Questions to Ask Before Selecting An Event App

20 Questions to Ask Before Selecting an Event App

Jay Sitapara
,
December 5, 2017

Finding the right event app for your next live experience can come off as a big problem, even for the most seasoned event organizers. 

There are numerous solutions from which you’ll have to choose the perfect ones which suit your event and evaluating them is a daunting task, if you ask me!

Although the searching for it can seem overwhelming, let’s focus on how you can avoid all those unnecessary wandering through options. So that, you can focus more on creating an unforgettable experience for your event participants. 

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But first, you need to determine what your needs are and will the event app suffice them or not?

Hence, ask yourself these questions to get a clear picture of what services you are subscribing to!

#1. How far is the E-Day?

Different providers have different delivery times. If you’re searching for something to help you with your event that’s coming up in a few days, you’ll need to find a DIY Event Management Software and make it as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if you have considerable time for your event and if you’re looking for a long-term investment which you can use for multiple events, it will be your best interest to search out for more customized and dynamic solutions for your event

#2. How flexible is your budget?

event app

Event budgets are expected to grow by 10% in 2017, but due to their higher perceived costs, these budgets are often trimmed. Hence, it is very important to consider whether investing in an event app would be a wise decision or not!

Though a clear devised plan on how using an event app will prove that your return on your investment is critical. Decide your Key Performance Indexes to measure your event success and prove your overall event ROI to your leadership or whoever is controlling your event budget.

#3. Is this investment for single or multiple events?

Too often, event app is purchased for just a single event. Unfortunately, this doesn’t allow one to holistically look at the entire strategy over the year and report back on the insights, analytics and ROI to prove the value of dollars spent on your event. 

Deciding whether to go for subscription model or one-time purchase when it comes to event app is where most of the event organizers are confused. If you organize more than 3 events a year, a subscription model is better. If not, you might be okay with a much less robust and less expensive system. 

#4. How would you be defining ROI?

event app

Proving the event app ROI has long been a dire pain point for many event marketers. Fortunately, it is much easier, thanks to the advances in event technology solutions like event management software

Before you decide on settling for the event app, think about the questions you’ll need to answer first. Think about what you already know, as well what you need to now, to come up with the kind of metrics that will be important for you to define your event ROI.

#5. What problems am I trying to solve with event app?

The job of the event app is to make your event planning processes easier and not more complex, at all. But you need to think first about what specific problems you’d like to address with the event app?

As a result, you should be able to solve a specific set of problems with the event app you craft for your event. Identifying the perfect pain points of your event will help you in choosing the perfect event app which provides best solutions to your problems. 

#6. What features are essential for your event?

event app

Once you decide which is the primary reason for you to invest in an event app, it’s time to shortlist the essential features you’ll need in your event app for the overall success of your event. 

For example, if one of your issues is facilitating a seamless networking experience, your solution should feature a state-of-the-art networking platform to make sure that your attendees not only network but plant lasting relations. 

#7. Would you be needing any additional features?

After you’ve decided what are the essential features you’ll be needing in your event app it’s time to determine what additional features you can opt for. 

Think about how these extra features would add an extra benefit to enhance your event experience. Or may help in making your event management process seamless or optimize your guests’ ability to interact and engage with your brand. 

#8. Who will be the managing admin?

event app

All thanks to the automation of event technology, you won’t be requiring an entire team to manage the back-end processes as everything is automated But that doesn’t mean you don’t assign this task to anybody at all. 

It is very critical to grant the access to who all will be managing the chosen app, which may include yourself, your teammates, sponsors, exhibitors and maybe more. Consider their needs and how they’ll interact with your event app before arriving at your final decision. 

#9. How skilled is your team when it comes to embracing a new technology?

Different event app requires a different kind of technical skill to operate. If learning a new technology tends to stress you out, you might want to opt for an app which is easy to use and manage in the long run. 

You should also consider how long it takes you to learn a new technology and implement it when determining your time frame, as I mentioned in the first point. 

#10. Does the app after training/support matches you and your team’s technical literacy?

event app

In addition to considering how easy it is for you to embrace a new technology, think about how well your team would be able to inculcate this new technology in their workflow. What kinds of training or documentation will it require in order to be successful?

Make sure your provider offers you the best training/ documents which would enable you to use event app effectively. 

#11. Who will be providing the technical support?

