I am pleased to present Thorben Grosser as our second guest blogger here at The Gems.  Thorben and I met earlier this year at PCMA’s Convening Leaders event in San Diego, where I was very impressed with our conversations.  I am grateful that Thorben accepted my invitation to do a guest post here. – GR

Almost three years ago, the UK version of Wired magazine was running a title story on the app economy and how Jamie Oliver had it all sorted out. At the same time, I just bought my first BlackBerry, because I believed apps are nice, but a keyboard is nicer. Now, according to a more recent Mashable article, today, there’s roughly half a million people doing nothing but apps, and even more apps available across the big platforms.

So five years after the release of the iPhone, along with its competing phones on different operating systems, you can’t miss the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets. Not even as an event professional. And I don’t mean that in a patronizing way – attending PCMA Convening Leaders for example feels like going to an Apple store. But you also quickly realize that meeting planners are among the most loyal folk out there, reluctant to change suppliers and willing to be advised by their suppliers. One example of where this can go was the Convening Leaders 2012 app, which was a terrible piece of software, being almost useless for most attendees.

Interested in doing better, and enhancing your experience by offering an app with your meeting, conference, expo or special event?

Know your event and your audience

As for anything you want to achieve inside your event, it is of highest importance that you understand your event, understand what people will attend and understand their needs.

The first question is: Do I need an app? And more often than not, the answer will be “yes”. Actually, apps start making sense quite often starting with events of only 25 people. In fact, every event you would decide to print a programme leaflet may benefit an app.

Make sure your event has free Wifi access. Seriously, I mean it. Unless you might decide to actively ban social media (Julius Solaris had a post on that, unfortunately it’s gone) and internet connectivity, make sure that you give your attendees the possibility to access the web. For free, as part of your event.

Know (at least some of) the technology

If it comes to the technology, there are two basic concepts you need to understand: native apps and web based apps. A native app is an app that is specifically designed for a specific operating system (commonly Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 or Blackberry). The advantage is that you can fully use the device’s functionalities in every regard and it is easier to make them run without internet connectivity (stay away from native apps that require internet connectivity for running in any case). On the downside, they are more expensive to develop, mess around with app store restrictions and you need to develop a specific app for each platform. This means, if you are on budget, you need to decide which attendees are worth the money, and which are not. That’s a quite unfortunate situation.

A web based app runs in every browser. This has a lot of advantages. No more app store drama, no platform segregation, one app serves all. It also saves you a lot of money and integrating a new feature becomes much easier since you only need to update one platform. One of the repeated arguments against browser based apps is that they require a constant internet connection. That would be problematic, but also is no longer true. Modern browser apps know how to work the browser cache, and thus manage to work even with little or no connectivity, once they have been opened while the phone was connected – which is the same for native apps. There is no longer a need to be scared of well-made web apps. They might sometimes not be able to use all the phone’s features, though, but that gap is being minimized. Also, not everyone owns a fully-fledged smart phone – but even most phones offer browsers that can access these apps.

Choose

The choice of apps depends largely on your budget. If you want to build a native app for two or three platforms, you are easily looking at somewhere between $10,000-$20,000 per event. It might well be worth the money, but that’s a lot. If you are looking at web based apps, you are somewhere between $200 – $5,000.

The second decision then looks at the up- and downsides of the different kinds of apps. Many native app companies offer mobile versions of your app as an additional perk, at an additional price tag. That way, you circumvent the platform issue.

In a third decision, you should then look at suppliers. Look at a dedicated conference app provider, not necessarily your standard technology provider. The issue is that apps are not simply your programme or digital signage ported to a mobile phone – it is a whole different story. Apps follow their own paradigms and conference apps even more. Also, look at the functionality you would like to integrate in your apps. My research has shown that not all suppliers are the same – in fact, each of them has a very different personality, with different features. As an example, my interview with ATIV projected them as a conservative (conservative does not mean not innovative, but rather aware of the users’ wants), yet reliable app; EventMobi were the innovative web based app makers with beautiful interfaces; CrowdCompass felt like the hip and young company and industry leader; QuickMobile were the giants that provide top-notch apps at a high price.

