Is Your Event App Just a Gated Social Media Channel?

Is Your Event App Just a Gated Social Media Channel?

By Mike Doane

When an attendee first opens your app, what do they see? What options are they given?

Many will receive an experience identical to Twitter or Facebook. A large wall of user-generated posts from around the conference center. The popular wisdom is that this is what attendees want.

Peter Wyatt, CTO at CadmiumCD, says event apps would serve attendee needs better with a different approach: “An event app built for planners of educational conferences should always put education first. An activity feed up-front might hurt that experience.”

A More Engaged Experience Through Attendee Chat

Wyatt, instead, says that his team has found success with highlighting conference content, sessions, and expo information on event apps, and allowing users to access the activity feed at any time through a button on the navigation menu.

This gives attendees the option to share and communicate with their peers, but it also forces them to pursue this action with intention. This is something Inc. contributor Rhett Power says will serve your attendees’ conference goals. Ultimately, it will help them achieve success.

Where most apps try to capture attendees’ attention with an activity feed, Wyatt and his team believe in giving attendees the power of choice and intention. It doesn’t leave the digital portion of their conference experience to chance.

The Power of Choice in Your Event App

This intentional design positions the app home screen as an event dashboard. Attendees can access information about different activities at your conference that they want to explore. It makes information very easy to find and gives attendees the power to craft the experiences they’re searching for.

Rather than forcing users to navigate through an activity feed like many other conference apps, the tile design and attendee chat button are choice-first designs that gives attendees the power to engage with your event in more meaningful ways.

 

Michael Doane is marketing manager at CadmiumCD, makers of the myCadmium software platform, an award-winning suite of conference and trade show management products. Visit the CadmiumCD blog for more articles like this.

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