Managing Crowds: Can Mobile Event Apps Help?

Events mean crowds and crowds mean crowd management. #EventProfs know that dealing with large numbers of people and trying to make sure everyone has a great time can be stressful and frustrating. Can mobile event apps help?

Getting the Right Event Tech

Every event is totally unique. At Noodle Live we don’t believe in a one size fits all approach to event technology. We look at the specific demands and challenges that visitors to each event will face and help you, the organiser, to create a package that will ease problems and help you achieve your goals more easily.

Event apps can be particularly useful for streamlining communications and keeping visitors informed. We specialise in creating bespoke mobile event apps that are specifically created to help your visitors navigate your event and have a great experience.

What do mobile event apps do?

An events app can create a digital replacement for a paper program or handouts and can also do the work of several signposts and maps, plus much more. The apps are personalised guides to everything that’s going on at an event from session timings to updates from other visitors. With a range of features on offer they can help visitors plan their day effectively and stay well informed of changes and updates. The best news is that delegates respond really well to them. Adoption of event technology increases 35% when an event app is provided.

Keep Delegates Informed Pre-Event

The days before an event can be the busiest in your calendar. The last thing you need is for core staff to get swamped in emails with questions about times, locations and travel plans.

Upload answers to all of the most frequently asked questions to your event app. Add venue maps, travel information and contact details, all in one place. We recommend releasing the app at least 7 days prior to the event. That way you can send all of your delegates to the app to get their questions answered and they can start planning their visit whenever they want.

If you choose to set up the news feed prior to the event you can start to release important announcements and information for delegates, help them with travel advice and allow them to connect with each other before they meet in person. The extended period of use for the news feed will also allow sponsors to start advertising earlier, which could increase your revenue opportunities.

Keep People Moving

Event apps allow you to create personalised schedules so visitors can find the information they need quickly without sifting through endless paperwork and listings.

Most apps for events also offer push notification functionality so that you can let people know when sessions are starting or tell them what options they have next as their current session is ending. You can also send push notifications to tell people about timing changes or additional sessions. Push notifications can also be sent out to specific individuals – perfect if someone’s car needs to be moved or if their belongings are handed in to lost property.

When used in combination with our RFID badges, event apps can also allow organisers to monitor how people are moving around the venue, which sessions are the most popular and what they’re saying about the event once they leave – all in real-time. EventProfs will have all of the information they need to make informed decisions about last minute changes or easing potential congestion points to improve the visitor experience and keep everyone moving.

Keep Information Flowing

Last minute changes to the agenda are inevitable. Event apps make it easy to update session details and times and to convey the information to your delegates in real time. Attendees can also view the agenda for different locations and days and even create their own personalised schedule.

The news feed function allows you to post notices and useful information before, during and after the event. News feeds are live so you can respond to situations as they happen. Attendees can also share status updates, photos, links, profiles and documents to be displayed on the news feed. You can also choose to pull in Twitter updates or tweets that include the event hashtag.

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Reduce Paperwork and Streamline Your Communications

Do you find yourself having to email out documents one by one to delegates after the event? An event app can be used as a content repository where multiple users can be directed to one place to access all of the content they need, when they need it. Documents and session notes can be sent out before, during or after the event or they can be attached to speaker’s profiles or event listings to make things really clear and simple. Event apps make it easy to upload your welcome pack, speaker slides and other useful documents for visitors to review or download.

Poll Large Numbers of People or Filter Speaker Questions

Delegates can use their event app to ask questions, answer questions and provide real-time feedback or polling during sessions. Speakers can throw out a question to the audience and get real-time results. Choose between yes and no questions, multiple choice or more complicated online questionnaires.

Alternatively, delegates in the audience can choose to submit questions to the speaker. The speaker or chair can then review questions via a separate iPad app, allowing them to filter the ones they want to answer and save time having an assistant run about with a microphone.

Event apps make it really easy for delegates to connect with speakers via private messages, feedback or social media. If you film a session, you can also attach the video or the session notes to your speaker’s profile so delegates can easily find them later.

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Help People Network

When used alongside our RFID badges, mobile event apps can help people network efficiently. At the Meet the Future conference in Central Hall, Westminster, we created a bespoke event tech package that allowed delegates to request an automatic email about each exhibitor and the services they provided, simply by swiping their entry badge. In return, the exhibitors were sent contact details for the delegate.

Noodle Live event apps also offer instant messaging so that attendees can connect with each other to make plans and swap details. #EventProfs can send a mass message to all attendees to give them new information or quick reminders.

Interested in creating a great event app for your next event? Ideally the event manager and the marketing manager collaborate with your event technology company on creating the app and identifying the tools and features they want. Our mobile event apps are meant to solve your problems and the more you collaborate with us the more we can tailor your event app to tackle common bottlenecks and time drains.

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