Michelle Bruno discusses event mobile apps: features, functions, pricing and strategy for selection

1. Understanding Mobile Apps for
Events: From Strategy to Selection
--Presented by Michelle Bruno, MPC

3. Key Learning Points
• How mobile solutions can address a number
of attendee needs simultaneously
• How to develop a mobile event strategy
• The common features and functionality of
today's mobile solutions
• The pros and cons of native applications and
web-based solutions

4. Key Learning Points
• What you should expect to pay for a mobile
solution
• Mobile business models
• The new breed of low-cost, high function, self-
service applications
• Best Practices
• Common mistakes that event organizers make
when selecting a mobile solution

6. Why Mobile?

7. Why Mobile? Organizer Advantages
• Real-time dissemination of info to users
• Efficient collection of information from users
• Revenue streams
• Brand extension for the event
• Enhanced visibility and brand extension for
exhibitors and sponsors
• Enhanced matchmaking opportunities
between exhibitors and attendees

8. Why Mobile? Organizer Advantages
• Environmental benefits
• Community development and maintenance
• Reductions in operational costs
• New advertising and messaging platforms
• Access to new customers (social networks,
viral communications)
• Enhanced reputation and influence for the
organization

9. Why Mobile? Organizer Advantages
• Competitiveness with other events
• Access to changing demographic of mobile
device users
• Extension of existing event assets and
platforms
• Event analytics
• Integration of mobile, online, and face-to-face
experience

10. Why Mobile? User Advantages
• Real-time interaction between users
• Real-time user access to event information
• Real-time user access to social networks
• Organized presentation of event information
for users
• Efficient collection of information by users

11. Why Mobile? User Advantages
• Improved decision-making for users
• Enhanced navigation of event for users (floor
plans, schedules, agendas)
• Enhanced attendee experience
• Simplicity, usability, clean user interface

12. Why Mobile?
• Statistics on Smartphones
• User relationship with mobile devices
• iPad usage—Can you say iPad 3 with 4G?
• Utility
• Game mechanics

14. Mobile Strategy
• What is driving the use of a mobile app? Make a list and
prioritize the organization’s specific pains and
organizational goals.
• Is mobile a good fit? Determine whether mobile
solutions are the optimum way to address specific pains.
Other options may be more suitable in some cases.
• What is the usability profile of the users? Decide
whether a native app or mobile Web site best meets the
platform capabilities and preferences of users.

15. Mobile Strategy
• How will the app be marketed to users? Determine which
existing and new communication tools will be used to launch
the app, train users and drive user adoption.
• How can the app be leveraged after the event? Consider
ways to use the app to extend the brand, engage customers
year round and onboard community or association members.
• How does mobile fit within the organization’s event
strategy? Decide whether the mobile strategy meets the
organization’s goals for exhibitor/attendee service and
retention.

16. Mobile Strategy
• What are the metrics for gauging the app’s success?
Determine in advance how the app will be measured in terms
of meeting event and organizational objectives.
• Who will own the mobile app strategy? Decide who in the
organization will be charged with choosing, deploying,
monitoring, addressing inquiries, etc. for the mobile app.
• Which tasks and procedures should be moved to mobile?
Examine existing marketing procedures, operations tasks and
budget line items to determine which can be migrated to a
mobile platform from an efficiency or cost-savings
perspective.

17. Mobile Strategy
• What is the budget for a mobile app? Determine what the
organization can afford to spend on a mobile solution and
whether some or all the costs have to be recouped by
revenue streams from the app.
• What is the time frame for selection and deployment of a
mobile app? Decide whether the event schedule permits the
introduction and deployment of a mobile app.
• What are the facilities’ limitations?Review the potential
venues and their connectivity issues: hotels, office,
conference center, exhibition hall, outdoors

19. Features and Functionality
 News, updates and  Appointment scheduling
information distribution  Floor plan viewing
 Advertising channel for  Event navigation
exhibitors and sponsors  Exhibitor directory
 Access to public social  Event schedule
media platforms (Twitter,
YouTube, Flickr, Facebook)  Session schedule
 Lead retrieval  Personal agendas
 Real-time polling  Speaker evaluations
 Surveys  Social games
 Security  Ranking event features

20. Features and Functionality
 Event-centric social  Merchandise sales
community platform  Access control
 Bookmarking exhibitor and  CEU monitoring
speaker information  Event ticketing
 Virtual meeting access  Text messaging
 Information exchange  Digital download of
between attendees and exhibitor marketing
exhibitors materials
 Registration  Attendee management
 Live streaming of event  Financial reporting
content
 Multi-lingual  QR Code readers

22. Native vs. Web
• Native apps do not require a consistent
Internet connection
• Native apps have to be downloaded
• Native apps require extra time to be approved
by the respective platform stores
• Native apps are platform dependent
• Native app functionality/user experience is
superior to Web*

23. Native vs. Web
• Web solution require a consistent Internet
connection
• Web solutions do not have to be downloaded
• Web solutions do not have to be approved by
an app store
• Web solutions are platform agnostic
• Web solution functionality/user experience is
dependent on Web’s capabilities

24. Cost/Features
• Free (Web or iPhone) limited features
• $1,000 Web Only (Self-service)
• $1,200 Native Android or iPhone (Self-service)
• $6,000 Multi-platform Native (Full-service)
• $9,000 - $18,000 Native iPhone, iPad specific,
Android, BB + Web, HTML5 (Full-Service)

25. Low-cost, High function, Self-Service
• Content Management Systems
• Native or Web
• Multi-platform
• Sweat Equity vs. Cash
• Post-event functionality (news channel)
• Fast Deployment

26. Best Practices
• Determine the metrics you will apply to gauge
app’s success
• Use a written RFP
• Focus more on business goals and less on
functionality
• Take the user experience on multiple
platforms (Web, kiosks, mobile devices) into
consideration.

27. Best Practices
• Consider integration with existing event
management platforms
• Focus on simplicity and usability
• Consider the (connectivity) limitations of the
venue
• Synchronize app development cycle with the
event cycle

28. Best Practices
• Limit the number of functions to 10
• Select app/vendor with a view to long-term
outcomes
• Spend a little, learn a lot, tweak
• Create a list of “must have,” “deal breaker”
and “extra” features and functionality

29. Mistakes Organizers Make
• No time to promote to attendees
• Getting an app because everyone else has one
• Not taking advantage of the analytics
• Not keeping the same app for multiple events
• Not using the app year round

30. Contact Me
Michelle Bruno, MPC
President Bruno Group Signature Events
Brunogroup.com
EastVirtual.com
Forkintheroadblog.com
Twitter: @michellebruno
Linkedin.com/in/michellejbruno