Free e-Book : The Anatomy of a Perfect Event App
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Chatbots are becoming a major turning point for event apps. As artificial intelligence technologies advance, chatbots are being integrated more widely into messaging apps and other software. Event organizers are recognizing the potential of chatbots to make networking within event apps more efficient by providing attendees a way to get quick answers to questions through natural language interactions with a virtual assistant. A chatbot integrated into an event app allows attendees to simply ask it text queries and receive responses within seconds by leveraging information the bot has access to about the event. This marks an evolution in how event apps facilitate interactions compared to earlier approaches like in-app messaging between attendees.
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Free e-Book : The Anatomy of a Perfect Event App
- 5. FeaturesChecklist:MusthavesinanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 5HUBILO 1.Technology: Isthetechnologyyou’rebeingprovidedinnovativeenoughandwillitbe meetingyoureventdemands? Native(iOS&Android);Web(HTML).MobilePlatform : Brandingoptionswithlogosandbanner,colors, screens,etc. Customization: Easymethodtopreloadattendeeinformation orregisterthroughtheapp. RegistrationPlatform : Accesstoeventappwithoutdatanetworkconnection.Offlinemode: Accesstomultipleeventsfrom asingleapp.MultipleEventAccess: Abilitytoupdateeventdatainreal-timethroughCMS.Adminpanel: Openorclosedregistrationoptionsandabilityto retainattendeeprivacy. ClosedNetwork:
- 8. FeaturesChecklist:MusthavesinanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 8HUBILO 3.Audienceengagement: Howhelpfulwillitbeforattendeeengagement? Personalizeyouragenda.MyAgenda: Personalizationofactivitystream withfavourited speakers,attendees,exhibitors,etc. Activitystream : Bookmarkingspeakers,exhibitors,sessions,sponsors, sessions,etc. Bookmarking: Conductreal-timepollsanddiscussionforums.LivePolling: Askmultiplechoiceorsubjectivequestions.Surveys: Ratespeakers,sessionsandmanyotherthingsbased ona5-startreviewsystem andincludeatextreviewaswell. Rate&Review: Showallthestatusupdates&images,promoted messages,upcomingsessionsreminders,etc. ActivityFeed:
- 11. FeaturesChecklist:MusthavesinanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 11HUBILO Viewoverallattendeeengagementscore.AttendeeExperience: Viewtotalnumberofusers,actionstaken,statusupdates, likes,comments,bookmarks,check-ins,surveys,polls,impressions, engagementrate,etc. Usagestats: Generatedatareportsonoverallattendee engagementwithrespecttoeachactionstakes. DownloadableReports: 5.RevenueGeneration: Canyougeneraterevenuefrom theapp? Understandthesefeaturesbetterwithsomeexamplesfrom therealworld! Goahead! ScanbadgescontainingQRCodes,Addnotesto scannedleadsandupdateinstantly.Grantorremoveboothstaff permissionstoscanleads.Boothadminscanexportleadsanytime. LeadGeneration: Promotesstatusupdatesintheactivity feed.Sponsoredcontent-surveys,polls,badges,pushnotifications, documents,iBeacon.etc.HighlightedboothintheInteractivemaps. SponsorshipOpportunities:
- 13. EventAppTrendsFor2017 THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 13HUBILO 1.SocialWall: Socialwallsoractivityfeedasweknow itare oneofthemostsoughtafterfeaturesinevent app among eventgoers.Whetheritisby means of integration within the app, on-screenfeedorvialivedisplayapplication. The perks of having a private social networking platform are proactive engagementbeyond polls,discussionsand Q&A.Socialmediaindeedhelpsinretaining theattendeeswithintheapp. 2.Networking&Matchmaking: AccordingtoaresearchconductedbyEventManagerBlog,theattendee interactionisprofoundlyassociatedwithhowweevaluateandengage withevents.Despitenetworkingbeingoneoftheoriginalfeatureswhy appswereconceived,justhalfoftheappssurveyedoffernetworking capabilities. Now,thisisquitesurprisingwherewehaveexternalappslikeTinderto offermatchmaking.EventAppprovidersdonotseem toembrace somethingthattheaudienceofeventprofessionalsdemandsquite vigorously.
