New useful event apps

In the event industry the use of technology is increasing. From meetings to exhibitions, event planner are using new technology to attract more people and to interact with them. Mobile applications for example have and will transform how events are managed.

More than 300 mobile event applications are available online. Event professionals have many choices regarding their conferences or events. They can find simple applications like an agenda or advanced one to create audience engagement during a conference.

Corbin Ball, international speaker, consultant and an expert when it comes to technology is reviewing in his article six new applications related to the event industry:

• ·       InitLive
• ·       ATIV Software
• ·       BlueStone Nexus
• ·       Listly
• ·       Conferences.io
• ·       Eventbase

InitLive for example is really attractive and easy to use (see videobelow). This cloud-based application helps event managers manage staff and volunteers. They can see checking and last minute schedule or even communicate with everyone before, during and after the event. The product is not on the market yet but has already been tested with a reasonable pricing. As a student you can get 25% discount.

All of these events tools are created to help meeting professionals to have a more effective event. Indeed professional applications have strong features with a wide range of tools and design.

Before the event, event managers can use those applications to obtain a quick and efficient registration check-in procedure. During a conference, with applications like ATIV Software and Conference.io attendees can now interact with a speaker, ask questions, vote for question and receive all the slides with notes. Regarding the Networking as it is an important goal when organising an event, applications like eventbase or BlueStone Nexus is helping delegates to create a network with other delegates. BlueStone Nexus is using the mobile phone to capture business card information in order to create an exchange between professionals. Eventbase is using the Beacons technology which is the new must have in the event industry. This app can put in your area of interest and know who is around you from 1 to 5 meters. The delegates receive a notification when a delegate share the same interest. This encourage people to meet and talk to each other.

These applications are just a few of many great other applications. They bring people together, add simplicity and fun in the event industry. They are the future! Don’t be afraid to use them!

Camille Salomon & Anthony Calzi

Sources:

http://www.corbinball.com/article2/36-mobile-and-wireless-technology/178-six-novel-and-useful-event-apps
http://www.initlive.com/

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The new Accor mobile application has been awarded !

Some months ago, AccorHotels launched a new version of its mobile application in order to improve guests experience. They have been rewarded during the "Trophee des Apps" ceremony.

This Application enables travelers, whether business or leisure, to optimize their time by getting all information on the same platform. I do personally use it every time I travel in an AccorHotels property.

How does it meet guests' expectations?

Guests have the opportunity to:

Select a hotel among a wide range of brands, all introduced on the App

Find information about hotel location, facilities and services

Book online

Discover the online City Guide to better prepare their stay

Manage their loyalty accounts

Learn latest news and offers of the Group

Since July 2015, the application is even available on Apple Watch. Romain Roulleau, AccorHotels’ SVP e-commerce and director of the “mobile first” program explains:

“By launching this AccorHotels application for Apple Watch™, AccorHotels is establishing itself as an audacious digital hospitality player.”

This application enhances the huge potential of AccorHotels Digital Transformation.

Of course, we hope that other features will be developed soon. Some competitor hotels provide guests with tablets so that they can adjust temperature or lighting in their room. In order to personalize their stays, customers can even sometimes beneficiate from an e-concierge which enable them to order breakfast in the room, make dinner reservations, to request extra pillows…without moving from their rooms.”

Indeed, the hotel group is doing its mobile revolution to keep one single app.
Customers have on average 23 applications in their smartphone, including 3-4 dedicated to travel: TripAdvisor, one online travel agency, and one to go around. The third or fourth may be the one of a chain hotel. Accor want to be part of this selection. That is why they will have one application for all trademarks of Accorhotels. The group will multippliate the reasons for a traveler to have the Accor Hotel app in his smartphone. Thus they can be differentiated themselves from online agencies.

The French group has integrated last years the service Wipolo, the startups they bought in 2014 and already added Uber upon check-in.

Tailored services are as well offered within the hotel, such as restaurant reservations, spa, room service ...

 Accor wants to offer a complete experience before, during, and after the stay of the guests.

Mobile, including smartphones and tablets, attracts nearly 40% of the global audience, and 12% of direct digital sales. The delta is explained. Travelers often use their smartphone on the move, in public places. They did not necessarily want to take out their credit card and enter their details, in transport for example. To improve their conversion rate, they will adopt the second half of the 1-Click payment, such as Amazon's bank details are already entered, the purchase is validated with a single click.

Accor wants its staff to provide personalized service instead of being bogged down filling out paperwork to register guests.

