Fork In The Road Blog

Events: Technology. Design. Strategy.

Apple Just Showed The Event Industry What Disruption Looks Like

white label event mobile app

Apple made an announcement during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June (2017) that has repercussions for the entire event industry. Enforcement of rule 4.2.6 of the App Store Review Guidelines has severely impacted white label event mobile app developers. For those wondering what disruption in the event industry looks like, this is one beautiful example of the road ahead.

Apple Takes A Bite Out Of An Industry

Apple’s rule 4.2.6 states, “Apps created from a commercialized template or app generation service will be rejected.” Apple is enforcing the rule as a way to clear spam from the Apple App Store, but it impacts millions of legitimate and useful apps across many industries, including the live event industry.

There are hundreds of white label event mobile app developers in the global event industry, which means tens of thousand of white-label apps have been released and updated year after year for various events. Some, most, or maybe all of those (none of the developers knows for sure, and Apple isn’t super communicative about it) will be likely rendered obsolete by the end of 2017.

The initial reactions from the white label developer set ranged from (paraphrasing) “this is something big, but good riddance to the white label app model” to “it’s not that big of a deal, we got this” to “Apple isn’t talking about us. All of our apps are unique.”

As the weeks progressed, however, the “this is kind of serious” camp appeared to be justified in their paranoia and the “nothing to see here” folks quickly changed their minds as the Apple App Store began rejecting white label event apps much sooner than expected. The few hold out developers that haven’t been impacted yet remain confident that the crisis is overblown.

There are remedies for Apple’s crackdown. The top contender in the solutions column seems to be a so-called universal “container” app, which has both benefits and drawbacks depending on the event type and event organization. Some developers are revisiting an HTML5 mobile web solution or tinkering with the code on their white-label apps to see if they can still make the cut with Apple.

The Immediate Impact On Event Organizers

Event organizers have more to think about than Apple’s attempt at housekeeping. For many, this disruption is just one more thing none of them wants to deal with. The smart ones will immediately phone their event mobile app developers of record to discuss their options, although the options may not be entirely clear.

Organizers that opt (or have no other choice than) to go with a container app will have to revise their app download instructions for attendees. After all, The Apple rule only affects Apple device users. Organizers still have to accommodate Android, Windows, Blackberry, and increasingly, Amazon device users (and that’s only in the U.S. and Canada).

In the best-case scenario, container app users will have at least three additional steps to take after they go to the app store. More complexity could mean lower adoption rates and/or the need for more tech support.

With container apps in the mix, selecting a mobile app developer from this point on will be more complicated as buyers will again have a learning curve to navigate and no successful case studies on which to rely at least in the immediate future.

If some or all of the white label app developers figure out what the threshold for acceptance or rejection is at the Apple App Store, it’s likely that the degree of customization required to avoid the axe will drive up the cost of event mobile apps.

Just When Event Mobile Apps Were Catching On

This level of disruption has, up until now, been rather unusual for the event industry. Much-hyped companies have certainly failed in the past, but most event technology either never catches on (the multiple attempts to introduce virtual trade shows is a prime example) or it catches on slowly (by Internet-era standards). Forced extinction (if that’s what it turns out to be) is new.

The event industry has (without asking) become dependent on event mobile apps. The cost savings over printed show directories, dependence on digital ad revenue, convenience afforded to customers, and meeting of attendee expectations in a mobile world has cemented the relationship between organizers and apps. It doesn’t seem plausible that organizers will revert to paper.

The speed with which this disruption occurred—from the date of the original announcement until Apple began rejecting white-label apps that should have breezed through the previous approval process—was blinding. It’s only been about two and a half months. It’s shocking to an industry that has remained relatively unchanged for fifty years.

The Apple rule enforcement is inopportune since white label event mobile apps have finally, it seems, reached the “must have” status for event organizers. Apps hold a coveted, semi-permanent position in the event budget and attendees are beginning to expect a mobile-optimized event experience.

Get Ready For More Disruption.

Even though there is still a population of digital deniers—event organizers more interested in proving their relevance than preparing to be made irrelevant—a growing number of industry observers have lately wondered out loud about the inevitability of disruption.

Some thought leaders describe a “death by a thousand cuts” scenario in which smaller, less impactful disturbances begin to have a cumulative effect that drags the industry if not down then at least in an entirely new direction. Apple’s rule 4.2.6 could be the first cut.

The story is yet to unfold about how the white label event mobile app developers win the day or die trying. As some have suggested, storming the doors of Apple with digital torches and pitchforks demanding a reversal of the rule is one option. It’s more likely that most developers will adapt and a few will not survive. Either way, it’s a lesson for the event business as a whole.

To remain vibrant, event organizers must apply three new rules: be vigilant (one change from a foundational technology provider can send ripples of disruption across an industry), treat disruption as an opportunity to adopt new ways of doing business, and make adaptation part of the organization’s DNA.

Apple gave white-label apps to the event industry and, apparently, can take them (theirs at least) away. This is what disruption looks like. Buckle up.

