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There's an App for That?
Just a few short years ago, the idea of a cellphone assisting you with any task other than making a call would have seemed like science fiction. Today, however, a whole host of apps are available to help you accomplish practically every item on your to-do list. But are there any apps specifically designed for exhibit managers? Here are eight that you'll find app-solutely perfect for your needs.
Intelligent Leads
Collect and analyze leads on virtually any device with the Intelligent Leads app from Alliance Tech Inc. The app can be customized with a branching-logic survey that helps to quickly, efficiently, and objectively qualify leads. It can also collect info from multiple types of badges or by manual entry. Data is uploaded onto Alliance Tech's cloud, either as it is entered or post show, depending on the availability of a reliable Internet connection. Each device can display analytics in real time using a report portal and a dashboard that factors metrics throughout the event. The app integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing-automation tools such as Eloqua, Salesforce, and Marketo, and it allows staffers to display videos, digital brochures, interactive product presentations, press releases, and other marketing materials on the same device and send those files to interested prospects, adding an additional touch-point that serves as an easy, instantaneous follow-up to your face-to-face efforts.
 
ShowGo Mobile
With countless details to manage, from shipping and installation to drayage and dismantle, the last thing exhibit managers want to worry about is communicating with a host of booth staffers regarding travel arrangements. Still, face-to-face marketers need a quick and efficient way to convey such information. The ShowGo Mobile app by Seattle Software Corp. gives exhibit managers a convenient database where schedules, hotel arrangements, inventory, staffing, and more can all be entered into a centralized location hosted on a cloud server. That information is then disseminated to staff via an app that works across all popular communication platforms, including both the iOS and Android operating systems. Plus, if plans change or flights are cancelled, the app keeps everyone up to date, as changes and updates entered into the database are available instantly to staff accessing the app, all without the coordinator needing to make a single phone call.
 
ExpoEvaluator
Ever wonder whether it makes more sense for your company to pony up the dough for the sizeable upfront investment of a new, custom trade show booth, or if you should consider rental options for some or all of the events on your annual marketing calendar? ExpoEvaluator by Expotechnik America Ltd. is an app-based decision-making tool designed to help answer that very question by comparing the pros and cons of a custom purchase with the benefits and potential pitfalls associated with rental exhibits. The app also provides a three-year overview of rental expenses compared to the projected cost of ownership of a custom property over the same duration, and it allows users to easily compare suppliers' quotes to established industry standards. In addition, after you input stats about your program, the app displays an objective overview of your budget on a single dashboard featuring insightful information to help you optimize your spend and increase your exhibit's return on investment.
 
Pixe Snap
While in-exhibit photo booths are great traffic builders, actually executing one can be a time suck. But the Pixe Snap app lets exhibitors easily incorporate a photo station into any exhibit. Photos, which can be shot by staffers or taken by attendees as selfies, are then easily shared via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The app, which is compatible with the latest versions of iOS and Android operating systems, will brand each photo with a company's logo, event name and dates, hashtags, or other marketing messages. It can also incorporate lead-collection fields and give attendees the option to add text to their images before sharing them on social media. Plus, if exhibit managers are looking for a little more than just a basic in-booth photo opportunity, the Pixe Social bundle, available from Pixe LLC, includes the app itself, high-def screens available in a variety of sizes, and a box of props that can be tailored to accommodate any theme or key message.
 
iPrizeWheel
If you're looking for an app that will help build traffic to your booth, consider iPrizeWheel. Instead of wasting money on a bulky, physical prize wheel that can't easily be changed to reflect new prizes or campaigns, you can get all the fun of a trade show giveaway game with this customizable app. The iPrizeWheel app has realistic sound effects and a spinning motion, costs a fraction of typical three-dimensional prize wheels, and includes none of the hassles – or costs – of transport, drayage, and setup. And because it can be run on an iPad, iPad Mini, or iPad Air, it's perfect for companies exhibiting in 10-by-10-booths or with even smaller tabletop displays. The app also allows exhibitors armed with an iPad to take the prize wheel out of the booth for use at hospitality events or in guerilla-marketing campaigns. Plus, they can display the wheel in an iPad kiosk at the booth, or hook up an iPad to a large screen to make the wheel larger and more visible from a distance.
 
QuickTapSurvey
This app does just what its name suggests – it allows exhibitors to quickly survey attendees. It is fully functional without an Internet connection, which makes it a viable option even in convention centers with spotty Wi-Fi. The QuickTapSurvey app enables exhibitors to create custom surveys for any purpose, from market research to lead capture to customer feedback. It can be set to rank responses, assigning a weighted score to each answer, and surveys can even be designed with skip logic, asking certain questions based on the answers given to previous ones. Its analytics and reporting are robust, with features that allow for instant survey-result analysis, report generation, and even real-time user monitoring. Attendees taking a survey can access features, such as liking a Facebook page from within the survey, taking a photo with the tablet, or swiping the screen to uncover hidden images – and upon completion of the survey, an automated email can be sent immediately to nurture the lead.
 
Leadature
With two different versions available (Express, a quick-start system with a wizard interface that gets users up and running quickly, and Prime, a full-service app with a completely customizable suite of features and hands-on support), Leadature by PRM Connect offers something for everyone. The app is a lead-capture solution designed for trade shows and conferences, and it can work with all badge types as long as data is not encrypted. Leadature is capable of lead capture and qualification, electronic collateral distribution, acceleration of leads through the sales pipeline, and real-time data measurement. Plus, exhibitors can capture lead data with and without an Internet connection, qualify leads via customized criteria, send digital brochures along with personalized messages, and measure interactions across a broad spectrum of metrics. The app can be used on staffers' own tablet PCs and smartphones, or devices rented through PRM Connect or other vendors.
 
3D Product App
Kaon Interactive Inc. is making it easier to display big, bulky, or heavy products in even the tiniest of booth spaces by creating interactive 3-D renderings that can be downloaded to iOS, Android, and Windows devices and used regardless of the presence of a Wi-Fi connection. The 3D Product App allows exhibitors to ship fewer product samples to the trade show floor, as well as to take images of even the most cumbersome products anywhere to share with prospective clients, who are then able to explore the items virtually as if they had the actual products right in the palms of their hands. Since the files are preloaded from the Kaon remote computer-server cloud onto a device using the app, there is no lag time in the presentation, and the ultraportability of smartphones, tablets, and other devices means that booth staffers or sales reps can use the app to turn your booth, your hospitality event, or even the shuttle to the hotel into a viable sales opportunity.




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