Accor’s guests can do this advance check-in only if they’ve have booked their reservation directly through Accor or if they are loyalty program members or subscription cardholders.

On the day of the stay, guests receive a welcome text message confirming that the room key and room are available. The text may also provide practical tips about the property, such as ground transportation information and parking access codes, for example.

When guests arrive at the property instead of needing to provide credit card information and fill out paperwork, “the hotel staff is supposed to greet them immediately upon arrival in the lobby or possibly even in the hotel bar, hand them their room key, and answer any questions or handle special requests”, Accor says.

Christine Pouletty, who managed the project’s introduction, says early feedback shows that 93% of guests who used the service during a trial period indicated they would do so again. And, 40% of guests did the advance check-in with their smartphones, she adds.

“Queues are diminishing and hoteliers are more available for their guests,” Pouletty says. “They can devote themselves completely to their passion, the job of host.”

A new way for booking flights: Opal app

Source: OneTravel

 

           Created and settled by the online booking travel website OneTravel, Opal is a voice-activated travel agent allowing travelers to book flights in an easy way. It will not only help travelers to book their flight quickly as it will interact with and guide them through the process of booking, but also allow them to do it from a mobile phone. This company is the first one to propose this service, and as we are more and more connected, this app perfectly fits our society trends.

 

            The process is simple, the users say through their mobile device’s built-in microphone that they want to book a flight from a city to another city, and the app asks them the missing information such as: city of departure, destination, departure and return dates etc. and begin the research. Thanks to the interaction app, it is easier for the user to select all the criteria required instead of looking for them on traditional websites. The app proposes more than 450 airlines, find the best offers available, and thanks to its advanced travel-specific vocabulary it understands acronyms, knows the different airports of a specific destination etc.

 

            Travelers can book their flight through the application, on the website or call the travel agents. Thanks to technology development, travelers get access to information really easily and can book flights, and make reservations quicker than before. The company plans to extend its app for hotel booking through the voice-activated travel agent. But to develop the app, the company firstly needs to get feedbacks from users to make the app better and then extend its activities.

 

            This app is a way for travelers to book a flight in an easier way, compared with the traditional booking flight websites. It is easy to use thanks to the interaction with the voice-activated travel agent and it makes travelers save time finding them offers the most adapted to their needs.

Marion Mortier & Marine Pelletier

 

Source:

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/travel-technology/meet-opal-the-voice-activated-travel-agent-for-booking-flights.html

 

 

EVENTBASE: THE MUST-HAVE APP FOR EVENTS MANAGEMENT

This article written by entrepreneur.com highlights the must-have equipment and tools to better organize an event. Several new technologies and other services are described to provide an innovative experience to attendees and ease the management of many kind of events. We chose to focus on the most relevant ones in terms of organization management.

Eventbase simplifies the organization of an event as well as for event planners and for participants, thanks to a simple mobile application. This very useful app provides a dedicated mobile page for the event, on which participants can find all the information they need: maps, schedules or in-depth descriptions of the event etc. Eventbase has proven its worth and has been already widely used for the organization and for the attendees' management during the 2012 London Olympic Games. It has won the 1^st Prize of the 2014 Event Technology Awards.

 

Source: eventbase.com

The plus of Eventbase is also the fact that it is a native app; meaning that it has been conceived in a special programming language for a specific operation system. It provides fast performance and high degree of reliability but also takes advantage of the latest technology available on mobile device. Eventbase used to be only for Iphone, Ipad and Android devices until now but is today also working on Windows Phones.

This app does not only enrich the participants’ experience but it also supports event’s branding. Plus, this tool is free for the basic sites, therefore completely affordable for any small event with a limited budget. This app is also available for organizers dealing with several events at the same time in different cities - or multiple events. The Premium (and charged) version has been created for event planners in order to manage easily all their events on one single app. The app lists all the events and the participants can choose which one they are going to attend. It also enables the direct tickets selling to the participants.

Furthermore, the app is not only an easy-to-use tool for attendees to get information or find their way during events; it also allows them to share and link on their favorite social media.

 

Source: eventbase.com

Therefore, this application is definitely a keeper, and offers to all event planners the easiest way to satisfy their attendees while facilitating their own management of the event. 

Cyrielle Doll & Ombeline Rébillat

SOURCES:

https://www.eventbase.com/products-us/363-eventbase-premium

http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/226491

http://www.techopedia.com/definition/27568/native-mobile-app