DoubleDutch Paves the Way for Contextual Computing with iOS7 Redesign

agenda-android-phoneEvent mobile app provider, DoubleDutch, announced a total redesign of its application to leverage the new features and functionality of the iOS7 operating system. In addition to a completely new user interface, enhanced offline performance and more speed, the app “gets to the promise of contextual computing—delivering the right experience at the right time,” says Lawrence Coburn, DoubleDutch CEO and the company’s co-founder.

The update has immediate implications for attendees. For example, now, if an attendee visits the in-app conference schedule before a session begins, he will be able to add the session to his personal agenda. If he looks at the agenda while the presentation is being delivered, he is advised that it is in progress. If he visits the schedule after the session has concluded, he can access an evaluation to complete.

In the near future, Coburn says, “a lot more is possible.” The company is experimenting with Amazon-style recommendations for attendees—what Coburn refers to as an “event concierge” scenario—based on user behaviors within the app. They’ve also begun work on building applications for the iBeacon, Apple’s micro-location technology, including the ability to serve up personalized content to visitors based on their physical locations.

While the update is based on iOS7 capabilities, the enhancements are also built into the app’s Android and HTML5 apps as well. It’s clear that the company’s origin and Coburn’s background in social networks are guiding the strategy at the company. “Engagement rules all. Social rules all. These events are mini social networks,” Coburn says.

Read the full media release here.

Active Network’s MarketView 3.0 Helps Venues Cope with eRFP Volume

laptop infoTechnology can be both the bright spot and the bane of event-industry planners and suppliers.  One woman’s efficiency tool can be another woman’s nightmare scenario. Such is the conversation around using electronic RFPs. Planners love the efficiency of the tools, but some hotels struggle with the volume of inquiries. Active Network Business Solutions aims to correct that imbalance with the unveiling of Active MarketView 3.0.

Active MarketView is the supplier portal into the company’s solution set. The redesign enhances suppliers’ abilities to manage and respond to eRFPS, as well as update information about their specific properties. The last major upgrade of the platform, a holdover from Active’s acquisition of Starcite, was three years ago. The new release offers sellers a number of enhancements:

•    Intuitive, contemporary user interface with visually friendly summary of the request for proposal
•    Callout of the planner’s special instructions for quicker qualification and response from the seller
•    Responses consolidated on one page (vs. seven pages in the previous version)
•    Response tool linked to room specifications (data is pulled directly into the response)
•    Memory of planner’s previous inquiries (system pre-populates response with the known preferences of specific planners)

The end result—an average time savings of 60 to 70% for sellers—goes a long way toward mitigating the problems sellers experience from the barrage of electronic requests. “Sellers can allocate less resources and respond more quickly,” says Rick Binford, vice president, strategic marketplace development, at Active Network Business Solutions.

Active’s work on the volume issue will continue with next release of MarketView, scheduled for Q2 of 2014, Binford explains. “We want to enable the system to be intelligent based on the past behavior of the buyer. We will begin to provide more information to the seller around who the buyer is and how they behave in an online channel.”

Read the full media release here.

EIBTM’s Technology Watch Award Winners One Year Later

EIBTM Tech Watch winners one year laterAs EIBTM, the Global Meetings & Events Exhibition, celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary two weeks ago in Barcelona, it honored the winners—an overall winner and several finalists—of the EIBTM Technology Watch Competition. As a judge for the past two years, I have been a fly on the wall during the judging, listening in and commenting on the “new and innovative technology solutions that can make a significant difference to the industry.” I thought I might take a peek at the 2011 winners to see whether the companies survived and how their solutions have evolved in a highly competitive and fast-moving environment.

ITN International continues to ride the NFC wave

The top honor in 2011 was awarded to ITN International for its Citywide Credentialing System utilizing NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. The system allowed users in Amsterdam to use their badges from the trade show to access mass transit and area tourist attractions throughout the city. The badge also enabled attendee tracking, access control and exhibitor lead retrieval.

In 2012, ITN is on the cusp of a transformation in the events industry with the arrival of NFC-enabled Smartphones to the U.S. and ITN’s development of an NFC ecosystem around the event. In the past year, ITN has launched three new products:

  • BCARD Reader Browser—a “universal” Android browser that supports lead capture with any Web-based lead management system at any event.
  • NFC Paper—the event industry’s first paper NFC attendee badge.
  • MobileAccess—an access control app that lets attendees change the sessions they have registered for “on the fly.”

Active Network powers forward in the event management space 

Active Network was a finalist in 2011 for its ActiveEvents Insight platform, a suite of mobile applications that provides event organizers with a real-time “bird’s eye view” of the event including registration data, leads, social networking, exhibitors, sessions schedules, mobile app usage, room block activity, financial statements, speaker resources and event content on a tablet or Smartphone.

In 2012, Active Network continued its focus on event management solutions with a major acquisition and some key product launches. Early in the year, the firm announced the purchase of StarCite, a Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) and event registration platform. The company launched a mobile suite complete with personal event scheduling, local-attraction search, surveys, attendee-to-attendee messaging, gamification and QR-code contact exchange. It also rolled out ACTIVE Event’s Conference solution covering the corporate event lifecycle including logistics, engagement, metrics and business intelligence.