And then go with your feeling – after you have spoken to some suppliers, you might just feel that they are right to work with you. After all this is a new field, and we still know very little about what works and what does not.

Implement

We have not spoken about what apps can do for your event. But there’s hardly a limit to the possibilities. The most basic elements will be speaker profiles, attendee profiles and of course the schedule. But almost every app goes further than that, interactive maps, speaker profiles, instant messaging, social media integration, live voting, sponsorship and branding opportunities and so on are just a few of the features. Once you have decided for an app, you should look at all the features you can have, make a list in order of priority for each feature, and see where you draw the line.

Also, you should offer incentives to your users to use the app instead of a printed programme. Not only will that save you money, it will also reduce the amount of resource use and ultimately the ecological footprint of your event. How about a special badge “I have gone green, did you?” to induct a sense of pride, or a special networking reception open to app users to provide real value?

Also, don’t forget your sponsorship opportunities: Cleverly done, an app can not only save you money from printing less or no programmes, but generate money as often sponsors are more willing to pay more money for mobile advertising because they also receive more value: more statistics on usage, more possibilities for interaction, better targeted audiences.

Take care

Firstly, market your app properly. A pop-up at the entrance with a QR code is a good start, but is this the best you can do? Use all your channels to make your message known, use incentives, use your keynotes and maybe even dedicate a session on it. We all are in a learning process, and we should not be afraid to learn from everyone, attendees, programmers, friends and our kids.

Different to printed guides, mobile apps can change during the event. And you should reflect that in your usage. You can change programme details on-the-go, you can push emergency messages, and some apps allow a ticket-based help system where you can support attendees directly through their apps.

Make your apps come alive by not simply putting them out there, but by using them and using their features to make your event even more special.

What are your experiences with apps? What are your worries? Please share your comments and thoughts here! I look forward to the conversations.

Thorben Grosser is about to graduate with an honours degree in event and marketing management from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Having organised events for more than ten years, his current research interest lies in the link between software and events. He worked as a research assistant on writing the book Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions by Chris Preston and blogs at his own website, http://thorbengrosser.eu

Last Friday, FourSquare released the designs of the five winning badges from their #VisitUS City Badge Contest.  The five cities that won badges were Des Moines, Oklahoma City, Richmond, Stamford (CT) and my hometown of Baltimore.  The Baltimore badge has been nicknamed as Charm City, a marketing tag used by the city in the 1970′s and 1980′s.

Those of you who know me or have read this blog know that I have been a huge FourSquare addict the last two plus years.  The release of this badge was a great day at Casa de Greg and I was proud to earn the badge with my first check-in on Saturday morning. 

How do you go about earning this coveted badge.  First, follow Baltimore on FourSquare and then complete five of the 60 tips that have been left here.  Some are historical sites, some are restaurants and a variety of places that are truly unique to Baltimore.

If you are coming to AIBTM (this June 19-21), why not try to earn the badge during your stay.  Many of the 60 tips are within walking distance of the Baltimore Convention Center.  For my guests at last year’s Friends of Greg dinner during AIBTM, you have already been to three places on the list…

The text that unlocks when you earn the Charm City badge honors Bawlmarese, crabs, the Orioles, John Waters and the TV series “The Wire.” The text reads as: “Omar. McNulty. Stringer Bell. That girl in “Hairspray.” They all had one thing in common, and that’s you, Baltimore. So cheer on those Orioles, crack open a blue crab, and hon, don’t even think about skimping on the Old Bay.”

A tip of the hat is due to Tom Rowe, Director of Web Marketing for Visit Baltimore.  Tom was an early adopter of FourSquare and developed a successful strategy that earned over 1,000 followers during the #Visit US contest that FourSquare held.  There were tweets from Baltimore’s mayor, the Governor and Lt. Governor of Maryland, Duff Goldman from “Ace of Cakes” and Josh Charles of “The Good Wife,” to name a few.  Thanks, Tom!  This badge would not exist if not for your efforts.

