It's the Wild West in the attendee mobile App space! The barriers to entry are low and there are literally hundreds of companies offering solutions. Prices are being beat down and there's a bloodshed on the horizon with companies that won't make it.

 

Larger conferences are increasingly putting more into their App and scaling back their thick program to an at-a-glance version. They're embracing features that add value to the attendee experience including access to handouts, journaling and networking. For many, the App choice is a reflection of their brand...thus a critical decision that goes beyond the conference itself.

 

Conference organizers must choose wisely,  . So who's going to make it and who won't be around in a few years? Our bets are on two primary vendor types:

 

1. The custom shop that delivers on brand experience.
2. Solutions where the App is an output of the data collection process (registration, speaker management and exhibit floor solutions).

 

Solutions that are primarily aggregators with a tool set will likely lose the race.

 

We recommend that conference organizers choose their solutions 6 - 9 months out. Keep the dialogue going with your core event technology providers to understand their future developments and partnerships. Do lots of due diligence on the health of your App provider. Year round solutions are less likely to be successful in the association vs. the corporate space.

 

What are your predictions?