Planning and coordinating events isn’t a walk in the park. However, in an age where almost everything can be simplified with technology, an event app plays a crucial role in changing the landscape of event planning and management. It is predicted that the event app market will keep on expanding in 2024 on its way to the expected $2,6 million growth in 2028. And it will happen for a reason.  Event apps have already revolutionized the way we see and handle events. With a plethora of features like personalized scheduling, interactive resources, easy messaging, and real-time updates, event planners take their events to a new level. Among the top benefits of event apps are improved attendee engagement, saved costs, and improved ROI. In this article, we will delve into the world of event apps and uncover the main reasons why you need one.

6 Reasons to Create an Event App

There are various challenges on the way to successful event management, from being overwhelmed with streamlining communication to detecting trends behind absenteeism. Let's have a look at how event apps help to overcome them.

Remove the Abundance of Communication Channels

An event app enables attendees, speakers, organizers, and vendors to communicate in an all-in-one channel. All the event management processes, as well as communication challenges, are seamlessly solved thanks to built-in chats, group discussions, news updates, and immediate notifications. As an event planner, one can enjoy keeping everyone in the loop by sending important messages to everybody’s device. In case any change occurs on the way, no one will miss out on any vital announcements. Companies choose to create an event app to have a centralized platform where everyone can communicate in real time. Not only does it help to ensure efficient and timely communication, but it also facilitates one-on-one meetings as well as better engagement.

Reduce Costly Paperwork

When thinking about whether to build an event app or not, consider yet another advantage — reducing unnecessary paperwork. Implementing event app technology instead of printed materials is not only cheaper and more convenient but also introduces your brand as innovative and sustainable.  Say, there’s a change in the event schedule. While paperwork requires a lot of extra effort as well as resources to update all materials, an event app allows fast and cost-free reactions to notify everyone about any changes. This will help to significantly optimize your event budget. Creating content for event apps is way easier than crafting offline materials, so you don’t need to hire big marketing teams or work with design agencies. Instead, you can utilize various digital tools and AI to design captivating visuals and craft compelling messaging. For example, if you need to add a new speaker to your event program, an AI photo editor can generate a new event banner in mere seconds with simple text prompts. Besides, in the digital age, no one cares about old-fashioned flyers, printed programs, abstract books, or venue maps. These printed materials are likely to be tossed away or lost. Instead of carrying piles of paper and standing in queues to get tickets, people can just scan a QR code to enter the event and access all the necessary information. 

Increase Attendee Engagement

Improving attendee engagement is definitely an event app’s forte. All important interactions can take place in one app, keeping users involved. In-app features enable interactive real-time communication through live polls, interactive maps, Q&A sessions, and appointment reminders, which ensure participants are timely and organized. Moreover, they offer effective solutions to bring attendees together in one place, no matter the type of your event: live, virtual, or hybrid.  Gamification features of event apps also significantly boost engagement. You can reward attendees by completing fun and interactive challenges: quizzes, bingos, badges, scavenger hunts, or trivia — anything that will work best for your audience. If you don’t know where to start to bring more engagement to your event, check out event app templates. You’ll find lots of help for events of different types — from conferences to scientific meetings.

Leverage Data and Analytics

Another reason why you need an event app is because it is an open door for invaluable insights. You can benefit from real-time analytics, helping you adjust your event on the go. Such flexibility can increase the overall experience and ROI. Event apps allow you to track and analyze user behavior to find out what actions they complete and where they drop off to act accordingly. For example, you can monitor attendance and trigger appointment reminders for those who haven’t joined the event. Here are a few metrics that you should measure with event apps:

• Number of registrations
• Time spent on the app
• Polling response rate
• Number of chat messages exchanged
• Number of returning attendees
• Live webinar drop-off rate

Besides in-app analytics, you should also measure how the event influences your company's performance overall. For example, event attendees may increasingly visit your website pages, which will boost your website traffic. Hosting events makes your brand more recognizable and reliable, so you may want to track brand awareness, sales data, and revenue metrics.

Improve Networking Opportunities

Event apps significantly upgrade networking opportunities. No more superficial conversations while trying to find a like-minded person in a room full of people. A meaningful conversation can be started in a few clicks. In-app features like one-on-one messaging allow to easily connect with any member of the event. At the same time, with a matchmaking algorithm, an app can help attendees find someone they are on the same wavelength.  Event apps can leverage communication for both virtual and hybrid events. Such features as appointment booking, group discussions, chats, and built-in challenges help to foster meaningful relationships. This way, people aren’t limited to connecting only with those physically present at the event — everyone can feel a part of a community. 

Personalize Attendee Experience

Last but not least, a robust event app is your key to personalizing the attendee experience. Personalized experience cannot be underestimated in an age where people are used to algorithms offering them individual solutions. From schedules to reminders — attendees expect to receive unique experiences.  With in-built features, attendees can prioritize workshops and meetings they want to attend. This way, users can have access to their personal schedules on their devices, and the app will send them individual notifications throughout all the stages of the event. No need to worry that some important announcement will be missed. Event apps can use personalization to distribute videos, handouts, recommendations, and other resources that will meet attendee’s needs and preferences. This will result in better engagement, improved attendee retention, and better ROI.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that an event app brings out lots of benefits and opportunities. Reduced costs, increased engagement, improved networking opportunities, easier communication, and comprehensive data analytics — are among the numerous advantages of building an event app.  While attendees will be satisfied with the experience and speakers will have the right instruments for communication, your company will get a new way to accelerate business results. Don’t miss such an opportunity and switch to an event app today.  

Author’s bio

Nadia Basaraba is a Marketing Specialist at Coupler.io, a data analytics and automation platform. She's passionate about content creation and data-driven marketing. Apart from experimenting with marketing tactics, she's an avid reader and traveler.