I am composing this blog post after returning from an industry networking event in Washington, DC tonight.  Traffic was better than I had anticipated and got home around 9:30 p.m.  Upon looking at the clock, I decided to jump into the #Eventprofs chat that takes place on Twitter every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET (there is another that happens on Thursdays at 12 Noon ET).  After logging into TweetChat, I discovered there no chat was taking place.  This is now the third time this has happened in the last six weeks.  It does not appear that many missed it – there was only one tweet beforehand and one during the chat time inquiring if there was a chat happening.

If the twice weekly #eventprofs went away, would anyone miss them?

First, a little history lesson might be in order.  In late 2008 or early 2009, Lara McCullough-Carter suggested creating the hashtag of #eventprofs as a way of grouping tweets related to the meetings and events industry.  In February 2009, the first formally scheduled chat took place that Lara moderated.  After a few sessions, Lara asked others in the community to step forward and assist with facilitating the weekly chats.  I consider myself fortunate to have been one of the first facilitators.  The chats were eagerly looked forward to and would regularly have between 20-30 participants.  Things were going so well, a second daytime chat was added on Thursdays.  During the summer of 2009, it was during an #eventprofs chat that Christina Coster suggested a bar-camp style event for this community that led to the first EventCamp in New York City on February 6, 2010.  Since then, 5 additional EventCamps have been held and another two are scheduled to take place in November.

Shortly after the first EventCamp, the #eventprofs chats were at their apex.  Since that time, participation began to lag with slots for chats went unfilled without moderators.  In the spring of 2011, Adrian Segar took up the challenge of revitalizing the chats.  Adrian discovered the chats in January 2010 and appreciated the support and encouragement he received from the community during that time and wanted to give back to that community.  Adrian reached out to many and nearly 20 folks in the #eventprofs community answered his call to assist in facilitating the twice-weekly chats.  The thinking was that with this many facilitators, it would only be necessary for each person to help out about every 6 weeks or so. 

In looking at the last 12 chats scheduled for the past 6 weeks, we have:

• 3 sessions that were never filled
• 2 different moderators handled 2 chats each
• The remaining 5 chats were handled by 5 other individuals.

Of the nearly 20 folks who were going to regularly moderate the chats, many have only facilitated one chat.  Some have yet to even be seen in a #eventprofs chat since they agreed to assist.  Most of the chats that have been recently held have only had a handful of participants.

Does anyone remember when the game show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire first premiered?  It was a huge hit and was eagerly anticipated every week.  The television network responded by having it air 5 nights a week and soon the ratings plummeted.  Would the #eventprofs chats perhaps be better attended if we went to only once a week?  There really has not been a large crowd in any of the chat archives for 2011 that I have viewed.

There are 7 remaining #eventprofs chats in October.  As I write this, 2 people have signed up to moderate 3 of those 7 sessions and 4 sessions are still available.

I keep mentioning the chat archives.  There is a wiki set up for the #eventprofs community where the chat transripts are archived (most of them, sometimes the faciliator (myself included) has missed uploading the transcript to the wiki) and a schedule for the chats.  The wiki can be accessed by clicking here.  Reviewing the chat archives, there is some really good material covered and links to resources that you may wish to check out.  It has always amazed me what others in the #eventprofs community can offer up in the chats.

Another thing I noticed while reviewing some of the older transcripts – the participants in the early chats read like a Who’s Who of thought leaders in the meetings and events industry.  Some of these folks probably would not be in the high regard they currently are held in today, if it were not for their participation in the #eventprofs chats.  However, in October 2011, they are hardly seen participating in these chats and that is unfortunate.  I realize that most of us in the #eventprofs community are juggling many priorities and generally have many demands on their time (speaking for myself, I was hardly active in the chats for nearly a year due to my schedule).

There are some questions we need to ask of our #eventprofs community:

• Is two weekly chats too many?  not enough?
• Perhaps we are holding the chats at the wrong times a majority of the community?
• Are the topics for the chats not that interesting?
• How can we make these chats “must attend”  or “can’t miss” sessions?
• Are there other chats that are filling our community’s needs better?

Maybe, #eventprofs chats are just so 2009…..

What are your thoughts?