- 15. EventAppTrendsFor2017 THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 15HUBILO 5.VirtualReality: Iam sureyoumusthaveheardofOculusRift,HTCViveorGoogleGlass. Withvirtualrealitygoingbigintherealm ofeventtechnology,itisimportant tounderstandthisandimplementinyourevents. Butdonotconfusevirtualrealitywith360-degreephotosandvideos. TheoverwhelmingsuccessofPokemonGo showsthatVRisheretostayforawhile.With morethan9millionappdownloads,itisto comprehendthatgeneralpubliciswillingto committoVRTechnologyandeventindustry shouldmakethemostoutofit. 6.AppSupport: Letusassumethatyougot100%adoptionforyoureventappbutthat’sit?It isnottheend.Becausegettingpeopletodownloadtheappisjustthe50% ofworkwhileretainingthem isother50%.Buthowdoyouensurethat happens? Well,havingadependablesupport,possiblyevenonsitesupportattimesis necessarytoimplementsuccessfuleventappprograms.
- 19. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 19HUBILO Theadventofsocialmediacoincidingwiththeincreasinguseof smartphoneshadledtotheriseofmessagingapp. TherearealotofchatbotsonpopularmessengerslikeFacebookMessenger, Slack,Telegram andTextMessages.FBtoCNN,majorcorporationsare integratingchatbotsintheirapps.EventheWhiteHouseusesit. Eventindustryisdefinitelyabreastwiththistrend.Chatbotshaveentered theeventtechindustrywithorganizersintegratingthisAItechwiththeir eventapps. Let’stakearecapbacktoChapter2wherewediscussedtheoverall evolutionofeventappstothetimewhendevelopersintegratedin-app messagingwiththeeventapp.Attendeescouldinteractwitheachother throughdirectmessagingviatheireventapp.Butthatwasn’tenough.It wasessentialtomakenetworkingmoreefficientandmuchsmarter. Thisiswheretheorganizersrecognizedthescopeofintegratingchatbotsin theform ofvirtualassistants.Thesevirtualassistantsaretheattendees’go tofeaturetoansweranysortsofqueriesthattheyhaverelatedtotheevent. Theattendeessimplyneedtodropinatexttothebotandvoila!Within seconds,thebotwouldgatherinformationthatithasreceivedpreviously, processthequeryandprovideanswers. TheEvolutionofEventApps
- 21. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 21HUBILO Theapphadmorethan20,000downloadswiththevirtualassistantplaying amajorroleinfacilitatinganoverallmemorableattendeeexperienceand maximizingengagement. Foraneventwithmorethan55,000attendees,theappwastheorganizer’s helpinghand.Fortheattendees,itwasatrustedassistantcontainedinthe palm oftheirhandsthatwaswiththem throughouttheireventexperience. Justthinkofthebenefitsthatsuchanadditiontoeventappcanprovide. 1.AttendeeConvenience: Perhapsthemostimportantbenefitofhavinganin-appchatbotisattendee convenience.Happyattendeesmakeloyalattendees.Achatbotcanreally simplifynavigatingthroughtheeventfortheattendees. ConsideringtheVibrantGujaratapp,theattendeescouldinquireabout variousmodesoftransportationtoandfrom theeventvenue. The bot was able to provide information regarding the public transportsystem atthevenueas well as a list of private cab providersiftheattendeewishesto hireprivatetransport. Mandir. Attendees could also text their queriesaboutthe availabilityand contactinformationofhotelsand otheroptionsforaccommodations around the venue i.e.Mahatma
