The rise of mobile technologies such as smart phones and tablets has affected every industry and sector around the world, as well as our personal lives.
We’ve seen an explosion of apps for every task imaginable and yup, you’ve guessed it – the events world is no different. And if you’re still not convinced that mobile is here to stay, a few of these stats should swing your opinion.
But how will using an event app provide you with tangible business value? This is the focus for event organisers and as pretty as many of the apps out there may look, it’s important that they provide a good return on investment for you and your exhibitors.
We like to think that Noodle Live is the step beyond most event apps but let’s take a look at the different ways using a system like Noodle Live can help you achieve your business objectives:
1) Improve your bottom line
It’s all about the bottom line at the end of the day – events are not just a fun day out, they are a business so any event organiser worth their salt is always looking for ways to cut costs without compromising their visitors’ experience.
One of the major overheads when producing an event is the cost of printed materials – leaflets, event guides, signage – the list goes on (and on). Then when you add in the cost shipping, visitor bags and staff costs – well, it all quickly adds up!
The idea of a paper free event is indeed utopian and unrealistic but you can make significant savings by including more information within your event app and creating a more lightweight event programme – even reducing your programme size by 50% and storing more content online will provide you with massive savings.
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If you’re using Noodle Live, you can scratch bags off the list too, as visitors can collect everything they need using their card.
You’ll also save your exhibitors and sponsors a stack of cash too if you provide them with readers for their stands.
2) Generate extra revenue from sponsors
One of the major bonuses of making the jump into mobile is the extra sponsorship opportunities made available to you.
Event apps provide you with a wealth of sponsorship opportunities – from splash screens to sponsor profiles – it’s another opportunity to put your sponsors in the spotlight. You can either add value to your existing sponsor packages or generate additional revenue by filling these spots.
With careful planning and strategy, the cost of using an event app can at the very least be covered and even if you don’t end up generating revenue directly, it may well pay back the following year with increased footfall or stand sales.
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We’ve taken it once step further with additional sponsorship opportunities on our swipe cards and readers so your sponsors can really make a splash.
Our sponsor profiles are also second to none – visitors can connect and engage instantly with your sponsors via social media, access vital information and download documents attached to their profile.
3) Increase footfall for your next event
You may make some significant savings the first year you use an event app but the chances are you will see even more of a return on investment the following year.
Using an event app can create a much more engaging experience for your visitors as they can share the best bits of your event with their online contacts, access richer contact and plan their day effectively.
All of these bonus points and the boost in online conversations around your event will mean your visitors will be lining up for your next event and a whole new crowd will be in the know too.
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With the addition of Noodle Live swipe cards and readers, it makes it even easier for visitors to collect valuable event resources and share them with their online contacts.
By making it even easier for your visitors to collect, store and share the chances of the your content making waves online is increased by approximately a gazillion percent.
4) Boost stand sales for your next event
Aside from sponsors (and possibly ticket sales), selling stands at your event represents a sizeable chunk of revenue for you as an event organiser.
The whole reason your exhibitor’s want a presence at your event is to reach potential customers in order to promote their products or services. So anything that helps them achieve these goals will mean they see more value in exhibiting again next year.
Event apps give your exhibitors a great opportunity to be found by all the right people as most include a profile for all exhibitors so your visitors can plan their route before they even arrive. The addition of interactive maps in makes them even easier to find.
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Exhibitors can also add readers to their stands so they can reduce their own costs and get all the right collateral into the hands (or phones) of your visitors.
Add into the mix our tasty stats and data about everyone who’s interacted with their stand and you’re onto a winner.
5) Learn valuable lessons for making savings at your next event
We live in a world that is ruled by pretty graphs and stacks of data but it’s how you wield this knowledge which will set you apart from the crowd.
We’ve all had what we thought were wonderful ideas but sometimes they, well not to put too fine a point on it, fall flat on their face. Sometimes you can think that something worked really well but did it actually meet your objectives?
Any half decent event app will give you access to data about your visitors and stats about your event so you can make savings the following year by cutting out the bits that aren’t quite working for your visitors.
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We like to think our data and stats dashboard is second to none. As an event organiser, you can access data about everyone who attended your event with the ability to connect with them via social media and create hyper segmented email campaigns, all with the click of a button.
We also think our stats are pretty nifty – who wouldn’t want to know who was the most popular speaker or which content was shared the most?
You can see how having an app for your event can make total sense but it’s oh so important that it is executed in the right way to make the desired impact. Choose your supplier wisely (resisting the urge to yell *pick me, pick me*) and make sure they offer you the right technical and marketing support to give you the return you deserve.
Oh, and if you’re considering adding mobile into your mix anytime soon – we’d love to hear from you and see what ideas we can bring to the table.
Image Credits: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
This post was written by Clemi Hardie
