When event apps first started to spread a few years ago, the business events market immediately saw them as game changers that would revolutionise a whole sector. They were, after all, tools of great power that sat in the palm of the hand of staff, organisers and attendees alike. They were highly desirable “portable portals” for every event organiser who genuinely wanted to get the most out of their events — for themselves and for sponsors, investors and attendees.
At SharEvent we can say we owe much of our own success to having been among the first on the Italian market to create event apps that were attractive, practical and — above all — conceived and built specifically for the events world. Back then they were not for everyone, of course: they were expensive and demanding, which is why there have been few genuine event apps on the market. More often they were little more than mobile versions of the event website — tools of little use and redundant next to others already in use and more familiar.
That meant the event app market soon split in two: on one side the “real” apps — attractive, practical, genuinely capable of being working tools and producing results — and on the other lighter, nimbler gadgets that were certainly easier to forget and, above all, easier to cut at the first budget reduction.
And do event apps still exist today?
They certainly do — those of the first kind above all are alive and well, and are becoming ever more strategic as events are asked to produce results of ever higher value on budgets that often keep shrinking. Apps can in fact be one of the most effective ways of holding those two demands together, for four reasons that seem to us — if certainly not exhaustive — the main ones.
1. Creating experiences that are genuinely immersive in the brand, the mood and the world of an event
The organisers who use them tell us so: event apps are the most effective way of creating genuinely immersive experiences. There is nothing else, online or offline, capable of completing any kind of event, enriching its activities and its potential, and creating resources and relationships the way an event app can — always available, always in the palm of a hand. An app also has three characteristics which, added together, make it more powerful still:
- it is customisable in its design and colours, so it can become a powerful marketing and branding tool;
- it can be programmed and built around the needs and requests of each event or each company, so that it genuinely answers what its makers and its users need, with nothing wasted;
- it is a tool people are used to by now, so there is little resistance or friction in installing or using it.
2. Making check-in and access control more effective, more efficient and more pleasant
Check-in and access control is one of the most sensitive moments of any event. It is the organisation’s calling card, because it is often the first point at which people really meet the event — and, as they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. It is also one of the moments where you have to hold apparently conflicting things together: security and speed, convenience and control. Apps can be an important resource here too, because they can achieve something at once mundane and formidable: making the procedures faster without giving up security. Whether you go for self check-in, with attendees handling everything themselves, or have staff manage entries and exits, being able to run the procedures straight from an app makes everything nimbler and more intuitive. It also removes the barriers, effectively dematerialising entries and exits. The first consequence of that is certainly shorter queues — universally recognised as one of the greatest sources of dissatisfaction in any setting — and the second is lower spending on physical infrastructure such as turnstiles, gates and desks of every kind.
3. Getting the most out of attending an event, for staff and attendees alike
Two words: programmes and agendas.
Event apps are the keystone holding together two needs that have long coexisted in the events world: the organiser’s need to offer rich programmes capable of meeting the tastes and interests of people who may be very different from one another, and the attendee’s need to govern that complexity without being overwhelmed by it. The personalised programmes you can build with an event app, following each person’s tastes and preferences within a potentially infinite buffet of options, become a way of giving everyone the chance to create their own perfect event, to optimise their time and energy and to keep everything in view.
Much the same goes for appointment diaries.
We know very well that one of the reasons people attend events is to widen what they know: people, tools and content. That is why the networking and exhibition areas are among the busiest parts of any event. Here too, being able to organise these important meetings clearly, effectively and efficiently can make all the difference — and it is something event apps, when purpose-built, can do quite remarkably well.
4. Guaranteeing constant, real-time information
Last but not least, information.
We all now expect to be kept informed in real time, often without having to do anything to seek out news and updates ourselves. In the events world that public expectation is mirrored by the organiser’s wish to have everyone informed at all times, because that produces efficiency in the system and satisfaction among people, which almost always translates into gains, material or otherwise. And while it is true that there are a great many tools for informing people quickly and cheaply, it is equally true that nothing has less friction and less interference than a push notification from an app people are already actively using. It is no surprise, then, that push notifications are one of the functions we are asked for most often by organisers who decide to give their event an app.
We know perfectly well that these are only four of the reasons for using event apps as tools for work, for engagement and for producing results and revenue, and that there are many more. But we also know that what is asked of an event app is often closely tied to the needs, characteristics and constraints of each event and each organiser. Which is why we build sharevent.coms to measure, so that nothing is wasted and everything is useful. And why the best way to see one is to request a live demo.