- 22. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 22HUBILO ThenearestcitiesaroundthevenuewereAhmedabadandGandhinagar. Attendeescouldaskforinformationonhotelsandtransportinanyofthese cities.Allofthiswithjustatext. Every elementofyourevent reflects your brand including youreventapp and the bot thatyou integrate with it.An eventbotisagreatopportunity foreventbranding.Yourapp rreflectsyourbrandpersonality. Yourbotcanbefun,sarcastic orserious. eventappcreatorsfortheVGsummitwantedtheirbottobefunandhelpful. Onewaytodorepresentyour brand personalityisbygiving yourbotacreativename.The Hence,theygotcreativeandnamedtheirbot‘Botman.’Incaseofanyquery orconfusion,Botmanwasalwaysattheattendees’service! Thusyourchatbotcanbeagreatwaytoestablishyouridentityamongyour attendeesandfurtherbuilduponthat.Happyattendeesareyourbiggest promoters.Makesuretoleaveagoodimpression. 2.Individualvoice:
- 24. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 24HUBILO Having a chatbot can be really effectivein order to maximize youreventadoptionrateandseeing toitthattheattendeesengagewith yourapp.Theycannavigatethrough theeventwiththeirhelpfulassistant inplace. Make this fact known to your attendeesandI’m pretty sure your appdownloadratesareboundtorise. Aschatbotsarearisingtrend,itisarelativelynewexperienceforthe attendeesaswell. WonderwhytheVibrantGujaratApphadmorethan20kdownloads? Becreativewithyourbot,giveitavoiceandmakeyourbotasefficientas possibletoensureengagement. Besuretopromoteyourbotandkeepemphasizingontheefficiencyand necessityofit. 4.EventAppAdoption:
- 25. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 25HUBILO IncaseoftheVibrantGujarateventapp,everyattendeehadtheirownuser profilewhereinformationsuchastheirinterests,currentprofession,the industrythattheyworkin,theircompany/organizationetc.waslisted. The botwasableto scan through attendeeprofilesandenablesmarter networking. It matched attendee profilesandguidedthem intermsof whom them intermsofwhom to meet,whichbooththeycouldvisit, etc. Apartfrom this,thebotalso helps attendeeskeeptrackoftheirmeetings aswellastheiroverallscheduleand agenda. Chatbotscanthusreally helpattendeesnetwork effectively,thus maximizing attendee ROI.The prospectofthisincreasedROIalso becomesan additionalreasonfortheattendeestodownload andengagewithyourapp. 5.Smarternetworking:
- 26. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 26HUBILO Theutilityofyourapp’sbotshouldnotbelimitedtotheeventpremises.As mentionedearlier,theorganizersmustmakesurethattheirappisas efficientaspossiblesothatitbecomesmoreofanecessitythananovelty fortheattendees. Makingsurethattheappisusefulto theattendeesforallsortsofpurposes throughoutthedurationforthemain eventisapartofthis. Again,takingintoconsiderationthe VibrantGujaratapp,the bot took care of the overall attendee experienceduringtheentiretyofthe mainevent.Itwasapersonalguide fortheattendeesintermsoftheir transportation to the venue, nanavigationthroughouttheeventas wellasoutsidetheeventpremises. Here’sanexample:Fortheattendeeswillingtoexplorevariousdestinations inandaroundthemaineventvenue,i.e.Gandhinagar,thebothelpedthem createandmanagetheirtravelplans,suggestedpopulartouristspotsthey couldvisitandalsokeeptrackoftheiroverallitinerary. Itwasnotjusttheirvirtualassistantbutalsotheirpersonaltravelguide. 6.FeaturesNotLimitedtoEventPremises:
- 27. Chatbot-TurningPointforEventApps THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 27HUBILO Thechatbotisagreatwaytobuildadirectconnectionbetweenthe attendeesandtheorganizers. Again,usingtheVGstart-upsummit event app as an example, the organizerswereprovidedwiththeir owneventorganizerappthatwas directly connected to the event attendee app with the chatbot integration. The queriesthatthe chatbotwas unable to solve on itsown were conveyed to the event organizer throughthisorganizerapp. Theorganizersreceived adirectmessagefrom thebotregardingthe attendeequery.Theywerethenabletogetintouchwiththeattendees directlyand sortouttheirdoubts.Thisjustaddson to the attendee experience Theyaresuretoremembertheefficiencyoftheorganizersinmakingsure thattheyhaveagreateventexperience. Withitsmany-foldbenefitsandtheapplicationoflatesttechnology,chatbot isaninnovationmeanttoentirelyrevampmobileappsforevents.Itisnot justanaddition,itisarevolutionforeventapps. Let’sseehowfurthercanthistechnologydevelopandimpacttheeventapp industry.Theonlywaytogonowisfurther.Keepingupthesetrendscanbe abitoverwhelming,let’ssimplifyitalittlewiththisfeaturesguideforevent apps. 7.DirectConnectwithEventOrganizers:
