09 Jan Leveraging Mobile Technology for Large-scale Live Events
What’s worse than having an event speaker cancel at the last minute? Having 1,000 printed brochures for all the participants that are now incorrect. But luckily, the days of decimating a rainforest for outdated print material are coming to an end. There is a fantastic solution in the hand of every event goer: their phone or tablet. Mobile event apps are the way of the future for large-scale group gatherings, ensuring less waste and more accurate information.
As smartphone use increases (and there is no doubt the trend is going nowhere but up. According to comScore, media measurement firm, estimates of total smartphone ownership in the US is at 79.1 percent of all mobile subscribers), the costs of printing programs and brochures will likely decline, allowing events to redirect funds to other areas. For recurring events, previous versions of print brochures will not go to waste; it is easy to reformat event apps to change for each instance. This data can be reused and updated from year to year or event to event as needed without having to reenter everything each time, just tweak what needs to be changed. The structure remains the same, saving time and significantly reducing waste.
Mobile apps serve as perhaps the most direct connection to event-goers, keeping them informed and up-to-date with schedules, announcements, and alerts. There is currently no better way to communicate last minute changes or announcements quickly and easily to event goers, whether they’re at the event or planning to attend.
Professionally, they serve the same purpose for many fields as trade shows have adopted mobile event apps to communicate with attendees, display maps, and house important event information on a device that everyone has in their pockets.
Mobile apps also provide a very economical avenue for additional marketing exposure. Add to this the ability to integrate with social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare and you have a very powerful marketing opportunity.
There’s not much more convenient at a large-scale event than having relevant information at participant’s fingertips. There is no need to carry around a program that may even be outdated by the time the event occurs. In such a fast paced world, it only makes sense to have a vehicle that can be altered just as rapidly. The use of push notifications and alerts can help to keep event participants informed of all scheduling changes, event updates, and any other information worth sharing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]