Indisputably, convention apps are a must have device for any occasion organizer. The truth is, an awesome 91% of occasion organizers declare occasion apps are essential to their success. One of these device may also help you streamline registration, check-in, networking, and communication, all whereas making your occasion extra interactive for attendees.
Even attendees themselves take pleasure in utilizing occasion apps and take into account this expertise an integral a part of their occasion expertise. Nonetheless, with so many various occasion apps for conferences available on the market, it may be robust to know which one is best for you!
On this information, we’ll stroll you thru every thing that you must learn about selecting one of the best convention app on your occasion—from finding one of the best occasion apps to key options to search for. We’ll even offer you an inventory of prime apps to think about!
Regardless of the dimensions or kind of convention you’re planning, we’ll make it easier to discover one of the best convention app answer on your occasion and group’s particular wants.
What Is a Convention App?
Earlier than we dive into suppliers, that you must know what a convention app is. A convention app is a cellular software used to simplify occasion, convention, or assembly administration. It permits occasion organizers to maintain all event-related particulars and information in a single place and gives attendees with a information to your occasion’s actions and alternatives.
Regardless of your occasion format—whether or not in-person, digital, or hybrid—convention apps permit attendees to take cost of their occasion expertise and navigate the occasion with ease. In consequence, 78% of organizations that use occasion apps declare the expertise contributes to a constructive occasion return on funding (ROI).
What Are the Advantages of Utilizing a Convention App?
As an occasion organizer, you seemingly already use a wide range of totally different instruments and applied sciences to make sure your occasions are profitable. Nonetheless, whenever you undertake a convention app, you’ll see a number of distinctive advantages on your attendees and your staff, together with:
Quick access to occasion data. There’s nothing extra environment friendly than having all event-related data within the palm of your hand. From venue maps to speaker session schedules, your attendees can entry every thing they want instantaneously, with out the muddle of bodily occasion supplies.
Smoother communication. The perfect convention apps permit occasion planners to simply talk with totally different stakeholders, together with attendees, audio system, and sponsors. Utilizing the app’s communication instruments, occasion organizers can distribute essential data, reply questions, and comply with up post-event.
Elevated engagement. With options like reside polls, surveys, Q&A classes, and gamification, you may deliver your occasion to life and enthrall attendees.
Lowered waste. Utilizing an occasion cellular app eliminates the necessity for paper schedules, maps, and pamphlets. In consequence, your occasion shall be extra eco-friendly, and your group will save on printing prices.
Enhanced post-event evaluation. Profitable occasion organizers know that the easiest way to enhance an occasion is to collect information and suggestions from earlier occasions. Convention apps make this course of straightforward, providing insights into occasion attendance, session recognition, sponsor lead era, and extra.
A convention app lets you create a seamless attendee expertise by providing a house for your whole occasion content material, facilitating communication with totally different teams, driving engagement out and in of classes, and making networking straightforward.
What Key Options Ought to You Search for in a Convention App?
Convention apps can provide worth via options like fast occasion check-in by way of QR codes and personalised agendas. Be sure to know what you need out of your convention occasion app by contemplating these options:
Customized branding & design
The perfect convention apps are white-label merchandise—that’s, simply rebranded to your group. Embody your occasion branding and design to offer first impression in your attendees. Additionally, add your brand and colour scheme so attendees can simply acknowledge your occasion app and content material as yours.
Customizing your convention app lets you construct model recognition and a cohesive occasion expertise. When your app matches the remainder of your in-person supplies, your attendees will take discover of how your model runs seamlessly all through your occasion.
Digital badges
Your convention app ought to present a seamless, low-wait-time check-in expertise on your attendees. Providing QR check-in performance is a superb answer!
With digital badges, all attendees need to do is pull up their distinctive QR code of their occasion app. Then, you may scan every code utilizing a cellular gadget. You possibly can even let attendees verify in on their very own by turning a cellphone or pill right into a self-service kiosk.
Attendees may additionally use their digital badges to verify in to particular convention classes. This function helps you observe attendance and determine in style classes so you may enhance your future occasions.
Agendas
Use an app that permits attendees to create a personalised agenda or favourite the classes they need to attend. That method, they’ll plan their occasion expertise forward of time and keep organized all through the convention.
With an interactive agenda, attendees may even kind classes by date and time or totally different tracks. For instance, if a session is a part of a sure speaker sequence, attendees can mark it as such of their agendas.