- 29. 8EventAppsyoushouldbetakingInspirationfrom THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 29HUBILO DevelopedinpartnershipwithOrange, theFestivalDeCannes2017apphasa lotofinterestingfeaturesincludinglive videostreaming,hourbyhourupdates oftheevent,andpermanentaccessto thefestival’sTV channelaswellas aaccesstoitsradioand podcasts alongwiththegeolocationfeature. 1.CannesFilmFestival: 2.20theGovConference: Theappalsogivespersonalizedfeaturestoitsusersintermsofinculcatinga diaryandawishlistintotheapp.Theapphasgainedmajorpopularitywith morethan10,000downloadsontheAndroidPlaystorealone.Ithasa4star ratingonbothAppleandAndroidplatforms. Theapplicationreceiveda4-starreviewonthePlaystoreandhadmorethan athousanddownloads.Theapplicationcontainedaneffectivenetworking featureandsocialmediaintegration(Twitter). The20theGovernanceConferencethatwas heldinAndhraPradeshcreateditsofficialevent applicationinpartnershipwithHubiloandwas availableonbothAndroidandAppleplatforms.
- 30. 8EventAppsyoushouldbetakingInspirationfrom THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 30HUBILO Thebestfeatureoftheapplicationhoweverwastheintegrationofaoneof itskindboti.e.aVirtualAssistantthatguidedtheattendeesthroughout basedontheirprofilesintermsoftheattendeesthattheycouldmeet,the sessionstheycouldattend,etc. Thevirtualassistantreallysimplifieditfortheattendees,helpingthem navigatethroughtheentireeventsmoothly.Thisway,theycouldmakethe mostoutoftheireventexperience. Apartfrom socialmediaintegration,theappalsoprovidesreal-timeupdates, changes,informationonfinalistsandpresentations. TheapplicationfortheTheIntelInternational Scienceand EngineeringFair(IntelISEF)is availableonbothAndroidandAppleplatforms andhasa4-starreview. Theapplication made various necessary facilitiesaccessibletotheattendeesthrough theappitself,includingtransportationand accommodationdetailsalongwithinformation ofvariousemergencyserviceslikemedicalfacilities. 3.IntelISEF2017:
- 31. 8EventAppsyoushouldbetakingInspirationfrom THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 31HUBILO Variousactivities,kids’festival,community detailsalongvendordetailshavebeen includedintheapp. 4.TheYMCAFlowertownFestival: 5.NationalWomen’sParliament: Apartfrom this,detailsrelatedtovendors,foodandbeveragestalls,etc.have alsobeenmentioned.Italsoincludesacomprehensiveandinteractivevenue mapaswell.FlowerFestival’sappwasprettysimpleyeteffective. Theappalsofacilitatespersonalizedscheduling.Anylastminuteupdatesor changesintheschedulearesentthroughtheapp,immediatelynotifyingthe attendeefortheirconvenience. TheSummervilleFlowertownFestivalby YMCAhadanofficialeventappavailablefor downloadontheAndroidPlaystore.The applicationisconvenientintermsofthe inclusion ofadigital‘flowerpasses’for checkingin. CreatedbyHubilo,theNationalWomen’s Parliamentappreceivedmorethanthousand downloadsontheAndroidand Playstore. Theapplicationcandefinitelybe studied in termsofnetworkingplatform.Theattendees caninteractwitheachotheraswellsetup meetings withmeetings with variousfellow attendees, investorsandmentors.
