Technologies are changing in the blink of an eye. And it’s sometimes hardly possible to keep up with the pace and take advantage of all the latest technologies. It was not until Apple released the first iPhone and the world discovered apps. They’ve become a new way to interact with smartphones and users. And so have event planning apps for iPhone and Android.
Table of contents
Intro Best event apps to test before developing a local event app What you need to know before developing a mobile event app Must-have features for mobile event apps How to make your event app more popular How much does it cost to develop a mobile event app? How to make money with your event app Summing up
What are event apps?
It’s a piece of software used on any mobile device including smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. Event apps provide up-to-date information on events, a direct connection with organizers, and engagement for everyone involved.
Mobile event apps are essential tools for attendees, sponsors, organizers, speakers, and exhibitors. Plus, any event team member and sales manager.
People like to go out and have fun, whether it’s a Monday afternoon or Friday night. Though there are lots of event organizer apps like Eventbrite, Songkick, and YPlan, there’s a high demand for event planning apps for Android and iOS. Let’s talk a little bit about developing apps like Eventbrite ✅
Best event apps to test before launching your local event app
The number of event mobile apps is growing at a blistering pace. According to eMarketer, most communication professionals and marketers take advantage of event apps while organizing parties, conferences, meetings, etc.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is a world-renowned event management app that helps people find or organize any type of event, including music parties, business conferences, and even BBQ parties. It’s suitable for everyone, no matter you’re a business or leisure user. Eventbrite helps not only organize events but also sell tickets.
What makes Eventbrite so popular?
Waiting lists and notifications allow users to know if there is a spot for an event.Social feature. Eventbrite sends users a notification if their friends registered for an event or bought tickets on Eventbrite.In-app payment system. Users can buy their tickets via Eventbrite.
EventBoard
EventBoard is a popular conference event app for iPad. It serves best for organizing business conferences and communicating with attendees. The app allows for viewing newsfeed, making a schedule, and creating surveys for attendees. All in all, EventBoard makes any organization process much easier. The app is aimed at businesspeople.
What makes EventBoard so popular?
Conference room search. Users can easily find and book a free place for business meetings with EventBoard.Insights. EventBoard provides detailed information on the company, attendees, and on a meeting including how much time a user needs and what equipment is required for the conference.
DoStuff
DoStuff is a local even app. It allows users to track and find exciting events in their neighborhoods. The app can add events to the calendar and send a reminder of upcoming concerts or conferences. Moreover, the app is free, so everyone can take advantage of this event helper.
What makes DoStuff so popular?
Concise event previews. Users find detailed information about events right in the app.Bonuses. DoStuff users get particular discounts for upcoming events.
24me
24me is a social event planning or event calendar app. It helps users plan and schedule events and not to miss any important meetings or conferences. 24me is more than a paper planner since it can remind of upcoming events and anything users need to do, like paying bills or seeing their dentist.
What makes 24me so popular?
Shared events. Users can invite their family or friends to join an event.Smart calendar. Users save events to a calendar and the app will remind of the upcoming ones.Notifications. 24me sends notifications on important events so users won’t miss anything.
These are top event planning apps of different categories. Event planners, event ticket apps, and local event apps. Also, there are other event apps that are used by event makers. For example, Boomset is an event registration app. It allows quick check-in via QR-codes. Boomset makes registration much easier for both attendees and organizers.
Although there is a great variety of apps, there is still some free room for new concepts, features, and event apps. You can create an Eventbrite-like event app that will be loved and used by myriads. Or you can create an event app only for theatre plays or music festivals. Or you can develop a powerful event attendance tracking app to help organizers keep track of attendees. In other words, there are lots of opportunities to create an event app and make it thrive.
What you need to know before developing a mobile event app
Before investing in Android or iPhone event app development, it’s vital to define what app type will suit your requirements. Here’s a handy table describing all event mobile app types:
App type
Short information
Pros
Cons
Native apps
Mobile apps built particularly for one operating system (iOS or Android)
✅ Flawless app performance
👎 It takes more time to develop apps for all platforms
Cross-platform apps
Apps that can be accessed and used on different mobile operating platforms (iOS and Android)
✅ Cheaper to develop
👎 Some hardware integrations and functionality aren’t available
Web-based apps
HTML-optimized website apps build specifically for smaller smartphone screens
✅ No installation
👎 Slow app performance
Native apps usually offer a better user experience than web-based or cross-platform app solutions. Moreover, native apps can work without Internet or cellular signal access and they can take advantage of all hardware integrations and functionality. As can be seen from the table, there are two potential issues to be aware of. First, native apps are more expensive to develop. Ans second, you need to develop apps for each platform your users use.
