Bryan Bruce, VP of Digital Marketing at HPN Global, shares his experience working with QuickMobile and how he uses their mobile event app and analytics platform to communicate with event attendees, derive data that shows event ROI, and drive more value at HPN Global’s events.
Subject: Mobile Event App Case Study and Press Release
A short Q&A with QuickMobile on the value of mobile event apps.
QuickMobile provided me with the questions below.
QM: Describe the agenda/event program guide you used for your previous events?
BB: This is our fourth straight year using a quickmobile event application as a means to share agenda and event program. We try to avoid printing at all cost. Literally.
QM: Why go mobile? (What motivated you to consider a mobile app?)
BB: Our attendees are professional hospitality executives who travel a lot. People who travel carry cell phones and we believe the best way to communicate with this segment is via mobile and social.
QM: How does a mobile event app fit into your overall event strategy and marketing?
BB: Technology is a big part of our company. Event apps allow us to targeted and focused because we always have the ability to speak to our target audience. We had more than 100% adoption of our mobile event app by our attendees (some who did not attend were given access to app, thus 100+% adoption) and of those who were in the app, we saw huge activity. This means our people are engaged and when they are engaged they are most valuable to their purpose of working with HPN Global.
QM: What types of features and technologies did you want to include in your mobile event app?
(What were critical?)
BB: There are so many features that work in tandem with each other, but this year we saw gameification really accelerate activity in the app. Once you build and app, you must get people in the app using it. This is done with great design, functionality and layout, but it is also done by having great content and great communication to the attendees.
QM: Did you need anything custom built (game, feature, etc.)?
BB: We did not need anything customer built outside of some simple API integration with CVENT who we used for registration.
QM: What does QuickMobile bring to the table that makes it the right solution providers for HPN?
BB: When I worked with Marriott in Orlando, we would always say- everyone has a nice ballroom, or a great pool experience, tell me why were are different….In the event app space today there are a ton of providers, but none that I have seen or worked with that provide the real time service that Quickmobile provides us year in and year out.
QM: How have you seen QuickMobile’s technology evolve over the years?
BB: Having been with QM for a number of years now, we have watched them evolve a great deal. From their first quickstart platform to a more mobile friendly dashboard provided today. The system is the most user friendly and stable than it ever has. Each year we have a decision to switch app providers, but the consistent progress QM makes each year keeps us from leaving.
QM: How was this year’s app different from previous years?
BB: Activity feed was the biggest difference in this years app and prior years….this year we were able to communicate in a facebook type stream called activity feed and this gave our associates more reason to go back to the app often and also provided tremendous impact for our sponsors by putting their message in the feed in key moments during the conference.
QM: What type of response did you receive from attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, etc. about the app?
BB: One of our marquis sponsors told us before the end of the first day that they want the top sponsorship offered in the app next year right now. Needless to say, that made us feel very good.
QM: How did the app impact this year’s event?
BB: Aside from having the ability to communicate with our audiences and attendees via mobile gave us a very unique and powerful management opportunity. We are able to better plan, make changes and in general be more fluid with having a mobile strategy that is properly executed from development through onsite management.
QM: Do you have any stats from app usage that you are willing to share (adoption rate, page views, opens, etc.)
BB: Yes, absolutely please feel free to pull data from our quickstart success from #HPN14
QM: What are at least three key core benefits you received from using a mobile event app for this year’s event?
BB: Fast communication, happy growing sponsorship base, real time updates.
QM: If available, please describe an experience from an attendee, sponsor, exhibitor, etc. that illustrates the value of the mobile app?
BB: We were doing a group photo shoot at the White House in DC…the time for the shoot was being adjusted to accommodate for rain shower in the forecast, between FB event, our QM app and our internal text channel, we were able to fast communicate in real time the changes in the schedule. This allowed every single person who needed to be in the picture, in the picture.
Another- we had a sponsor tell him the entire show he had people approaching him after seeing his information in the app over and over. This created conversations which lead to relationship building. More return on attendance for our attendees.