Mobile Event Apps are fast becoming a necessity at South African conferences and events.
This fulfills the prediction for 2016 that the Event App will become the centre of the event (as published on the event managers blog).
It’s seldom that you’ll attend a conference or exhibition that doesn’t have a mobile app which allows you to engage with the event on a whole new level. There are so many benefits for both event planners and delegates; we’ve picked our top 5 to share with you this week.
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Increase the power of networking
Let’s be honest, we all know and understand the benefits of networking. The thing is, few of us are able to engage with multiple people in meaningful ways at meetings and conferences to form long term, beneficial relationships. Mobile Event Apps allow you to create your own attendee profile (somewhat like a digital business card) and engage with attendees through the app via messaging, live chat and gamification. You can also view fellow attendees’ profiles long after the event and reach out to them to continue conversations that started at the conference.
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Give sponsors more bang for their buck
Sponsors need to be recognised for their contribution to your event. Using an app places your sponsors’ brands on the personal device of every delegate! Let them feel the love with various branding options within your event app. Impress them with detailed data on page impressions and clicks. After all, a happy sponsor is most likely a repeat sponsor.
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Extend the life span of your event
Do you keep the reams of printed programmes and pamphlets from conferences? If you’re anything like me they end up in the trash and the event is forgotten just as quickly. But, give me a live resource that I can refer back to weeks after the event and I’ll keep tapping into the information there. Start engaging with delegates weeks before the event begins and continue the conversation for several weeks post event.
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Engage attendees with live polls and surveys
Get real time feedback about the event, at the event. Work with speakers to conduct opinion polls and engage their audiences during presentations. We live in a participatory culture, this has become more of an expectation from delegates than a nice to have. Read our article on the pros and cons of Event app response vs an audience response system.
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Manage content in real time
Last minute changes to your speaker line up? No problem. Update the content on your app in real time. Update your home screen, change the agenda, send out alerts, upload speaker presentations and use gamification. Keeping your content up to date ensures a seamless experience for delegates.
Adopting new technologies can be nerve wrecking at the best of times. Be sure to find a mobile event app supplier that understands your needs and is willing to work with you and your team to get the best results possible. Once you’ve used an event app successfully you won’t look back. Why not contact us before planning your next event, we would be happy to share our expertise with you and ensure a successful event.

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