I have a small pile of items here on my desk that I’ve been saving up to include in a future post.  Well, that day is here!

• In the last month or so of tweeting, I’ve started to do a daily tweet of a fellow #eventprofs that I feel is worthy of following.  I created the hashtag of #youhavetofollow for these messages, and it seems to have received favorable comments to date.  Some will argue that this is just a takeoff of #followfriday or #ff, and frankly, yes it is!  My biggest argument against #followfriday is that most folks will list a plethora of tweeps to follow, but gives no reason why I should follow them.  My goal with #youhavetofollow is to shine the light on a noteworthy #eventprofs and give some rationale for why they should be followed.  I hope many of you will start to follow this format and use it as well.
• One of my favorite blogs is Bill Geist’s ZeitGeist, which is geared towards Destination Marketing Organizations and Convention and Visitor Bureaus.  I’ve followed Bill for a few years and had the pleasure of finally meeting him last year at #SoMeT10, the Social Media in Tourism Conference.  Bill is able to tackle some major items in destination marketing in his blog, with posts with very few words and generally a humorous spin.  Please take a few minutes to check out his site, as I truly believe he is one of the leading advocates for change in how destinations market themselves to the public and government bureaucracy’s cluelessness about the economic impact of tourism.
• In September of 1814, the citizens of Baltimore turned away a British invasion force and basically saved our nation.  During the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key wrote The Star Spangled Banner, which would eventually become our national anthem.  The other night I had the television on and game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals was on for the National Hockey League, and the Canadian national anthem – O Canada – was being sung.  It is amazing to me how the Canadian’s sing along to the song, basically allowing the anthem singer to take a break.  I would love to see the same for our national anthem at a sporting event here in the States.
• I’m amazed at the number of Certified Meeting Professionals who were unable to attend the recent CMP Conclave in Cancun due to the reasoning of the “high costs” of not being held in the States.  For me, airfare to Cancun was cheaper than my last two trips to Las Vegas and the hotel rooms were much more affordable than recent/upcoming events for IAEE, PCMA or MPI.  How are we ever going to be able to argue the value of having meetings in locales deemed as “destinations” if we don’t support these venues as an industry?
• Thanks to Jon Trask for having me as guest on the Meetings Podcast regarding my thoughts on the CMP Conclave.  I look forward to possibly doing a few more with you and Mike McAllen during MPI’s WEC in Orlando this July.
• Last month, a small group got together in Washington, DC to discuss the formation of a Chesapeake regional chapter of the Green Meetings Industry Council.  The response was positive and things are progressing, so hopefully there will be a GMIC Chesapeake Chapter by the end of the year.  Email me if you are interested in joining us as we go forward.
• Crain’s Chicago Business recently published an article about show contractors and organizers squeezing exhibitors with fairly high prices for services on the trade show floor.  This case is not unique, and there is only one industry organization that represents the exhibitor – the Trade Show Exhibitors Association.  TSEA will be holding its annual Red Diamond Congress in Orlando this summer at the Hotel Peabody Orlando from July 31 thru August 3rd, with exhibitor advocacy as one of its central themes.  (In full disclosure, TSEA and the Red Diamond Congress are clients of mine.)  Having the opportunity to be involved in the planning, I am very impressed with TSEA for thinking outside the box and creating a conference that will stand apart from most industry conferences.  I hope you will consider attending – this event would be on my calendar even if it were not a client!

• 

  Kristian Hammerstady – NY Times

  Next week, Keith Olbermann returns to television with his Countdown show on the Current network.  Disregarding politics, I have been a huge fan of his dating from his days on ESPN’s SportsCenter.  Several months ago, Keith was lecturing to a crowd of college students and recounting how a general manager of a radio station would not hire him and told Keith that he had no future in broadcasting.  Keith went on to offer the following advice: “Just remember, it’s possible the person who won’t hire you is not smart enough to hire you.” I’ve always liked this quote and am reminded of a few old bosses I have had!  And if Keith happens to read this, good luck with the new show!

