Do You Need an App?

Some felt these apps would single-handedly save the meetings industry. But perhaps they aren’t a silver bullet after all.

“Show apps have reached their peak,” says David Haas, director of technology solutions for FreemanXP. He predicts that for smaller events especially—one or two days—show apps with minimal content will instead become web-based applications.

“It’s so much work and energy to do an app right,” he says. “The website is already built, so planners should take advantage of that.” He says apps certainly won’t go away, but if it’s just another version of the printed guide, why spend the money?

If you do build an app, include all the functionality attendees want. For example, if attendees want help connecting with each other, and your app doesn’t do that, you’ve wasted your money and disappointed your customers.

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