- 32. 8EventAppsyoushouldbetakingInspirationfrom THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 32HUBILO Alongwithit,theappalsofacilitates the attendeestonetworkthroughthemessaging 6.MPITorontoEducationConference: 7.FestivalofMarketing: Itincludesmultiplefeaturessuchasagendasetting,speakerandattendee information,networkingplatform.Italsocontainsvenueandtransportation details,makingitevenmoreconvenientfortheattendees. app.Theycancreatetheirownschedulebasedontheoveralleventschedule, takenotesalongwithstoringandreviewingtheirdocuments.Allinallitis quiteaninteractiveapp. TheofficialeventappfortheMPIToronto EducationConferencecanbedownloaded from theAndroidappstoreandis named TEC 2017. It is quite interactive and personalizedwithessentialfeatureslikethe speakerinfo,venuemapandsponsordetails. ThiseventappfortheFestivalof Marketingheldisavailableonboth AndroidandAppleplatforms.The applicationhasreceivedmorethan athousanddownloadsandhasa 4-starreview ontheAndroid PlPlaystore.
- 33. 8EventAppsyoushouldbetakingInspirationfrom THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 33HUBILO Apartfrom basicinformationandspeakerdetails, theapplicationalsofacilitateslivepolling and takingnotesduringthesession&saveitforlater. 8.IPE2016: Thismakesreal-timefeedbackreallyeasy.Liveupdatesandinformationon last-minutechangesoradditionsarealsoprovidedthroughtheeventfeedin termsofpushnotifications.Thisisareallyconvenientapp. Anevent-applicationcanbeaboonforplannerswhendoneright. Technologyisyourfriend,yourtrustedhelper.Besuretomakethemostofit. Consideringgettingakick-assmobileappforyournextevent?Inthisnext section,checkout20questionsthatyoushouldaskbeforeinvestinginan eventapp. The application for the conference ‘Inter- professionalCareforthe21stCentury:Redefining EducationandPractice,’containsmultiplefeatures includingpersonalscheduleandagendasetting alongwiththemessagingfeature.
- 34. 20QUESTIONSTOASKBEFORE INVESTINGINANEVENTAPP 5 THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 34HUBILO Findingtherighteventappforyournextliveexperiencecancomeoffasa bigproblem,evenforthemostseasonedeventorganizers. Therearenumeroussolutionsfrom whichyou’llhavetochoosetheperfect oneswhichsuityoureventandevaluatingthem isadauntingtask,ifyou askme! Althoughthesearchingforitcanseem overwhelming,let’sfocusonhow youcanavoidallthoseunnecessarywanderingthroughoptions.Sothat, youcanfocusmoreoncreatinganunforgettableexperienceforyourevent participants. Butfirst,youneedtodeterminewhatyourneedsareandwilltheeventapp sufficethem ornot? Hence,askyourselfthesequestionstogetaclearpictureofwhatservices youaresubscribingfor!
- 35. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 35HUBILO 1.HowfaristheE-Day? Differentprovidershavedifferentdeliverytimes.If you’researchingforsomethingtohelpyouwithyour eventthat’scomingupinafew days,you’llneedto findaDIYEventManagementSoftwareandmakeitas quicklyaspossible. Otherwise,ifyouhaveconsiderabletimeforyoureventandifyou’relooking foralongterm investmentwhichyoucanuseformultipleevents,itwillbe yourbestinteresttosearchoutformorecustomizedanddynamicsolutions foryourevent. 2.Howflexibleisyourbudget? Eventbudgetsareexpectedtogrowby10%in2017,but duetotheirhigherperceivedcosts,thesebudgetsare oftentrimmed.Hence,itisveryimportanttoconsider whetherinvestinginaneventappwouldbeawise decisionornot! Acleardevisedplanonhowusinganeventappwillprovethatyourreturn onyourinvestmentiscritical.DecideyourKeyPerformanceIndexesto measureyoureventsuccessandproveyouroveralleventROItoyour leadershiporwhoeveriscontrollingyoureventbudget.
