Mobile apps for events give owners and organizers of conferences, meetings, and trade shows a powerful tool to provide to attendees, yet gauging its overall impact is difficult without the help of quality analytic software. Knowing the importance of useful, measurable data on mobile app usage, we provide our clients with a detailed report on user activity in the app.

Check out a selection of the most relevant statistics below to better understand the benefits of combining engaging iPhone apps for events, iPad apps for events, and Android apps for events with an expansive set of mobile app analytics.  

Number of App Users

A basic, yet effective metric to measure your event app’s reach is total number of users. Our analytics identify users by unique phone IDs to ensure a counted user is indeed unique and not a reinstallation of the app. By simply knowing the estimated number of attendees at the event, the number of app users will illustrate the application’s overall popularity and provide a powerful number to share with potential sponsors -- or to simply justify adding new features for future events. 

While new users will inevitably spike during the month of your event, charting users on a monthly basis will show the level of “year-round engagement” the app is offering. In other words, does the app contain content areas that will resonate with potential users outside of the event? Many features such as videos, RSS Feeds, and social media integration will draw additional users who want relevant updates outside of the event itself. The app analytics keep track of new users and provide insight into the app’s lasting impact. 

Mobile App User Retention 

The total number of users only tells part of the story. A related metric tracks how many users are being retained, i.e. those who consistently revisit the app. Our analytics define a retained user as one who has used the application within the last seven days. Users who keep returning to the app are (of course) more desirable than users who download the app and quickly turn it into an afterthought. Advanced metrics illustrate daily ratios such as retained users versus new users and can be useful in illustrating app activity during any given time period.   

Levels of Mobile Engagement 

There are two types of app users; a portion of attendees will view the app as a reference tool only, briefly checking room numbers, exhibitor email addresses, or other pieces of relevant information. Other users will remain engaged in the experience -- adding sessions to their calendar, sharing pages via social media, and generally using the app as a go-to resource for everything about the event. Decreasing the former and increasing the latter are instrumental in maximizing sponsorship opportunities and increasing your footprint with attendees through the quality branding and content you have created. 

The analytics available to our clients provides data on the average page views per session, broken down by month.  The more page views in the app, the greater the level of activity and engagement. Other useful figures include the median session length and total time spent in the app. Knowing how long users interact with the app can help event owners and organizers ascertain whether or not the content and features are maximizing the app’s potential as a must-have resource for attendees and even those unable to make the event. 

Popular Event App Content Areas

Not every area of the app is created equal. While a welcome letter and “About Us” page may receive a small number of page views, other sections of the app -- such as the agenda and exhibitor map -- will be constantly referred to as attendees spend time at the event. Having access to a visual breakdown of every content area in the app will help to better assess where users are drawn to most often. 

The analytics provide basic breakdowns by views in each tabs in the app, as well as more detailed information by charting the multiple layers of content. Want to see how many people viewed Monday’s agenda or a specific exhibitor? No problem. Detailed reports illustrate the activity in specific detail areas of the app and will provide valuable feedback to determine what areas need to be better promoted or simply moved to another area in the app to most effectively present your most relevant content to attendees. 

Apps For Events is a service of AppBurst, a mobile application development company located in Palm Beach County, South Florida. For more information: