Rather than spending thousands of dollars on a one-time-use event app, conference organizers and their attendees could take advantage of a multi-use event discovery and networking app for Android and iOS – Bizzabo.
“Our mission is to make Bizzabo the standard mobile app for conferences. Many apps are downloaded for conferences and then people delete them. We think it’s better to have them used for all conferences,” explained Alon Alroy, co-founder and vice president of business development, Bizzabo. “Instead of spending five months developing an app for one conference and conferences paying $5,000, they can power Bizzabo in less than five minutes.”
For event goers and organizers who only want to use Bizzabo to network and as an event guide, there is no charge to use the app. For bigger events with sponsors and exhibitors, conference organizers can purchase premium packages that start at $300 up to $1,000.
“Money wise, they can buy one of our premium packages, and they can prefill sponsorships and exhibitor opportunities and make a profit out of that. They can charge 10 times the cost of the premium packages for sponsorship opportunities,” said Alroy. “They can sell more tickets. Social sharing makes it easier to sell tickets. Organizers need to connect with the right people. Bizzabo also helps with lead generation.”
The ease of using Bizzabo is the reason it has caught on so fast, according to Alroy. Bizzabo, originally an Israeli company that now has offices in the U.S., attracted 3,000 conferences in a year. These conferences include ad:tech London, VentureBeat, Mediabistro and Marketo Summit as well as companies in New York and Silicon Valley.
“Media and tech conferences are early adopters. People just have to log in with LinkedIn and can chat without spending time setting up a profile. It’s self-service. It’s a one-stop shop. Some apps are only about networking or event guides. Bizzabo offers everything.”
Now available from Bizzabo are engagement boosters, which use social media features to keep app users connected to their community.
“There is a feature on LinkedIn called ‘Who viewed my profile?’ People have to pay to use this feature on LinkedIn. We did testing; when people view profiles, the chances for engagement are higher,” said Alroy. “Users in a Bizzabo community are notified when others view their profile and are going to the same conference. Our testing showed that the chances these users will start a conversation is much higher.”
Engagement boosters also allow users to engage with content.
“People are highly engaged by liking speakers and sessions. They can schedule meetings and are matched with people they could meet based off profiles,” added Alroy. “When people join a networking community, they have the option to share their plans, and they can be an event promoter.”
Bizzabo not only incorporates Facebook and LinkedIn, but it also adds Twitter to help users build interactive communities around events.
To learn more about Bizzabo, the company and app, visit http://www.bizzabo.com/.
