You know you’ve got to do a better job promoting your event app when attendees:
- Take pics of session slides despite having the presentation in the app
- Ask for the speaker’s card even though their contact info is in the app
- Miss out on ice cream because they’re not getting push notifications
How is it that people who are on their phones day and night can’t be bothered to download and use an app made specifically to improve their event experience? They’re too busy. They’re not paying attention. They’re clueless. They’re lazy. Who knows! But we’ll show you how to grab their attention and persuade them to use your event app.
How to Encourage Event App Engagement
Attendees won’t be motivated to download and use your event app unless they’re convinced it will make a major, positive impact on their conference experience.
Make an event app engagement plan
Use our advice here as a jump-start for an app engagement plan. You’ll be way ahead of last year’s app usage metrics in no time. And speaking of metrics, use last year’s as a baseline and decide what success looks like this year.
Gather the event planning team to discuss how the event app can elevate the conference experience. How can you use it to help attendees connect with each other, get the most out of educational content, interact more effectively with exhibitors, and enjoy a memorable few days away?
Plan a few app-only surprises, like a sponsored impromptu ice cream stand or pop-up lounge. Come up with ideas for pulse polls that would interest attendees, like their views on hot industry topics, benchmarking data, or requests for encore sessions.
Recruit event app champions
— App advocates 📱
We’re all social animals who don’t want to miss out on what other people are doing. Talk to a mix of attendees who represent different segments of membership about how they’ve benefited from your event app (or someone else’s) at a past event. Hit up board members, volunteers, and sponsors for these testimonials—social proof of how the app elevates the event experience.
— Speakers 🗣️
Require speakers to post their session materials and contact info on the app. Encourage them to share supplemental app-only content. Remind them to mention this app content in their session.
— Exhibitors 👩🏫
Ask sponsors and exhibitors to mention the app in their pre-event emails to attendees, especially if they have exclusive content in the app.
Map out a pre-event app engagement campaign
Instead of just asking attendees to download the app, highlight the benefits of using the app before and during the conference. Make the app seem as essential as their favorite conference shoes.
— Registration confirmation emails ✅
Include the app download link in initial emails to attendees, along with visuals of how the app appears in the app stores. If you send a pre-event checklist, include information about the app.
— Email campaign 💻
Map out an email campaign that begins six to eight weeks before the conference. Focus each email on one benefit attendees will gain by downloading and using the app before the conference even begins.
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- See who’s going and use messaging to make plans to meet up—this keeps all conference-related communication in one place.
- Build a personal agenda of sessions to attend and exhibitors to visit.
- Participate in forum discussions about hot topics.
- Check out app-exclusive content from sponsors and speakers.
- Get notified about pre-event virtual meetups.
— First-timers campaign 🙋
Put first-time attendees in a group so you can send them special notifications about conference tips and events of interest. Mark them in the directory so they can recognize each other.
— Social media campaign 📣
In pre-event posts, share app testimonials and tips along with the event hashtag and link to download the app.
— Conference website 🌐
For users who aren’t as app-savvy, dedicate a conference webpage to app download links, instructions, screenshots, demo videos, and testimonials.
Encourage app engagement during the conference
— Registration. If lines aren’t too long, instruct registration desk staff and volunteers to ask attendees whether they’ve downloaded the app and to share a benefit or two of using it.
— Help desk. Assign staff and/or volunteers to work an hour or less at an app help desk near registration or a sponsored charging station.
— Signs. Post reminder signs about the app in high-traffic areas, like entrances, escalators, shuttle pick-up (and on the shuttles), food/beverage stations, and charging stations.
— General sessions/keynotes. Before sessions start, rotate informative slides about the app’s benefits, including notification of schedule updates.
— First-timers. Send first-time attendees special push notifications with conference tips, offers of available support, and check-ins about their experience.
— Email/show daily. If you publish a show daily or send out daily conference recap emails, include testimonials from app champions about how they’re using the app this year.
— Push notifications. Send out pulse polls, sponsor drawings, surprise announcements, schedule updates, and information about lunch discussion tables by topic and position.
— Sessions. Remind speakers to tell attendees about the presentation and supplemental materials on the app. If possible, tell attendees who want to receive CE credits that they have to submit session evaluations through the app.
— Networking. Suggest ways for attendees to connect with others via individual and group messaging. Offer icebreaker questions and tips for remembering new contacts.
Help attendees extend the event experience
Starting on the last day of the conference and continuing for the next few weeks, tell attendees how they can use the app to get even more value from their conference investment.
- Review presentations and materials from sessions they attended or missed.
- Watch session recordings or attend encore presentations.
- Access exclusive content from sponsors.
- Participate in follow-up discussions on hot topics or popular sessions.
- Get tips for following up with new and old acquaintances.
Promote the app as a year-round membership app that can help them achieve their event, membership, and career goals.
Curious about an app that elevates the event experience and keeps members connected to your association and each other? Sign up for a personal demo with one of our Clowder experts.