Mobile websites, on the other hand, are easier to build and maintain. But they cannot match the interactivity of native apps and require stable access to the Internet via WiFi or cellular. Cross-platform apps are right up your street when you need to reach as many users as you can. They allow us to minimize the development time and launch much faster when compared to native apps. There’s no reason to start with a fully-functioning app, you can test your app idea with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
Need more info on how to test your app idea with an MVP? Drop us a line .
Must-have features for mobile event apps
We’ve already mentioned that you can start your app with an MVP. It’s a much cheaper way to determine how viable your product is and what features are more suitable for your users. Let’s take a look at some fundamental features that are needed to build an event invite app with an MVP:
User registration
It’s hardly possible to find an application that doesn’t require user registration. Consider adding several ways of user registration - via email, social profiles or cell phone number. Users prefer authorization through social media since it’s easier and much faster than typing in all personal information.
User profiles
When there is user registration, there should be user profiles. User profiles help you find out more information about your users and make their interaction with the app easier and useful. That’s why users need to share their personal information such as name, age, location, and interest.
Location
Mobile event apps help people find events nearby. Obviously, geolocation is one of the most important features of event applications. Moreover, geolocation can also be used to help users navigate through the city and don’t miss any important event.
Schedule
Adding a smart scheduling feature or integrate the event app into a built-in calendar will help your users attend any important event or conference.
Search and filters
Search and filters can enhance the user experience. Here are some useful filters to add to your application:
by popularity
by location
by date
by type
and by price
How to make your event app more popular
Once your MVP is successful, it’s time to think about additional features. They’ll help you attract more users and make your app more competitive. Let’s see what features you can add to your app.
Interactive venue map
Venue maps help attendees find event locations on an interactive map through your group event planning app.
Alerts
We’re so busy nowadays and with smart alerts, your users won’t miss any event they’ve signed up. Consider sending a reminder a few days before the event and a second one a few hours before the meeting starts.
Polling
If you’re going to develop a conference app, consider adding a live polling feature. Your users will definitely love it! Polls and surveys will make your app more interactive.
City guide
City guides are mostly loved and wanted by attendees from different cities. Consider providing an interactive guide as well as information on hotels, restaurants, transport, and more.
Booking and buying tickets
Your local event app will thrive if your users can buy or book tickets without leaving the app. Users will definitely love this feature since it saves them both time and nerves. Find a reliable company to handle your online payments and your users will thank you.
Social media integration
People spend lots of time on social media, so adding a sharing feature is a pretty nice idea. The following will help the organizers to promote their events, and, of course, your app.
How to make your event app more popular
And here goes one of the main questions: how much does it cost to develop an event sign up app? Actually, it’s hard to estimate how much it will take to develop a fully-functioning app.
But we’ve analyzed the existing apps and found out what features are essential for launching an MVP of an event & invite app. Check out the table to find out how much you’ll need to develop an event attendance app 🔽
App Type
Time
Costs
Native (iOS + Android)
4 months
$20,000
Cross Platform
4 months
$15,000
Web App
3 months
$12,000
Note: the following table contains ballpark estimates. To get more precise information, drop us a line .
How to make money with your event app
An event app has lots of opportunities for making money. In fact, much more than a game or etc. Many event organizers, as well as brands, are willing to sponsor your app in exchange for advertising and promotion.
Here you can find the most common ways of generating money with your event app:
In-app advertising. Built-in app advertising is one of the most powerful tools for brand promotion. It’s shown as soon as a user opens the app, so nobody can skip it. Moreover, splash screen ads are believed to convert users much better.
Banner ads. They are also hard to miss and skip. Banner ads can raise brand awareness and increase sales as well. Also, banner ads can be used for a direct connection between users and sponsors.
Push notifications. For example, you can offer your sponsor paid notifications. They’ll be able to notify users about upcoming events, promote them, and sell more tickets. Push notifications will appear on users’ screens regardless if your event app is opened or closed.
Polls and surveys. Surveys and live polls are great ways to monetize your event app. Moreover, event organizers can also benefit from running polls and live surveys. They can help find out what attendees think of an event and find out how they can improve them.
Gamification. Users like having fun even and especially when it comes to mobile applications. So why not let them have fun and make it useful for your app? For example, you can create a quiz or little games related to sponsors or vent organizers. So users will have fun, sponsors will get advertising, and you’ll get paid. It’s a win-win solution, isn’t it?
Smart & interactive maps. One more reason to add an interactive map to your event app is advertising. You can highlight your sponsors on the map and get paid for that.
Summing up
Mobile apps help people in everyday life. And event apps are among the useful ones. That’s why event app development is growing nowadays and open to new apps and ideas. Let’s create an event management app together. Email us your app details, and we’ll estimate your project and build it from scratch.
Have a question? Just write to us at:
📮 mail@mova.io
