In the dynamic era of event technology, event apps continue to be at the heart of event success. The power of a mobile event app is undeniable – whether it be easy communication or creating private event networks or providing value for your sponsors.
However, certain missteps can undercut their effectiveness.
In this guide, I expose the event app mistakes you’re probably making, broken down into three crucial stages: evaluation, during the event, and post-event. I’ve broken down these mistakes into three critical stages of your event process – evaluation, during the event, and post-event.
Common Event App Mistakes
- During Evaluation
- Failing to Define Clear Objectives and Features
- Overlooking Branding and Customization Needs
- Neglecting Interactivity and Virality Features
- Not testing your mobile event app
- Ignoring data privacy and security
Mistake 1 : Failing To Define Clear Objectives And Event App Features
In my experience, I have seen many organizers, falling into the trap of undervaluing what an event app can do. The result?
You end up in demos or trials feeling uncertain about what you should be asking for or settling for less.
Before you begin the process of choosing an event app, it’s vital to establish why do you need a mobile event app. Settling for event apps with subpar features and limited functionality due to a lack of awareness about the possibilities can be quite disappointing.
How Can you Fix This?
To get started, you can rank some of these popular event app benefits:
- Go Paperless with my event
- Offer a digital event guide including the agenda, floor map, venue details, and more
- Find an easy way to communicate with attendees
- I am on the look out for ideas to create pre-event buzz
- Boost audience engagement and interaction
- Create fresh networking opportunities
- I want to nurture the community post-event
- Create value for sponsors & exhibitors
Mistake 2 : Overlooking Branding And Customization Needs
Every event is a special and unique. Its own theme, structure, branding and colors. So why should your mobile event app be any different? Don’t let it be a dull clone of every other event app out there.
No more “one size fits all” – who wants a cookie-cutter, rigid structure, right? What you need is an event app that reflects your event’s identity, that screams your colors, your branding, enhancing the app experience in the process.
How Can you Fix This?
Ask your event app provider for a trial run. Give the customization features a whirl. See if you can alter:
- App logo
- App splash and intro screens
- App theme and colors
- Feature & menu names
- Menu icons
- App navigation
- App background
- Upload collateral
Mistake 3 : Neglecting Interactivity And Virality Features
Ever pulled out your phone and scrolled through your most-used apps?
You’ll notice a striking similarity – they’re buzzing hives of user-generated content and they always nudge you with push notifications. Why, you ask? Because that’s what keeps you coming back, and it’s this secret sauce that you’re probably missing in your conference event app.
If interactivity isn’t taking center stage in your event app especially in conferences, it is time to recalibrate. The truth is, your attendees anticipate a dynamic, engaging environment. It’s these lively interactions that are at the heart of their event experience. Your event app should facilitate these interactive experiences, enabling attendees to connect and engage on-the-go.
How Can you Fix This?
This is a set of must have interactive features in your conference event app
- Push. notifications
- Event Wall to post messages, photos, videos
- Audience polls
- Live Q&A
- 1-1 and Group chat
These features further enhance engagement based on your event and the audience
- Video breakout rooms
- Speed networking
- Gamification
- App contests
- Word cloud polls
- Scavenger hunts
Mistake 4 : Not Testing Your Mobile Event App
The event day clock is always counting down, isn’t it? With your to-do list bursting, it’s easy to skim through the testing of your event app. Yet, remember: the event app is that one constant companion all your attendees will carry from the moment they hit ‘download’.
It takes your attendees a split second to tap on the ‘Submit a review’ button on the app store. You want those reviews to be glowing, not groaning.
Whether you’re launching a conference app or a convention app, I can’t stress this enough: do not cut corners when it comes to testing your app. Carve out the time to put your event app under the microscope.
How Can you Fix This?
Here’s a minimum mobile app testing checklist for you and your team:
- Device Compatibility: Install and launch the event app on a diverse range of devices and mobile operating systems.
- [CRITICAL] Offline Performance: Make your phone go offline or switch to airplane mode and test the app. It shouldn’t hang, lag, or crash.
- Functionality: Tap on all menus, buttons, and icons to ensure they are visible and functioning correctly.
- User Experience: Is the navigation intuitive and seamless? Your users should find the app easy to navigate.
- Push Notifications: Test all types of push notifications, including scheduling notifications.
- Real-time Content Updates: Upload content in the event app builder and check if it updates in real-time.
- Load Performance: Test the app under varying network conditions and loads. How does it perform when multiple users log in simultaneously?
- Interactive Features: Upload photos, videos, or initiate a chat inside the event app.
Mistake 5 : Ignoring Data Privacy And Security
Picture this: Your conference is in full swing, attendees are buzzing with excitement, and then – bam! Breaking news of a global data breach and your infrastructure provider might be effected. Sound like a nightmare scenario? That’s because it is.
Data privacy isn’t a luxury; it’s a right. Likewise, app security isn’t optional; it’s an absolute must.
As an event organizer, you have a responsibility to protect your attendees’ data like our own. Every single piece of information, from personal details to payment data needs to be safeguarded.
How Can you Fix This?
Here are some key pointers you should discuss with your event app provider:
- Ask whether data, both at rest and in transit, is encrypted, and inquire about the level of encryption used
- Understand the authentication methods available in both the attendee app and the admin panel. Does the provider enforce two-factor authentication at least in the admin panel?
- Ensure the conference app clearly lists out what app permissions are required and why.
- Both you and your event app provider should have a clear, concise, and easily accessible data privacy policy.
- Is the event app platform GDPR and CCPA compliant? Don’t stop there, also ask about their SOC-1, SOC-2, and ISO compliances.
- Does the app provider clearly define who their privacy officer is?
