2017 – the year to ditch paper guides and embrace event apps

There is one guide I look forward to reading every year and that is the Event App Bible. This year’s edition does not disappoint! As Julius Solarius, one of the authors of the Event App Bible states "2017 is the year that will be remembered in the event app world. It will be the year when event apps started to change."

This year it’s time to ditch paper guides in favour of an event app. Living in an era when almost everyone owns a smartphone and uses apps to connect with one another, it’s time for the event world to fully embrace the event app.

Why wouldn’t you integrate popular social media platforms in an event app? 

It may not surprise you to learn that the integration of social media is one of the upcoming trends in event apps. We see that the implementation of such tools keeps audiences engaged, as described in last year’s white paper From the Peak to the plateau: Event apps after the Hype.

Speaking of audience engagement, there is one new area where we’ve seen demand increase tremendously in the past year, and that’s in the popularity of networking and matchmaking features within event apps. One of the main reasons to visit an event is to network, but it can often be hard to meet the ‘right’ people to talk with. 

What if you could link to like-minded people, plan meetings with them prior to the event, and interact with them via in-app messaging during and following the event?

Lumi recently supported an event for a large Dutch financial company where the need for such audience engagement was essential. The main goal of the event was to network and our client was keen to boost interaction between attendees pre, during and post the event. 

Prior to the event attendees were asked to respond to 10 questions such as ‘Which industry do you work in? Which country do you work in? Which country would you like to export to?’ and from the responses a ranking was generated, giving attendees the ability to seek out like-minded people and arrange meetings with them at the event.

During the event’s interactive sessions the attendees used Live Insights, the Lumi in-app live polling and messaging module, enabling the client to gather audience insight and run Question and Answer sessions. Post event, the attendees could download all the documents shared during the event, send in-app messages to other attendees, and ultimately connect with them on LinkedIn. 

That’s how networking is done in the smartphone era!

Obviously all of this isn’t possible without a consultative approach and reliable support – as stated in theEvent App Bible, support is an essential factor when choosing your event app.

At Lumi our mission is to transform meetings – energising, exciting and rewarding audiences, event organisers and presenters alike. This means providing excellent support to our clients, and we’re happy to know that they highly appreciate our approach and care when working together.

Hopefully reading the Event App Bible: 2017 Reboot will encourage you to ditch paper guides and embrace the event app!