As an event organizer, you may be tempted to create a white-label event app for your organization’s next big event. After all, a white label event app’s branding opportunities might seem invaluable at first glance.
The alternative to creating a white label event app for your conference is to use what is known as a “container app”. A container event app, such as Whova (the award-winning mobile event app), is a commonly used platform for events – like “Facebook,” but for events. Similar to how Facebook allows you or your organization to choose a cover photo, profile picture, and other branding options, a container event app allows event organizers to customize the layout and color schemes, select features, and upload event content.
Before you rush into investing money on a white-label event app, it is worthwhile to seriously consider the following three things:
- How much additional branding can you get from a white-label event app to a group of attendees who already know and trust your brand so much that they are willing to spend money, time and effort, including travel, to attend your event? In other words, do you really need to preach to the choir (and also lose the benefits described below)?
- What benefits might you lose by using a white-label event app instead of a container event app platform? Convenience, quality and ease-of-use can leave a much more lasting impression on your attendees than the name of your event app. A memorable event experience can help foster stronger loyalty to your brand.
- Last but not least, in June 2017, Apple announced that it would ban white-label apps. And in late August 2017, Apple began enforcing the policy by rejecting white-label event apps from the App Store. Even without this policy in place, it is very cumbersome to distribute and maintain a white-label event app through app stores. It’s important to consider how the regulations around white label apps can limit how accessible and affordable they are.
Top 3 Benefits of a Container Mobile Event App
#1. Higher Download Rate (and some attendees may already have it!)
Investing in any event app is counterintuitive if your attendees don’t actually use the app for your event. If you choose a popular container event platform, attendees can use it on many occasions for the various events they register for. Because of this, people are more likely to download it. In fact, your attendees may already have it on their smartphones from previous events. As our stats have shown, an average of 25-35% of Whova app users have already downloaded the app from previous events, so they don’t need to download it again for your event. Of the tens of thousands of events that have used the Whova app, the vast majority have witnessed a download rate between 70-90%.
Most white-label event apps have less than a 30% download rate. This low white label app adoption rate shouldn’t come as a shock. Think about it: Would you rather download multiple restaurants’ apps to get information, or keep just one container app like Yelp?
#2. Higher Product Quality and Robustness
It is not surprising that white-label apps can crash or malfunction more often than container mobile event apps. A white-label app vendor is often responsible for maintaining hundreds or even thousands of apps, making it nearly impossible to routinely keep up with testing, deploy fixes to all the apps, and maintain their quality. Even more nerve-wracking for you is that no real event will have ever tried your newborn app. Would you be willing to take the risk and deal with attendees’ complaints?
A container mobile platform is already battle tested by tens of thousands of events, not to mention managed by a single company whose sole focus is to ensure that ONE app is in working order.
Check out app store reviews to get an idea of their reliability and user-friendliness.
#3. Lower Cost
Did you know that a white-label event app may cost five to ten times more than a container event app platform? Maybe it is better to spend this extra money on a higher-quality venue, branded event swag, and other perks for your attendees, or even to reward the hard work of your event planning team with a nice celebration dinner. After all, you truly deserve it!
Comparison Table (White-label Event Apps vs. Container Event App Platforms)
White-label event apps
Container Event App Platforms (e.g Whova)
Download rate
Lower (mostly 20-40%)
Higher (e.g., 70-90% with whova)
Attendees who already have the app from previous events
0%
25-35% with Whova
Quality and Robustness
Lower
Higher and thoroughly tested
Cost
More expensive
Affordable
Preparation time
Longer (mostly 4-6 weeks or more)
Shorter (e.g., 30min – 1 day if event information is available)
Whova, an Award-winning Mobile Event Platform
The Whova app is the most loved event app with the highest download rates in app stores. So let’s use Whova as an example to take a closer look into the details of a container event app platform:
Whova have clearly taken time to understand the needs of event companies and their delegates and have created a user friendly platform which can be used across the board. Not being an app expert, it was a challenge working with white-label app companies trying to visualize buttons and a general design. ROI is great as the cost is lower and we still have the opportunity to increase brand exposure through a main page customization and a splash screen. Sharleen Lyseight, Head of Operations - EU Events, Smithers Information
Branding: While Whova is not a white-label event app, you can easily customize the Whova app with your logo, color scheme, language for icons and event content, in addition to the features you’d like to opt in or out of. You can also design a splash image to be displayed on the full screen when attendees first join your event.
High download rate: Whova consistently reaches a 70%-90% download rate for each event. This is in part due to 25-35% of users per month who have already used the Whova app for past events and recognize its benefits.
< Whova rating in App Stores and Branding Opportunities on the App >
The most reliable and loved event app in app stores: Our primary focus is maintaining the app’s quality and reliability, and we are proud to be 99.98% crash free. Plus, Whova has the highest ratings among event apps both in Apple Store and Google Play.
Usability: Whova automatically identifies attendees by their RSVP email when they log into the app, so they don’t need to search for your event. The only branding difference is that they search for Whova to download in the event store (where they can see countless positive reviews).
Rich set of attendee engagement and management features: From basic features (e.g., announcements and personalized agendas) to top-notch engagement features (e.g., live polling, community discussion forum, a variety of gamification options, attendee matchmaking and 1-on-1 meetup & chat functions, QR-code check-in, exhibitor lead generation, and much more), the Whova app has all you need for attendee engagement and event management.
Ready to See a Whova Demo?
Don’t hesitate to contact us and check out how Whova can help you. We know there’s a lot involved in finding the best app for your next event. From budget to branding, from timeline to features, it’s your job to find an app that meets the expectations of all stakeholders, including your leadership team and event sponsors. But you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to help you figure out how to get the highest ROI.
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