Pathable, a Seattle-based event technology provider, announced a new entry in event technology. A free version of its 7-year-old, award winning event app and community platform will be available to events operating on limited budgets.
Where mobile event apps and Web platforms for conferences and tradeshows are typically priced at $5,000 – $10,000 or more per event, Pathable is offering a platform specific to long-tail conferences and events.
“People go to conferences and events to network, to meet new people and build their relationships. But finding the right people to meet at an event, and connecting with them in the limited time on-site is just plain hard,” explained Jordan Schwartz, CEO, Pathable. “We’ve been providing our mobile event app and Web portal to conferences for years now, but the pricing model set by the industry put that out of reach for most small events. That’s not fair to the people attending those conferences; they deserve the same quality event and networking experience as people attending larger events.”
While event industry norms usually shy away from providing pricing upfront, Pathable has published a set of descriptive plans, including its free and low-cost “Pro” packages, to its website.
As the only event app solution to include a complete, fully integrated desktop Web portal and community, Pathable concentrates first and foremost on apps for smartphones.
“The industry norm has been to focus on mobile first, second and third,” Schwartz described. “It’s very true that the eruption of mobile apps [has] revolutionized our lifestyle and the conference industry, but it’s important to recognize the place of the mobile experience in the overall lifecycle of the association member or conference attendee. Half of online activity still happens at desktop computers.”
The platform’s robust community enables a virtuous cycle in which year-round communities grow from a conference’s digital program guide.
“We tell our attendees ‘Come for the content, leave with a community.’ Pathable is the key to delivering on that promise,” said David Blatner, co-creator and host, PePcon: The Print + ePublishing Conference.
“Our goal is to make conferences more social and more successful,” added Schwartz. “Money shouldn’t be an obstacle to a conference’s success.”
For more information, visit pathable.com.
