Make access as simple as possible
Adoption is decided in the first ten seconds. If attendees have to find an app in the store, install it and enter a code, a large share never gets to the profile. With a web app, one tap on a link opens the event. Put the link and a QR code everywhere attendees already look: the ticket confirmation, the pre-event email, the event website. More on the technical side in do attendees need to download an event app?
Launch the app before the event, not at the door
An app that opens on the morning of the event is a programme booklet. An app that opens one to two weeks before is a networking tool: attendees fill in profiles, see who is coming and book meetings in advance. Plan two or three touchpoints:
- Launch email: "The event app is live. See who is coming and who you should meet."
- Reminder after a few days: "Your matches are ready" to everyone who has not completed a profile.
- The day before: the agenda, meeting reminders and where to meet.
Give people a reason to come back
The strongest hook is other people. When an attendee sees five relevant people with a reason to meet each of them, the app becomes useful. That is what matchmaking does: it shows each attendee a personal list instead of an anonymous directory. Ask for goals in the profile ("looking for investors", "hiring engineers", "offering partnerships") so matches are specific.
Other hooks: speaker profiles and session bookmarks, sponsor offers in stories, a job board, and announcements that only appear in the app.
Make the app visible on site
- QR code on badges, lanyards and table cards.
- A slide with the QR code before each session and in breaks.
- One sentence in the opening talk: "Open the app, your matches are waiting."
- Signage at the entrance, the coffee bar and the meeting lounge.
- Push notifications for real moments: a speaker going on stage, lunch opening, a room change.
More ideas in event engagement tips and best ways to enhance event engagement.
Brand the app as part of your event
Attendees trust what looks like your event. A white-label app with your name, logo and colours feels like part of the ticket, not like third-party software asking for data. With Conferras, attendees never see the Conferras name.
Measure adoption and improve the next event
Track the share of attendees with a profile, the number of messages and meetings, and how these change after each email or push. Event app analytics with CSV exports make it easy to report results to sponsors and to plan the next edition. Combine them with a short survey after the event: post-event survey questions that uncover real insights.