping to make your organizations event more green by reducing your carbon footprint. Stay Connected with Attendees Mobile event Apps are design to incorporate Twitter streams, especially if you are using hashtags for your event – and you can monitor what’s being said in real time other social networks as well. Guide Attendees in the Right Direction Most meeting apps have built in maps, the ability to customize your information; i.e. places of interest, things to do during the event, local landmarks and places of interest. Build Stronger Relationships with Attendees Your attendees are mobile ready in today’s always on digital economy. Meeting Apps ensure they are in tune with your event and connected on a 24/7 basis. Meeting Apps Drive Competitive Advantage Are your direct competitors using mobile apps? If the answer is no, then mobile app integration with your business model will definitely drive competitive advantage and help to distinguish your brand with your attendees. Using a white label event app can help you monetize all your event and conference needs. With Grupio you can get an affordable event app and maximize your efficiency from planning to promotion.