Networking
Networking is one other exercise your convention app can help! Search for options like attendee, speaker, and sponsor profiles, private and non-private messaging, appointment reserving, and extra.
The perfect convention apps permit attendees, audio system, and sponsors to create sturdy private profiles with photographs and private data. Then, they’ll click on on every others’ profiles to ship a message or request a gathering.
Reside Session chat
Your convention app ought to provide reside chat capabilities for attendees and different stakeholders, whether or not they’re onsite or attending remotely. This function permits attendees to speak throughout classes and is usually seen as a protracted stream inside a session within the app.
Nameless Q&A
To optimize viewers engagement, search for a convention app design that helps nameless Q&A! This function makes it simpler for attendees to ask audio system robust questions. Different attendees may even upvote which questions they suppose are most essential for the audio system to deal with.
Reside polls
Reside polls are one other nice approach to have interaction attendees throughout convention classes! With a convention administration app that features this perform, you may combine polls into all of your classes.
Polls not solely help you have interaction attendees and encourage participation, however in addition they give you worthwhile suggestions all through your occasion.
Gamification
With convention occasion app, you may create gamification challenges, to award factors for attending classes, finishing surveys, networking with one another, visiting exhibitor cubicles, and so forth!
Moreover making your occasion extra enjoyable for attendees, gamification options may make it easier to drive engagement with sponsor corporations so you may guarantee sponsor return on funding (ROI).
Occasion maps
If held in individual, your convention app ought to provide interactive occasion maps or an occasion map app to assist attendees navigate the venue. These maps may also help attendees discover their method, permitting them to pinpoint related areas corresponding to sponsor cubicles, upcoming session areas, and check-in factors.
Surveys
Surveys are essential for attendee engagement and for suggestions assortment to enhance future occasions. See in case your occasion app choices help you conduct surveys earlier than, throughout, and after the convention.
As an illustration, you may ask attendees what their favourite classes have been and the way they might price the occasion total. Then, you may retailer this suggestions and incorporate it into future occasion planning.
Video libraries
Video libraries help you generate pleasure by showcasing one of the best of final yr’s occasion content material, create buzz round particular speaker classes, drive engagement with sponsors with devoted sponsored content material libraries, and provide prolonged post-event entry to session recordings in order that attendees don’t miss out.
Analytics
Viewers attendance, engagement, favourite classes, and different metrics can present worthwhile insights into your convention’s efficiency. Make certain your occasion convention app affords analytics performance that will help you observe your ROI and enhance future occasions.
How Do You Select a Convention App?
When selecting new occasion expertise, a systemized course of helps you make the correct determination. Contemplate following these steps when choosing your convention app:
1. Establish your wants.
Take into consideration why you need to undertake a convention app within the first place. Do you want options for occasion or session check-ins, occasion maps, in-app discussions, or options for hybrid conferences? Make an inventory of your must-haves so you may slender down your choices.
2. Analysis your choices.
There are fairly a number of convention apps obtainable, so be sure you analysis them effectively earlier than making a choice. Take a while to learn consumer critiques, as these will provide you with worthwhile insights into the professionals and cons of every app. You could find convention app critiques on websites like G2, Capterra, Google Enterprise Evaluations, and extra.
3. Double-check integrations and compatibility.
Make certain the app you select integrates effectively along with your different instruments, like your constituent relationship administration (CRM) system or e mail advertising platform. Additionally, verify if the cellular convention app is suitable with totally different gadgets your attendees shall be utilizing.
4. Guide demos.
When you’ve narrowed down your choices, don’t hesitate to guide demos with the app suppliers! This step provides you an opportunity to see the convention app in motion and ask questions on your particular use circumstances. You’ll additionally need to make sure the app is scalable to accommodate your future progress and contains ample buyer help in order that occasion day runs easily.
5. Take a take a look at drive.
Some occasion convention app suppliers might provide a trial model, so make good use of it! You possibly can verify to see the way it works in real-world circumstances and whether or not it fits the kind of conferences you maintain.
6. Get stakeholder funding.
Be sure to get buy-in out of your board, president, staff, and different stakeholders on all features of the convention app of your alternative—from the options that you must the convention app value.
7. Decide.
With a lot analysis performed, try to be able to make an knowledgeable determination as to what convention app to get! When you’ve chosen a platform, be certain that the contract clearly outlines the phrases and expectations of your partnership with the app vendor so everyone seems to be on the identical web page.