GenieMobile moves from DIY to Data

GenieMobile was recognized as one of four finalists in 2011 for its high-quality, easy-to-use, “do-it-yourself” (DIY) mobile app development tool delivering native apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, WindowsPhone and content to the Mobile Web. The DIY model enabled event organizers to obtain an app at a lower price point than similar offerings while maintaining control of the app content through a built-in content management system.

In the past 24 months, however, GenieMobile has changed its value proposition. Rather than focus on the DIY usability, the company has concentrated its efforts on “world-beating analytics,” says Michael Douglas, marketing director. In the current iteration of the GenieMobile platform, Douglas explains, “everything can be queried, analyzed and reported on—not just the usage stats, but all the event data. This brings to life the ‘LinkedIn for events’ analogy where you are learning everything about your audience, not through questionnaires, but through their natural behavior.”

Triqle Event Intelligence morphs into How Can I Be Social (HCIBS)

Triqle Event Intelligence was a finalist last year for its “What’s On?” application that displays the current and “next up” educational sessions on large monitors throughout an event. While the application is still alive and well, Triqle’s founder, Gerrit Heijkoop, launched a new venture in 2012 with partner Donald Roos called HCIBS (How Can I Be Social) to bring “What’s On?” and social media to the trade show floor. The objective of the new company is “to bridge the gap between the offline activity on the show floor and the online buzz on Twitter and other social media,” Heijkoop says. His social media “team” roams the floor reporting on event activities (via social media) and answering questions on social media while the “What’s On?” app displays program information and a Twitter feed.

Wifarer refines its ability to monetize digital space

Wifarer, an indoor positioning system, intrigued the judging committee in 2011 with technology to pinpoint a smartphone’s location to an accuracy of 1.3 meters within a venue. The system provides very precise wayfinding for attendees though a meeting venue or exhibit hall, while providing location-aware content delivery and aggregated attendee movement analytics. In 2012, the company “expanded its solution to the following verticals: shopping centers, museums, airports, hospitals, and universities. [Wifarer] continues to provide indoor “GPS” and high accuracy, location-based content to users on their smartphones and we now provide venues with the ability to completely control the content and monetization of their digital space.” says Lise Murphy, vice-president marketing.

The Takeaway: It’s a scramble to stay ahead of the technology curve even in an industry (meetings) that tends to be slightly behind the curve at times. EIBTM’s Technology Watch appears to be doing a good job targeting the companies and technologies that will move the face-to-face business forward and have some degree of “staying” power.

 

 

DoubleDutch Jumps from Games to Mobile Lead Retrieval, Sales and CRM

DoubleDutch Lead Retrieval CRMRecently, DoubleDutch, a mobile applications developer that was one of the first to introduce game strategy into the (primarily) corporate event environment, announced that it received venture capital funding in the amount of $4 million. The cash will help the company expand the marketing and development of their mobile platform, which now includes on-site lead retrieval, post-event sales tracking and ongoing customer relationship management. The new DoubleDutch mobile platform takes advantage of four key technology trends impacting face-to-face events in its quest to go where no lead retrieval app has gone before.

Mobilization

The mobilization of everything from wayfinding to conference agendas to matchmaking has been the “shock and awe” story at events for almost two years. What DoubleDutch has developed is new in the field of mobile, lead-retrieval apps. For one thing, the platform is no longer event-centric. It leverages the event to initiate the sales cycle—nothing new there—but remains functional through the sales conversion phase and into the post-event CRM phase. And, did I mention it’s all mobile?

Gamification

DoubleDutch hasn’t abandoned the gaming elements that made the event industry take notice of its platform in the first place. In fact, the game layer is crucial for collecting data about attendee interests and stimulating post-event enterprise engagement. “We are doubling down on gamification and social engagement. The behaviors that are gamified are thirteen times more likely to be performed than behaviors that are not gamified,” says Lawrence Coburn, founder and CEO of DoubleDutch.

Software deconstruction

Coburn envisions a mobile platform nimble enough to take on bigger tasks. “We think there is a larger trend called the ‘deconstruction of software.’ In the past, software has had hundreds of features that didn’t play well in the mobile world. We will see these monolithic CRM systems becoming smaller pieces,” he says. Hence, the introduction of DoubleDutch’s three-part “mobile CRM suite” that reduces the gargantuan lead retrieval/sales conversion/CRM process into bite-sized chunks.

Datafication

The game layer and social engagement functionality of DoubleDutch’s suite serve a higher purpose. “The social and gamification elements cause a lot of engagement. Every touch is a clue about where [attendees] want to spend their money. How can we turn that engagement into actionable data?” Coburn asks. The DoubleDutch platform converts game play during the event into data points that enable sales conversions.

The Takeaway: DoubleDutch has managed to do what none of the other event lead-retrieval apps has done yet—provide an end-to-end solution that begins at the event and ends with the customer. Corporate event strategists should be (and are) interested in this new iteration of mobile event applications, but third-party trade show and conference organizers should also take notice. DoubleDutch has added exhibitor ROI to the list of justifications for deploying a mobile event solution and for that reason it differentiates itself in a crowded field of competitors.

 

 

 

 

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