Case Study: Association Events

Events are one of the biggest perks of being a member of an association. From providing session information and networking opportunities to allowing participants to organize meet-ups, event apps for associations can create an enjoyable experience that encourages attendees to keep up their membership.

We are honored to be trusted by so many distinguished associations worldwide and have supported more than 700 association events in the past year.

Here are some examples of the association events that have used our association event app to bring like-minded people together in fun and engaging ways.

1. Engaging Attendees with Helpful Membership Information

With Whova’s mobile app for association events, organizers helped attendees get the most out of the event — and their memberships — through unstructured and structured engagement opportunities. The Community Board is a unique social feature for keeping participants connected through the app. Live Polling allowed organizers to understand attendee interests, while Surveys empowered attendees to provide their valuable feedback. This ensured attendees were always included and up to date on any decisions about the events.

• Attendees could reach out to organizers at any time on the Community Board. One of the volunteer organizers at the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) was assigned to monitor the Ask the Organizer channel on the Community Board. She answered over 400 attendee questions before, during, and weeks after the event. The organizers also sent out 13 Announcements about the field trips, banquet, and navigating the conference as a new member.
• Organizers could find out what attendees wanted from association events with Live Polling. Organizers at the International Association of Marine Investigators (IAMI) meeting used 12 polls throughout their event. Questions included: “Do you plan to attend the banquet dinner?” and “Do you think the conference should be longer?” Attendee answers helped organizers tailor sessions and activities to their members needs. 
• Organizers could provide useful information to attendees through the Community Board. American Pets Alive! organizers set up a Job Board with 29 employment opportunities and created a job-seekers event through the Community Board. 

2. Streamlining Event Management from Promotion to Logistics

Whova made it easy to create mobile event promotion webpages in different designs with the Event Webpage Builder. Organizers could empower speakers to upload their own details through the Speaker Center and promote their own sessions on social media through the Whova app. The Event Agenda Webpages included built-in analytics. This meant organizers could monitor web traffic and adjust their preparations with Session Caps and Check-in for popular sessions.

• Attendees could quickly find their interest areas on busy, multitrack schedules. Organizers added a color-coded multitrack to the American Finance Association (AFA) event agenda. The different tracks attendees could follow included: Driving Results, Collaborating with Stakeholders and Operating Strategically.
• Organizers could offer different learning opportunities at the same time with concurrent sessions. Organizers incorporated subsessions in the National School Foundation Association (NSFA) event agenda. For example, each Learning Session was broken down into 8 subsessions of different courses, giving attendees a deep dive into specific topics. 

3. Increasing Event Enjoyment Through Social Interaction

Whova allowed organizers and attendees to organize Social Activities outside of sessions, start Discussion Topics, and share photos of the fun through the Community Board. The app also included Photo Contests, Caption Contests, and Leaderboard Contests for the most active attendees on Community. This boosted event engagement and enjoyment for all attendees — especially those who were new to the associations and didn’t know anyone.

• Organizers could bring attendees together with Social Activities. The organizers at the YMCA’s event created a Cornhole Tournament through Social Activities. Attendees were encouraged to team up, choose a creative team name, and compete for the prize of handmade mini cornhole boards.
• Attendees could arrange to become part of future events through Discussion Topics. Greater Omaha Chamber Young Professionals rely on volunteers to set up their events. The organizers created the Discussion Topic “Want to Volunteer to Help Plan the 2020 Summit?” This encouraged attendees to sign up and get all the details they needed to become future organizers.
• Attendees could enjoy games and get to know one another through in-app Contests. Organizers of the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC) enabled a Photo Contest and a Caption Contest at their conference. The entries with the most likes won specially-made IARFC insignia items, including polo shirts, ball caps, and coffee mugs. The prizes motivated attendees to participate and meet more people through the association app. 

4. Ensuring ROI for Exhibitors and Sponsors by Giving Them More Visibility

Whova’s mobile application for associations helped organizers offer valuable events to exhibitors and sponsors by making it easier to connect with quality leads. Organizers could create Ad Banners as well as Exhibitor and Sponsor Webpages using a portal to collect information conveniently. Exhibitors were empowered to explore pre-populated attendee SmartProfiles to identify leads and skip the random networking stress. They could then schedule meetings with attendees and scan business cards and QR badges directly through the Whova app.

• Exhibitor information was made more accessible with Quick Shortcuts on the event app. Organizers at NEWH’s conference added LeadGen to the homepage of the app. This allowed exhibitors to collect contacts with just the click of a button. By featuring an Exhibitor Directory in the Quick Shortcuts, attendees were also more inclined to search the list of over 160 exhibitors.
• It was easy to distinguish between event participants with Name Bade Generation. Organizers at IAMI’s meeting created custom name badges using Whova’s Name Badge Generation. They used 9 different designs so everyone could quickly identify speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and members in person.
• Organizers helped break the ice with fun networking events. A Social Activity called “Networking Pajama Party” was created and added to the Community Board by organizers at the YMCA’s event. This helped make networking less stressful for all participants. 

The Tried-and-True Event App for Associations

From streamlining event management and engaging attendees to increasing ROI for exhibitors, Whova’s association conference planning software helps you organize your events more easily and successfully. Contact us today to sign up for your next event.