- 36. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 36HUBILO 4.HowwouldyoubedefiningROI? DefiningtheeventappROIhaslongbeenadirepain pointformanyeventmarketers.Fortunately,itismuch easier,thankstotheadvancesineventtechnology solutionslikeeventmanagementsoftware. Beforeyoudecideonsettlingfortheeventapp,thinkaboutthequestions you’llneedtoanswerfirst.Thinkaboutwhatyoualreadyknow,aswell whatyouneedtoknow,tocomeupwiththekindofmetricsthatwillbe importantforyoutodefineyoureventROI. 3.Isthisinvestmentforsingleormultipleevents? Toooften,eventappispurchasedforjustasingle event.Unfortunately,this doesn’t allow one to holisticallylookattheentirestrategyovertheyearand reportbackontheinsights,analyticsandROItoprove thevalueofdollarsspentonyourevent. Decidingwhethertogoforsubscriptionmodelorone-timepurchasewhen itcomestoeventappiswheremostoftheeventorganizersareconfused.If youorganizemorethan3eventsayear,asubscriptionmodelisbetter.Ifnot, youmightbeokaywithamuchlessrobustandlessexpensivesystem.
- 37. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 37HUBILO 6.Whatfeaturesareessentialforyourevent? Onceyoudecidewhichistheprimaryreasonforyou toinvestinaneventapp,it’stimetoshortlistthe essentialfeaturesyou’llneedinyoureventappforthe overallsuccessofyourevent. Forexample,ifoneofyourissuesisfacilitatingaseamlessnetworking experience,yoursolutionshouldfeatureastate-of-the-artnetworking platform tomakesurethatyourattendeesnotonlynetworkbutplantlasting relations. 5.WhatproblemsamItryingtosolvewitheventapp? Thejob oftheeventapp isto makeyourevent planningprocesseseasierratherthanmorecomplex, atall.Butyouneedtothinkfirstaboutwhatspecific problemsyou’dliketoaddresswiththeeventapp. Asaresult,youshouldbeabletosolveaspecificsetofproblemswiththe eventappyoucraftforyourevent.Identifyingtheperfectpainpointsofyour eventwillhelpyouinchoosingtheperfecteventappwhichprovidesbest solutionstoyourproblems.
- 38. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 38HUBILO 8.Whowillbethemanagingadmin? Allthankstotheautomationofeventtechnology,you won’tberequiringanentireteam to managethe back-endprocessesaseverythingisautomatedBut thatdoesn’tmean you don’tassign thistask to anybodyatall. Itisverycriticaltogranttheaccesstowhoallwillbemanagingthechosen app,whichmayincludeyourself,yourteammates,sponsors,exhibitorsand maybemore.Considertheirneedsandhowthey’llinteractwithyourevent appbeforearrivingatyourfinaldecision. 7.Wouldyoubeneedinganyadditionalfeatures? Afteryou’vedecidedwhataretheessentialfeatures you’llbe needing in youreventapp it’stime to determinewhatadditionalfeaturesyoucanoptfor. Thinkabouthowtheseextrafeatureswouldaddan extrabenefittoenhanceyoureventexperience.Ormayhelpinmakingyour eventmanagementprocessseamlessoroptimizeyourguests’abilityto interactandengagewithyourbrand.