8. Implement and onboard.
Subsequent comes the implementation and onboarding course of! Usually, you and your staff would schedule a gathering with the app supplier to undergo coaching on all of the options and capabilities you should utilize on your convention.
9. Arrange your software program.
Arrange the software program so it aligns along with your occasion’s necessities. This course of contains including your occasion data, making a schedule, and importing related supplies.
As soon as your occasion is up and working, don’t let the app analysis course of cease there! Survey attendees about their expertise with the app to make sure you’ve chosen the correct answer on your viewers.
The 9 Finest Convention Apps to Contemplate in 2024
So, primarily based on these beneficial options, what are our prime picks? After researching totally different apps’ options and critiques, we suggest the next platforms.
Finest all-in-one convention administration apps
These embody complete occasion administration apps that make it easier to lower down administrative work, host your whole convention content material, and entry the information that you must show occasion ROI.
EventMobi
EventMobi is an all-in-one convention app platform that helps occasion organizers create participating and interactive experiences for his or her attendees. Over the past 13+ years, EventMobi has supported 30,000+ occasion planners in creating hundreds of occasions for lots of of hundreds of attendees.
Some key advantages of utilizing EventMobi’s convention app embody:
Customizability with the flexibility to showcase your group’s distinctive branding on each web page
Simple onsite occasion navigation for attendees
Up-to-the-second data with push notifications, emails, and alerts
Prompt entry to essential paperwork and recordings
Customized occasion experiences for various teams utilizing conditional visibility
Engagement options encourage attendee participation
Easy networking
Alternative to spotlight occasion sponsors
Award-winning 24/7 help you may rely on
And a lot extra!
EventMobi integrates effectively with CRM instruments, affiliation administration techniques (AMS), advertising automation, registration instruments, onsite occasion options, and others.
Nonetheless undecided why EventMobi is one of the best convention app available on the market? Hear it from our clients themselves!
“The EventMobi Occasion App actually enhances the expertise of the attendees.” -Melissa Arnott, Present Supervisor, Canadian Conferences + Occasions Expo Director of Occasions, Newcom Media Inc
“I’d say the most important good thing about utilizing EventMobi is the help.” -Rachel Lyon, Supervisor, Convention & Occasions, CSAE
“It in a short time grew to become apparent to us that EventMobi was the superior platform.” -Lindsay Artkin, NHL Coaches’ Affiliation
Finest for: Complete convention administration, viewers engagement, sturdy analytics
Bundle choices: EventMobi affords a variety of packages and a la carte number of occasion tech and manufacturing providers. You possibly can fill out our pricing type right here, and we are going to stroll you thru our suggestions.
Whova
Whova is an award-winning app for conferences and neighborhood occasions. Whova’s options embody private agendas, free and paid registration, doc sharing, note-taking, attendee good profiles, enterprise card administration, and extra.
Finest for: Paid occasions, in-person networking
Bundle choices: Whova doesn’t embody particular bundle choices on their website—you may ship them details about your convention (e.g. whether or not it’s in-person, digital, or hybrid; the variety of anticipated attendees; how usually you run occasions a yr, and so forth.), and also you’ll get a worth quote.
Cvent
Cvent is a convention administration platform with options like private agenda constructing, push notifications, networking, messaging, exhibitor profiles, chat, Q&A, polls & surveys.
Finest for: Occasion attendance, occasion engagement app
Bundle choices:
Merchandise: Finest for 1-5 occasions or an occasion kind, corresponding to a roadshow or commerce present program.
Options: Finest for end-to-end administration of an occasion kind, massive occasion, or a excessive quantity of occasions.
Whole Program: Finest for strategic administration of your whole occasion program, in any format, and for any occasion kind.
Costs can be found upon request.
vFairs
vFairs is an all-in-one occasion administration platform for digital, hybrid, and in-person occasions. It affords straightforward occasion check-in, branding & sponsorships, badge scanning, attendee networking & engagement, 3D digital venues, webinars, digital sources, and extra.
Finest for: Immersive digital conferences
Bundle choices: You possibly can select between three kinds of annual plans:
Primary Annual License: Finest for organizations internet hosting lower than 5 occasions a yr with primary registration & planning wants
Premium Annual License: Finest for organizations that want superior end-to-end occasion administration with the flexibility to deal with excessive attendee volumes
Enterprise Annual License: Finest for enterprises that want an occasion administration platform with white-glove service to drive complicated occasion applications.