Will your internal team handle this, or you’ll be relying on the event app’s support department? If it’s the latter, make sure that you choose the best possible plan or service package that best correlates to you and your event needs. 

In either case, it will be very helpful to have a designated and pre-decided point of contact to have a smooth channel of communication to help you with whatever the issues that may arise. 

#12. With which of other platforms or system will the app need to communicate?

event app

One of the more compelling reasons to have a robust event app is that you can integrate it with other apps as well for a more holistic view of your events strategy and how that fits into your overall event experience. 

For example, you might want to connect your event app with taxi and hotel booking platforms, social media platforms, and more so that no problem occurs to your attendees and everything is seamlessly manageable from a single app only. 

#13. What about data security/privacy expectations?

If data security and attendee privacy is a critical issue to your organization, make sure you choose the app provider which has been trusted by other companies as well. 

A representative from the app provider should be able to able to fill you on the different security measures that they have taken to make sure that your attendees’ info and data you collect about them stay safe and secure. 

#14. How about your event branding requirements?

event app

The best event app will let your event’s assets truly represent all aspects of your brand’s look and feel. You need to check on the event app’s ability to be customized, and ask whether white labelling is important to your company or not. 

Lastly, think about the branding options in the framework of the event app and whether or not you can rely on them for graphics and other elements, or if you’ll need to turn to more standardized templates to complete your design assets like event website. 

#15. What devices/platforms your event app supports?

Now it is time to think about what type of devices your audience will be using. Consider the OS of your attendee’s devices (e.g. Apple or Android), and if the app allows the flexibility to use both phones and tablets. 

This fact will solely depend on the devices that your audience will be using and what event app providers can offer, their familiarity with different platforms types, and how quickly they can learn. 

#16. What are the device prerequisites for the event app?

event app

Will your attendees be needing cellular data or WiFi in order to run the event app? Will they be able to access the content without internet? Many apps require constant internet access in order to successfully check people in, sell tickets or add additional people to the guest list. 

Also, if you’re not sure if your event venue will be able to provide power or constant WiFi, make sure that your event app also has an “offline mode” feature that you’re not left stranded in case something unexpected happens!

#17. What is the backup plan if the event app stops functioning?

As much as we’re increasingly reliant on technology, the solutions that it offers are not 100% fool-proof. And that is the reason why having a contingency plan in case your event app freezes up.

It’d be recommended to have a physical print out of your guest-list and other necessary information that you simply can’t live without once your event incepts. 

#18. What data do I want to capture from my attendees?

event app

In addition to collecting essential information, asking different questions will make it easy for you to gather additional data about your attendees without having to do much of extra work or taking too much of additional time. 

For instance, asking attendees about their personal interests and buying interests are great for helping you find ways to further engage your attendees and offer them a splendid experience. 

#19. How about post-event data reports?

For those of you who are Excel Wizards will be great at analyzing data. A simple CSV file that you can work on in Excel may be sufficient for you in terms of report generation options.

However, if spreadsheet hacking isn’t one of your strongest skills, look for the event app providers that offer different types of reporting like a customizable dashboards intuitive analytics report, to help you make sense the new data that you’ve acquired from your attendees. 

#20. Does this even app seem like a reliable solution that you can trust?

event app

Before signing a contract, do your due research and ensure that this is the trustworthy company. Review their previous event apps on the Playstore to see what others in your shoes have to say about their experience. 

You can also ask for a case study and testimonials, as well as for a reference or two to put your mind at ease.

Keep these questions in mind to find the perfect event app and you’ll discover the solution that’s best for you without breaking a sweat!

Wish to know how Hubilo can assist you with the same? Know more about it here.

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Author
Jay Sitapara

Jay Sitapara is an engineer having an inclination towards innovation in technology. Jay is a guest contributor to the official blog for Hubilo, an event-tech startup which aims to change the way how events are organised and people network at events. Jay is particularly passionate about crafting stimulating, resourceful and in-depth guides for Event Planners. He is specifically interested in effective use of event technology and social media for greater ROI through innovative thinking and skills. Jay is also a Digital Marketer, Editor, Community Manager and a regular contributor to Hubilo Blog. His philic nature is prone to dogs, poetry, coffee, friends and coffee with friends. If you're on Twitter, say Hello to him @jsitapara and follow his articles on blog.hubilo.com

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