- 39. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 39HUBILO 10.Doestheappaftertraining/supportmatchesyouand yourteam’stechnicalliteracy? Inadditiontoconsideringhow easyitisforyouto embraceanew technology,thinkabouthow wellyour team wouldbeabletoinculcatethisnewtechnologyin theirworkflow.Whatkindoftrainingordocumentation willitrequireinordertobesuccessful? Makesureyourprovideroffersyouthebesttraining/documentswhich wouldenableyoutouseeventappeffectively. 9.Howskilledisyourteamwhenitcomestoembracinga newtechnology? Differenteventappsrequiredifferentkindoftechnical skilltooperate.Iflearninganew technologytendsto stressyouout,youmightwanttooptforanappwhich iseasytouseandmanageinthelongrun. Youshouldalsoconsiderhowlongittakesyoutolearn anewtechnologyandimplementitwhendeterminingyourtimeframe,asI mentionedinthefirstpoint.
- 40. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 40HUBILO 12.Withwhichotherplatformsorsystemwilltheappneed tocommunicate? Oneofthemorecompellingreasonstohavearobust eventappisthatyoucanintegrateitwithotherapps aswellforamoreholisticviewofyoureventsstrategy andhowthatfitsintoyouroveralleventexperience. Forexample,youmightwanttoconnectyourevent appwithtaxiandhotelbookingplatforms,socialmediaplatforms,andmore soastomakeitconvenientforattendeesandmanageeverythingseamlessly from asingleapponly. 11.Whowillbeprovidingthetechnicalsupport? Willyourinternalteam handlethis,oryou’llberelying ontheeventapp’ssupportdepartment?Ifit’sthe latter,makesurethatyouchoosethebestpossible planorservicepackagethatbestcorrelatestoyouand youreventneeds. Ineithercase,itwillbeveryhelpfultohaveadesignatedandpre-decided pointofcontacttohaveasmoothchannelofcommunicationtohelpyou withwhatevertheissuesthatmayarise.
- 41. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 41HUBILO 14.Howaboutyoureventbrandingrequirements? Thebesteventappwillletyourevent’sassetstruly representallaspectsofyourbrand’slookandfeel.You need to check on the eventapp’s ability to be customized,and ask whetherwhite labelling is importanttoyourcompanyornot. Lastly,thinkaboutthebrandingoptionsintheframeworkoftheeventapp andwhetherornotyoucanrelyonthem forgraphicsandotherelements, orifyou’llneedtoturntomorestandardizedtemplatestocompleteyour designassetslikeeventwebsite 13.Whataboutdatasecurity/privacyexpectations? Ifdatasecurityandattendeeprivacyisacriticalissue foryourorganization,makesureyouchoosetheapp providertrustedbyothercompaniesaswell. Arepresentativefrom theappprovidershouldbeable toabletofillyouinonthedifferentsecuritymeasures thattheyhavetakentomakesurethatyourattendees’infoanddatayou collectaboutthem staysafeandsecure.
- 42. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 42HUBILO 16.Whatarethedevicepre-requisitesfortheeventapp? WillyourattendeesbeneedingcellulardataorWiFi inordertoruntheeventapp?Willtheybeableto accessthe contentwithoutinternet?Many apps require constant internet access in order to successfully check people in,selltickets oradd additionalpeopletotheguestlist. Also,ifyou’renotsureifyoureventvenuewillbeabletoprovidepoweror constantWiFi,makesurethatyoureventappalsohasan“offlinemode” featurethatyou’renotleftstrandedincasesomethingunexpectedhappens. 15.Whatdevices/platformsyoureventappsupports? Nowitistimetothinkaboutwhattypeofdevicesyour audiencewillbeusing.ConsiderabouttheOSofyour attendee’sdevices(e.g.AppleorAndroid),andifthe appallowstheflexibilityto usebothphonesand tablets. Thisfactwillsolelydependonthedevicesthatyouraudiencewillbeusing andwhateventappproviderscanoffer,theirfamiliaritywithdifferent platformstypes,andhowquicklytheycanlearn.