Or, you should buy vFairs’ totally different occasion merchandise, together with:
Registration and Ticketing Bundle
Occasion Examine-In & Badging Resolution
vFairs Cell Occasion App
vFairs Digital Occasion Platform License
vFairs Hybrid Occasion Platform License
Costs can be found upon request.
Finest convention apps with particular functionalities
For those who don’t want an all-in-one app, there are occasion apps for conferences with particular functionalities! Simply preserve your must-have options in thoughts as you take into account the next platforms.
Attendium
Attendium is a convention check-in app utilized by main manufacturers and over 17,000 occasion professionals. You possibly can seek for and verify in your company by identify, visitor record, or customized fields on smartphones, tablets, and computer systems.
Finest for: Occasion check-in
Bundle choices: Attendium affords month-to-month or yearly pricing for 3 tiers:
Starter: Visitor lists & check-ins for smaller groups (1-5 customers) – $199/month or $2,028/yr
Skilled: All important and time-saving options for bigger groups – $399/month or $3,900/yr
Enterprise: All limitless options plus API entry and precedence help – $699/month or $8,028/yr
iCapture
iCapture is a lead seize app that permits exhibitors to phase and rating leads or add dialog particulars to results in assist gross sales groups re-engage.
Finest for: Lead seize
Bundle choices: iCapture’s answer is accessible with an annual service settlement, and pricing begins at $8,000. You possibly can fill out a type on their web site to talk with an iCapture staff member.
Finest complementary platforms for convention administration
Listed here are some apps you should utilize to enrich your fundamental app for occasion or convention administration. These apps work alongside your convention administration system to make convention planning simpler.
ClickUp
ClickUp is a complete venture administration app that gives options for job administration, real-time chat, aim setting, time monitoring, and workflow automation.
Finest for: Convention planning and job administration
Bundle choices: ClickUp affords a Free Endlessly plan for private use and three tiers of paid plans, payable each month or yearly:
Limitless: Finest for small groups – $10/member/month if paid month-to-month, or $7/member/month if paid yearly
Enterprise: Finest for mid-sized groups – $19/member/month if paid month-to-month, or $12/member/month if paid yearly
Enterprise: Finest for a lot of massive groups – contact gross sales for worth quote
Typeform
Typeform‘s versatile form-building capabilities are helpful for creating customized registration varieties and accumulating occasion information.
Finest for: Kind creation & information assortment
Bundle choices: Typeform affords a free trial the place you may get a style of how their totally different options work. You possibly can improve to one in all their paid plans later:
Primary: 1 consumer, 100 responses/month – $29/month if billed month-to-month, or $25/month if billed yearly
Plus: 3 customers, 1,000 responses/month – $59/month if billed month-to-month, or $50/month if billed yearly
Enterprise: 5 customers, 10,000 responses/month – $99/month if billed month-to-month, or $83/month if billed yearly
Enterprise: Tailor-made response limits and seats – contact gross sales for pricing
Zapier
Zapier serves as the right bridge between your convention app and your different software program options, permitting you to automate duties and combine totally different convention administration instruments seamlessly.
Finest for: Software program automation & automated workflows
Bundle choices: Zapier affords a Free plan for people who want the fundamentals of automation (100 duties/month). Its paid plans embody:
Starter: For people with easy, multi-step automation wants (750 duties/month) – $29.99/month, billed month-to-month or $19.99/month, billed yearly
Skilled: For people that want the total energy of Zapier’s automation platform; beginning at 2,000 duties/month – $73.50/month, billed month-to-month or $49/month, billed yearly
Group: For groups constructing and collaborating on automation throughout the group; beginning at 2,000 duties/month – $103.50/month, billed month-to-month or $69/month, billed yearly
Firm: For organizations who need automation with sturdy security measures and oversight capabilities – contact gross sales for particular pricing
Decide the Proper App to Guarantee Your Convention’s Success
Selecting the best convention app makes an enormous distinction within the success of your occasion. By contemplating the options and choices listed above, yow will discover the right app to realize your convention targets!
For those who’re able to help your occasion with an all-in-one convention administration platform, schedule a chat with the staff about what EventMobi can do on your subsequent occasion!