• Last month, at the annual meeting of the Greater Baltimore Committee, plans were unveiled for a new arena and convention center complex for my hometown.  I’ll offer up my thoughts next week in a seperate posting.  In the meantime, let’s just say I am in favor of this development.
• Thanks to PCMA for reprinting my last blog post here on their website.  Words cannot express how excited I am to have to have PCMA and AIBTM co-located in my hometown next week and I am looking forward to meeting many of you in person during these two conferences.  I am confident that after your visit to Baltimore that you will agree with me that Baltimore is the greatest city in the United States.

Well, we’ve come to the end of another week and I have finally wound down after my eight days in Las Vegas and am somewhat back into a regular routine.  Let’s jump in with both feet, shall we?

*     I am looking forward to  attending the Event Camp National Conference in Chicago on February 11-13 of this year and am excited that Chris Brogan will be giving the opening general session on Saturday morning.  The opportunity to see old friends from last year’s original Event Camp (has it been nearly a year already?!?) and to meet several others that I only know from online is a huge draw for me as well.  I strongly urge you to consider attending Event Camp if you can spare the time and the really cheap $149 registration fee.

*     I will be lucky enough to have earned all of my needed continuing education hours for the renewal of my Certified Meetings Professional (CMP) designation by attending both the Las Vegas PCMA Annual Meeting and Event Camp this year.  For those who are unable to attend conferences due to budget or time restraints, PCMA has launched a Certification Made Possible program that is absolutely free for PCMA members.  One clock hour of continuing education can be earned by reading a given article in each month’s Convene, and then completing a self-assessment test and a learning activity.  A very nice member benefit.

*     Baltimore and Maryland had its first major snowstorm on Wednesday, and the forecasters got their predictions wrong again.  The early morning snow was much heavier than predicted and calls for 3-6 inches of snow throughout the day came up short as we wound up with about 10 inches outside Casa De Ruby.   In my previous life, I would be considered an “essential” government employee and make a 35 mile drive to my venue.  Nowadays, I walk across the hall.  According to news reports, my former commute took many drivers 8+ hours to make on Wednesday.  I used the bad weather (as well as a case of insomnia) as an excuse to watch the three episodes of PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery Sherlock that I had recorded last fall and was pleasantly pleased.  So much so, I am eagerly awaiting for the upcoming three episodes this fall and will watch them when they premiere.  The writers have done an excellent job with bringing the Holmes and Watson characters from the 1890′s Victorian London to today’s world while still holding true to many of the elements in the original stories.  There is a link on the website if you wish to purchase the DVD of the three episodes – my birthday is coming up in May.

*     Congratulations to Dana Freker Doody of The Expo Group on her promotion to become their Vice President of Corporate Communications.  I had the pleasure of first meeting Dana when we both participated in IAEE’s Future Leaders Institute program  in 2007. Many of you might be familiar with Dana’s work in creating the InZone Lounge and Networking Center which allowed folks to virtually attend the 2010 TS2 show in Boston and was the talk of the show floor and the Twitterverse.  A few months later, Dana displayed the concept again during the 2010 IAEE Expo Expo in New Orleans. In addition, Dana was a virtual moderator one morning for the Learning Lounge during the recent PCMA Annual Meeting and serves on IAEE’s Educational Committee.  Well done!

* Many thanks to the National Conference Center for including me in their 10 Event Professionals Worth Knowing on Social Media post.  It is very much appreciated and I am honored to be included with some great folks that make up the #eventprofs family on Twitter. Check around the rest of their blog – I think you will find some useful information.

*    A colleague of Dana’s, Todd Caruth, snapped and tweeted this picture of  Christina Stallings and myself discussing very important issues in the Learning Lounge office at the PCMA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.  Kevin Richardson, of Freeman, then tweeted that this would be perfect for a caption contest.  Loving a challenge, we have come up with:

GR: Tastes Great!  CS: Less Filling!

GR: So where is it located? CS: Head out the front door and go left for three blocks.  Then head right for 5 blocks and you’ll see the the 99 cents Shrimp Cocktail special.

GR: I hope to see Wayne Newton in concert while I am here.  CS: I can’t wait to see Carrot Top perform!

Thanks for reading – until next time, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!