Mobile Apps for Events Development FAQ

At AppBurst, we consider ourselves more than simply app developers and strive to be a complete solutions provider. Instead of providing generic costs with little flexibility, we first speak with event owners, planners, and organizers to determine individual objectives, needs, and requirements for the specific event. 

A quick conversation will enable our team to find the best possible solution, including the functionality and platforms required, any goals to monetize the app, and other factors that will determine the overall scope of the project. The conversation allows us to provide a highly customizable plan fitting into almost any budget. Contact us to speak with an AppBurst representative and receive a tailor-made quote fitting your exact needs. 

While the specific development timeline varies based on a number of factors, the AppBurst framework enables our development team to build high-quality apps in a short time frame without sacrificing quality. From receiving the content to making the app available in the AppStore and Google Play for users to download, the entire process can take as little as one month. 

Event apps with a significant amount of content or custom programming will typically take additional time, but an AppBurst specialist will be able to present a customized timeline for your specific project to ensure expectations are met and the finished product is available to attendees in plenty of time before the event. 

Nearly three in four business travelers use smartphones and tablet adoption is projected to grow at 50% per year. As a result, the majority of your attendees will be on board with a mobile app from the beginning. To accommodate attendees who still prefer paper programs or may not have a smartphone, simply transition away from paper programs in gradual steps. 

For the first year, consider offering both a print version and mobile app, while subsequent paper programs can be leaner and more cost effective program with only the essential details in place -- cutting costs and leaving the mobile app as the best resource to access event information.

Promote your mobile app in your paper programs, event billboards, and other print advertising to make sure that your attendees are know how to download it. Many of our partners also use QR codes to directly link to mobile app downloads.

Yes. Our native apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices cache content upon the initial download and installation process, meaning the bulk of your event’s program is saved and ready for offline use. Content such as Twitter and RSS feeds will naturally need an internet connection to receive the latest updates, but core content such as the agenda, speakers, and exhibitors are all accessible regardless of an internet connection. 

Our event app solutions range from small internal meetings with a few hundred people to large conferences and conventions with attendees in the tens of thousands. Smaller events typically have less content to display and less users downloading and accessing the data, which in turn will make the app more budget-friendly for your business or organization. 

AppBurst offers a robust set of sponsor features for clients to utilize in taking advantage of attendee engagement in a mobile event app. From banner ads and splash screens to dedicated sponsor sections and takeover ads, we provide required technical specs and explain the placement of each ad within our mobile apps so clients can make informed decisions and pass along the benefits of ad integration to potential sponsors. Our 3rd-party analytic software also provides download metrics and specific page views to show sponsors how many users are viewing their branding. 

As a complete event app solutions provider, AppBurst provides both mobile apps and mobile websites. While a mobile website is important to ensure all attendees have access regardless of device, our focus on native apps for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices is a reflection of the significant benefits a mobile app offers over its mobile website counterpart. Mobile apps are more reliable and engaging, with the ability to access content offline and take advantage of features unavailable on a mobile website such as push messaging and interactive exhibitor maps. Read our Mobile Websites vs. Mobile Apps blog post for a complete overview. 

AppBurst handles 100% of the technical work, including developing the app and submitting the finished product to the AppStore and Google Play. We also provide complete assistance in determining the content and graphic requirements for the app, as a specialist will walk each client through the entire process and be available for any questions or concerns from the moment the development process begins through the life of the app. Check out our testimonials page for recent feedback from a handful of our satisfied clients. 

A dedicated Support Specialist is assigned to each client. He or she, through sustained interaction with a client from the moment a contract is assigned through the event and beyond, gets to know the event planners tasked with readying the app, any requirements and long-term goals of the app, and most importantly the app content itself. The Support Specialist serves to explain the entire development process, ensure milestones are met, and generally be the go-to contact for anything app-related. Extremely technical issues or concerns are quickly escalated to a developer, resolved, and communicated back to the client, ensuring a seamless line of communication. Check out our AppBurst Experience page for more details.  

We offer comprehensive off-site support via both phone and email during extended business hours. In other words, from about 8am to 8pm EST every weekday--or when most events are actively taking place--someone is in the office to immediately assist a client in the event of a technical issue during the event. The team also responds to most emails after business hours and during the weekend within a couple of hours and is aware of the times an event is taking place. While time zone differences and other factors may naturally make support more difficult, AppBurst works with each client to develop a support gameplan and can have a person on standby any hour of the day if needed.

In addition to remote support, AppBurst offers on-site support to assist clients in sending push messages, making content changes, and troubleshooting any problems. Typically located near registration to also help attendees download and install the app, a seasoned product specialist at a conference of meeting gives event planners added peace of mind.  

The AppBurst Dashboard enables our clients to manage most content and configuration changes 24-hours a day. Edits made to the app in the content management system--as well as other functions such as push messaging--are published in real-time to user’s devices around the world. For content already existing on a 3rd-party CMS, our development team may also build a custom data connector to propagate data into the mobile app. In these cases, clients are able to make content changes in their existing system and changes will be reflected in the app without additional work.  

In a few words: total control! AppBurst works with clients at the onset of the development process to establish a navigation structure, or hierarchy of content, to determine tabs in the app and generally how everything fits together. While our clients enjoy a lot of control through the AppBurst Dashboard to edit and create content contained within a tab or sub-tab, a lot of the overarching structure of the app still needs to be coordinated. The initial navigation structure may be changed down the road and simply acts as a starting point to get content into the app. 

Two options are available for graphics. AppBurst offers a graphics service and works closely with clients who choose this option to determine the color scheme, graphics, and even smaller details such as app icons. We use logos, brochures, and other supplied content to ensure the app is entirely branded for your organization and event. 

For clients who have an in-house graphics department or prefer to use a 3rd party, we provide a detailed requirements document outlining specific file types and dimensions for every image in the app. Either way, the overall look and feel of the app is left to the client, while an AppBurst product specialist will be available throughout the entire process to provide any necessary feedback and direction.

AppBurst takes care of the entire process, utilizing Amazon CloudFront to deliver app content to users around the world and addressing bug fixes to make sure each app runs smoothly on new operating systems and mobile devices as they are released. As part of the AppBurst Service Agreement, these services are typically renewed on a yearly basis for the life of the app.

We provide a full set of download statistics and app analytics to every client. The number of downloads can be charted over time, as well as by device and platform, while analytics range from time spent in the app and total number of page views to details such as the number of views for specific content in the app. Our clients can then use the data to improve upon the content for next year’s event and provide tangible statistics to sponsors, which helps to generate even more sponsorship revenue.

Yes, you can download the latest Apps for Events Feature Guide here.