One of the biggest misconceptions behind mobile event app development is the learning curve associated with integrating content. While mobile technology represents an incredible opportunity to engage attendees, event hosts and planners must still contend with getting content into a mobile app. The AppBurst Dashboard greatly simplifies this process and puts full control in the hands of event hosts to upload and edit content via an intuitive content management system. 

The tool is a flagship feature for AppBurst and enables 100% control of all event app content integration. Continue reading to learn how the Dashboard manages different aspects of mobile app content integration.

Sessions, Speakers, and Exhibitors 

The bulk of content in most event apps comes from sessions, speakers, and exhibitors; in other words, the event agenda. The AppBurst Dashboard enables event hosts to quickly and efficiently input this data, as well as form relationships between different content types to associate speakers with sessions, sub-sessions to parent sessions, and so forth.

Smaller events with limited agenda content are able to simply copy and paste details like session titles and speaker names into appropriate fields. Events with a significant number of content items can take advantage of AppBurst’s upload feature; admin users simply take an existing an existing Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with content and format the column headings using a supplied template to bulk upload event data. The process is no harder to learn than filling out a variety of online forms and any questions are typically answered within the Dashboard’s help sections. 

Popular Supplementary Content 

PDF Documents 

PDF document integration represent an extremely popular method to share everything from event abstracts and presentations to exhibitor marketing brochures and hotel maps. The process to upload PDFs for inclusion in a mobile event app is simple: select a PDF file and upload the document. Event planners and organizers may add a title and additional information.

Text Pages

Simple text pages are useful for items such as event logistics and welcome letters. Unlike PDF documents, which must be edited outside of the AppBurst Dashboard and re-uploaded, text pages can be created, styled, and edited directly in the admin system. Quickly change the answer to a frequently asked question or update the phone number of a local hotel in cases where attendees need to access helpful information outside of session and speaker details. 

News Items

Create a running blog or news feed in the mobile app and include content such as a thumbnail images, publish date, title, and more to keep attendees updated on event happening or company happenings. The news items may be categorized, updated, and maintained directly in the AppBurst Dashboard and can serve to give users smaller updates or provide lengthier content like press releases and articles. 

Sponsorships

Event sponsors represent a great source of ROI and the ability to manage sponsor content gives organizers a great way to quickly update graphics, include new marketing brochures, or upgrade a company’s sponsor tier without having to contact the app developer. Everything from ad banners and secondary splash pages to takeover ads and full sponsor sections are editable in the AppBurst Dashboard. 

Other Features

In addition to managing 100% of event app content in the AppBurst Dashboard, admin users are also able to take advantage of other tools to greatly enhance both the attendee and event host experience.

Full Branding Control 

The AppBurst Dashboard provides more than content integration. Event organizers and planners are able to manage the branding (i.e. splash pages, title bar, etc.) and color schemes directly in the admin system and publish changes as necessary. All changes other than the app icon and primary splash screen—which require a new app submission—are reflected in the app immediately.  

Live Polling and Surveys

Receive valuable session and speaker feedback or live poll audiences during a session to engage attendees and create a better dynamic between everyone involved. The AppBurst Dashboard helps to manage these features by implementing the surveys and polls, while also keeping track of the results. There’s no need to utilize a third-party to leave the admin area to manage these useful features. 

App Analytics

A streamlined version of app analytics is available directly in the AppBurst dashboard for admin users to quickly access metrics like app downloads. A full host of analytics is still available via Flurry. 

Push Alerts

Push alerts may be sent or scheduled in the dashboard and can include a deep link directing users to a specific content item in the mobile app. 

User Authentication 

Segment content and assign attendees roles to restrict access of confidential or exclusive data. User authentication requires a registration process that enables event hosts to track and manage users for a number of reasons. 

The Bottom Line

The ability to fully manage event content in one user-friendly admin system speaks volumes to the feasibility of creating an engaging mobile event app and managing its features without the need to devote unavailable resources or spend countless hours learning how to manage multiple interfaces. 

While other options exist to integrate content via 3rd-party data management systems, the AppBurst Dashboard is meant to give any company or organization 100% control of event app content when it makes sense based on the source of existing content, budgets, and other factors.