The Best Event and Conference App: Does It Exist, and How to Build One?

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Mariia Bolgar Head of Eastern Europe Partnership

While pandemic restrictions are being lifted, offline events are returning to our lives, and it’s hard for us to part ways with digital.

Just a month ago, I attended my first major offline tech conference since the pandemic’s start – IBC2022 in Amsterdam. As a part of the program, participants were offered an application that helped them navigate all the event’s attractions.

However, I have yet to take full advantage of such apps. And this made me wonder about an ideal event and conference app. Let’s see if there is one and what are the main opportunities of such apps for event visitors and organizers.

What Is a Conference App?

Ideally, event and conference mobile apps are customized according to the event, and attendees can download them and log in to participate in the event using their smartphones. Many of these apps are fully functional and are optimized to run and appear well on smartphones. Examples of popular apps or event management software are Whova, Canapii, Eventene, and ClearEvent. 

Does Anybody Really Use Them?

You may be surprised, but yes. It is a pretty popular thing at big conferences. However, I have yet to find an excellent event and conference app, and as far as I know, it also refers to my colleagues.

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What awes me the most is that, after all, the organizers spend resources on creating an application. So why not spend a little more and create something really worthwhile and memorable, powered with features that will be useful to everyone involved? Having said that, let’s discuss what we expect from a perfect event and conference app.

What Are the Features We Look For in an Event and Conference App?

Prior to a conference, I always research attendees, speakers, programs, and activities to plan my schedule. As a rule, it takes a lot of time if done manually via, let’s say, an official website, and LinkedIn. A conference app simplifies and improves this process. 

I have singled out the following lists of features for both conference visitors and event organizers.

Opportunities for visitors

– Personal profile. Conference visitors can introduce themselves, their companies, services, and areas of interest. Networking can be simplified by adding personal contacts and social profiles. 

– Attendee list. All event guests have a unique opportunity to form new personal contacts in a special area for the guest.

– Interactive schedule. You can make your schedule from the selected events. In-app reminders will help you not to miss anything.

 – Venue map. An accurate layout of the premises with all floors, entrances, and exits, and pointers to important locations will help guests find everything they need.

– Location tracking. Each guest can easily find a venue for the event, even if he is from out of town or poorly oriented in the city.

– Online chat. Each visitor can personally ask their question to the expert or the event organizer, thus supporting effective interactive communication between speakers and the audience.

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Opportunities for organizers 

– The latest information for guests. Post news and announcements about the event and all its participants. And instant push notifications to every phone will notify everyone in seconds.

– Promo for partners and sponsors. Offer partners a new type of advertising – interactive pages in the application. A bright banner and a link to the company’s website will increase brand awareness.

– Gathering information about the audience. Create a vote right during a lecture or speech and get a quick response from the audience. A review of the results will allow for stakeholder analysis.

– Monitoring the mood of the audience. For each event, the application user can rate – individual impressions from each guest.

How Complex Is It to Build a Mobile Event and Conference App?

Of course, creating an application for a conference consists of standard mobile app development steps, but it also has its own attributes. Let’s take a closer look:

1. Research, analytics, and everything in between. The development of any application always begins with this step. We need to get to know our potential users (visitors and show organizers) and the features they need. I already did this for you; just scroll to the paragraph above.
2. Specifying and compiling wireframes. We fix what the application should be like, what it should be able to do and how it will work.
3. Prototyping and design. It all relates to UI/UX so that the application is attractive and, more importantly, convenient for end-users.
4. Time to code & test. The task of the stage is to realize the product. And don’t forget about software testing, of course.
5. Launch in 3,2,1! It remains only to upload the application to marketplaces and platforms so that all conference participants can download it and get the full experience of your event.

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One thing that companies usually need to remember when they are in the process of creating an app is marketing. With the application for conferences, the situation is slightly different. Visitors will definitely download and use your app if you communicate correctly before the event.

How Can CHI Software Help? 

By using advanced technologies and customer-centric thinking, CHI Software’s mobile product development team creates complex, meaningful solutions. Just like this one, for example.

One of our clients is a famous US-based event management company with a huge online community. Their social network platform helps people from different communities and interest groups indulge in offline and in-person meetings. Our client’s main pain points were:  

– Unstable web version; 

– Claimed bugs; 

– No mobile version for end users. 

Our task was to improve and reshape this web solution for mobile use. Here is what we achieved: 

– We gathered a professional development team fast, within 2 weeks;

– Our mobile unit improved the existing features of the app and implemented new ones;

– Our Software Testing Engineers also fixed the existing bugs.

Not to brag too much here, I invite you to learn more project details. 

Summing Up 

So, an ideal app for events and conferences looks like one that helps your attendees to assess all information about your event and its attractions. From the visitor’s point of view, the best conference app is one that makes your networking effective and smooth.

So, is there an ideal event and conference app out there? 

Well, it can be arranged in just 5 steps. If you are considering creating such an app, feel free to contact our team.

About the author

Mariia Bolgar Head of Eastern Europe Partnership

Mariia is a technology enthusiast passionate about transforming the corporate landscape with cutting-edge technology.