- 44. 20QuestionstoaskbeforeInvestinginanEventApp THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 44HUBILO 20.Doesthiseventappseemlikeareliablesolutionthatyou cantrust? Beforesigningacontract,doyourdueresearchand ensurethatthisisatrustworthycompany.Review theirpreviouseventappsontheplaystoretoseewhat others in your shoes have to say about their experience. Youcanalsoaskforacasestudyandtestimonials,aswellasforareference ortwotoputyourmindatease. Keepthesequestionsinmindtofindtheperfecteventapp. Maybethesequestionsaretoomuchforyou?Letussum itupinaflowchart andhelpyoufindtheperfectsolutionthat’sbestforyouwithoutbreakinga sweat! 19.Howaboutpost-eventdatareports? ForthoseofyouwhoareExcelWizards,youmustbe greatatanalyzingdata.AsimpleCSVfilethatyoucan workoninExcelmaybesufficientforyouintermsof reportgenerationoptions. However,ifspreadsheethackingisn’toneofyourstrongestskills,lookfor theeventappprovidersthatoffersdifferenttypesofreportinglike customizabledashboards,intuitiveanalyticsreport,tohelpyoumakesense ofthenewdatathatyou’veacquiredfromyourattendees.
- 47. How tochoosetheperfectEventAppforyourEvent THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 47HUBILO 4.NetworkingFeatures: Itispossibletointegrateaneventnetworkingplatform withintheevent app.Attendeescansetuptheirprofile.Attendeeprofilelistingcanenable theattendeestosortoutrelevantpeopletonetworkwith.Otherfeatures includesettingB2Bmeetings,documentsharingandin-appmessaging. 5.PersonalizedFeatures: Organizerscanpersonalizetheireventappfortheattendeestoo.They cansetuptheirownpersonalagendafortheevent,getapersonalQR codeforcheck-ins,createandmanagetheirscheduleandmaintaintheir meetingscalendar.Itisalsopossibletointegrateavirtualassistantwith theappthatactstheirownpersonalguide. 6.OrganizerFeatures: Thesefeaturesmakeeventmanagementeasierfortheorganizers.The featuresincluderegistrationsandticketing,check-insbothmanualand digital(QRcodescanning),badge-printing,helpandinfosectionwithall theFAQs,travelandaccommodationfacilities,terms&conditions,etc. listeddown.
- 49. ABOUTTHEAUTHOR THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 49HUBILO JaySitaparaisanengineerhavinganinclination towardsinnovationintechnology.Currently, associatedwithHubilo,anevent-techstartup whichaimstochangethewayhoweventsare organisedandpeoplenetworkatevents. Jayisparticularlypassionateaboutcraftingstimulating,resourceful andin-depthguidesforEventPlannerstokeepthem updatedand acknowledgedaboutlatesteventindustrytrends.Heisspecifically interestedineffectiveuseofeventtechnologyandsocialmediafor greaterROIthroughinnovativethinkingandskills. JayisalsoaDigitalMarketer,Editor,CommunityManageranda regularcontributortoHubiloBlog. Hisphilicnatureispronetodogs,poetry,coffee,friendsandcoffee withfriends.Ifyou'reonTwitter,sayHellotohim @jsitaparaand followhisarticlesonblog.hubilo.com. AndJaysays,donotforgettosharethisEbook!
- 50. Abouttheauthor THEANATOMYOFAPERFECTEVENTAPP 50HUBILO HemaniShethisaMassCommunicationmajor andanevententhusiast.Sheiscurrently associatedwithHubilo,acloudbasedevent managementplatform thataimstohelpevent professionalscreateexceptionalevents. Hemanistrivestocreateresourcefulguidesthatpavewayfor insightfuldiscussionbuiltaroundvariousfacetsoftheeventindustry. Shehasakeeninterestineventtechnologyandhowmultiple innovationsinthefieldcanhelptransform thewayeventsare created,marketedandexecuted. HemaniisalsoacontentmarketerandakeycontributortoHubilo Blog.Gocheckoutmoreofherhandyarticlesonblog.hubilo.com. Anavidreader,travellerandamoviebuff,sheisopento conversationsonanytopicunderthesun!Goahead,sayhelloto herontwitter@HimaniSheth.