Want to run a smoother, more engaging conference, without adding more overhead to your plate? Then a conference app is just what you need.

From networking and personalized schedules to self-check-in and live feedback, the right app puts everything attendees need right in their hands.

But it's not just attendees who benefit from a conference app. As an organizer, you can easily send last minute updates for schedule changes, track attendance and get in-depth analytics to improve your future events.

And the best part is you can do all this without writing a single line of code.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• what makes a truly effective conference app
• how to create one with a no-code platform that delivers both power and simplicity.

What a Conference App Does and Why It Matters

Do you remember attending events where the organizers distributed bulky handouts to attendees? Attendees would flip through the pages and try their best to keep up with the agenda.

Often times, the information on those handouts would be out of date because of things like last minute room changes or unexpected speaker changes. Furthermore, when everything was said and done, those handouts would end up in a trash can.

Thousands of dollars and hundreds of event planner hours, thrown away without a second thought. 

Conference apps eliminate these problems, as well as the high-cost (and environmental impact) of printing.

These apps provide conference attendees with a single source of up-to-date information, allowing them to do everything through the app, whether its networking with other attendees or connecting with sponsors.

It isn’t only the attendees that benefit from the app. You can gather data on each attendee that you’ll need to achieve the desired results. 

The Top 8 Conference App Features To Have

Now that we've covered the basics of why an event app is a must-have, let's look at the top features to include in your app.

1. Push Notifications: Keep Everyone Updated

Push notifications are your direct line to users, ensuring they stay informed and engaged. Share essential updates and time-sensitive offers, or highlight sponsors. You can also send push notifications to drive users back to your app, enhancing their experience.

2. Session Verification and Registration: Streamline Attendance

Simplify access to sessions with verification and registration features. Attendees can confirm their attendance in advance or check in on the spot, ensuring a seamless experience for both users and organizers.

3. Surveys and Live Polls: Get Real-Time Feedback

Gather valuable insights and spark live interactions with surveys and polls. Let attendees share their thoughts on sessions, event organization, and the app. Live polls encourage real-time engagement, shaping discussions and involving the audience like never before.

4. Preset Schedules: Provide a Tailored Experience

Recognize that every user is unique by offering preset schedules tailored to their interests. Users can choose from pre-made schedules or customize their own, ensuring they get the most out of your event.

5. Interactive Maps: Navigate with Ease

Go beyond traditional maps with interactive ones that offer a dynamic, immersive way to explore the event's layout. From locating sessions to finding key points of interest, interactive maps make navigation a breeze, even offline.

6. Schedule Tracks: Filter Relevant Sessions

With a packed schedule, navigating can be overwhelming. Schedule tracks categorize sessions into specific themes, allowing attendees to filter content based on their interests and preferences, ensuring they find what matters most to them.

7. Social Feed: Share Moments, Connect with Others

Turn your app into a virtual social hub with a dedicated social feed. Attendees can post updates, share photos, and connect with fellow participants, fostering a sense of community beyond the event itself.

8. Private Messages: Network Effortlessly

Facilitate networking by allowing attendees to connect and interact with each other easily through private messages. Encourage new connections and collaborations that can continue long after the event concludes.

Is Guidebook the Conference App Builder for You?

Now that you know what makes a great app, let’s look at how you can build one without the high cost or technical complexity.

The reality is that it can easily cost upwards of $10,000 for a developer to create a custom conference app. With Guidebook, your investment is just a fraction of that and you can implement all the features mentioned above - plus so much more - in a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface.

Below are some of the top reasons why event planners trust Guidebook (and here's direct feedback from our users).

Seamless Event Organization

Guidebook’s features don’t just make things better for attendees. These features make life much easier for you, the event organizer. For example:

• Easy-to-use planning tools help you optimize event management.
• Automated tasks mean less administrative work and more time for your most important task: putting on the best event possible.
• Real-time analytics give you valuable insights on what's working and what isn't, so you can improve future events.
• Collaboration tools make it easy to work with your event management team on bringing the app to life.

Engaging Content Delivery

Your conference app can play a major role in attendee engagement, especially when you include features like:

• Gamification
• Dynamic session formats
• Multimedia integration
• Interactive functionality
• Personalized content recommendations

Real-Time Communication Hub

Fast and easy communication is another essential ingredient for a conference app and once again, Guidebook has you covered with features like:

• Instant messaging (a convenient way for attendees to network)
• Group discussion
• Push notifications for live updates

These communication capabilities foster a sense of community and enhance attendee participation at multiple levels.

Your event management team also benefits from these communication features because they can make adjustments on the fly, without having to reprint paper handouts.

Visual Analytics and Actionable Insights

Guidebook’s reporting gives your team insights on a variety of attendee metrics related to participation and interaction.

Metrics, along with attendee feedback, give you the ability to make data-driven decisions for optimizing both the current event and future events.

Build More Than Just an App, Without Coding

A great conference app can transform your event—but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.

With Guidebook, you can also:

• Create custom registration flows to simplify sign-ups for paid and free events.
• Launch branded event websites to promote your conference and share key details
• Connect everything seamlessly with your mobile event app for a frictionless attendee experience

And you can do it all in one place. No code, no stress.

Get startedtoday or book a demo with one of our dedicated product experts to see how it works in real time.