Kevin Iwamoto: Five ways to use mobile for successful meetings

So it's finally happened. The UK has become a smartphone society.

For the first time, smartphones have overtaken laptops as the UK's preferred device for accessing the internet, following a huge increase in take-up of 4G mobile broadband, according to new research from Ofcom.

The UK media regulator reported recently that two-thirds (66%) of British adults now own a smartphone, up from just over a third (39%) in 2012. This rises to 90% among the 16-24 age group — your future delegates!

But more important than ownership, a third (33%) of UK internet users regard their smartphone as the most important device for going online, compared with 30% who still prefer their laptops. Crucially, this marks a major shift since last year when 40% favoured their laptop and only 22% their phone. This trend is in alignment with what is happening around the world and for further validation of this change one only has to look at the quarterly results for HP, Dell, Lenovo and other traditional computer and laptop makers to see the drop in revenue figures and the significant rise in sales for Apple.

So based on all of the above, there has never been a better argument for making your events mobile-friendly. The great news is that adopting mobile technology in the right way will not only be giving delegates what they want, but also improve their event experience, attendee engagement, boosting effectiveness and therefore ROI.

Here are five essentials when going mobile.

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This also makes social media interactions easier, boosting overall delegate involvement and engagement. And remember to make sure any links you include in emails are directed to mobile-friendly pages. Make sure your mobile strategy is also supported by a strong data protection plan as you do not want to have your event and on-site data compromised.

2. Develop the right event app

People love apps, and there's one for pretty much everything, so make sure there's one for your event. The first rule is KISS — keep it simple stupid! There's lots of cool app technology out there, but showing off will only blind your delegates with science.

Instead, you want to create an invaluable tool that will help them get the most out of your event. Work out the key reasons why people are attending and focus on supporting those. Remember that content is king, so make sure that, as well as key information and schedules, you add extra value to delegates with key insight, such as seminar and workshop descriptions, speaker profiles, etc. Finally, make sure the app's security features match the demands of your event as well as safeguarding your event and company from professional hackers.

3. Put your event on the social map

Make the most of social media by creating a listing for your event with relevant channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, and alerting delegates. They will then be able to use their mobile devices to check in when they arrive, which will help to promote the event through their social networks, while also build a social community around the gathering.

Ask your attendees, speakers and suppliers to promote your event before, during and afterwards to maximise the 'buzz' factor for your event.

4. Provide mobile-friendly materials

Be green and cut the hassle of attendees having to carry around physical brochures, schedules and maps by making it possible to download key materials to mobile devices or including them in the event app. Remember to make the downloadable files as small as possible — for example, using PDFs rather than PowerPoint files.

For the benefit of the Baby Boomer generation and others that are visually challenged, try to use fonts that aren't microscopic and are large enough to read without a magnifying glass.

5. Get valuable feedback

As well as streamlining your event and improving the delegate experience, going mobile provides a great opportunity for you to gauge the success of your event by running real time mobile surveys and polls, which are quick and easy for attendees to use. Engaging your attendees in real time will give the planner and organisers an immediate insight as to how the event is going.

Speakers, especially those who are contracted to repeat their sessions or provide multiple sessions can use real time feedback to actually improve their performance during your event. Mobile technology allows attendee engagement to be carried out before, during and after the event.

Bonus tip: To truly optimise the valuable and relevant data you can receive from your mobile app, rather than depending on an integration to registration and attendee management technology, contract a supplier partner who has a built in integrated technology platform that includes a mobile app option. By combining your technology needs on a fully integrated platform, the power of the big data you will receive from the technology will more than justify your event ROI.

If all this seems a little daunting, remember that help is out there. You're an event organiser not a technology professional. Partnering at the outset with a technology supplier experienced at producing event apps and with a strong track record will mean you'll be able to tap into expert advice to make sure you deliver the best possible mobile experience.

Done correctly, mobile event technology can streamline the entire experience, and make sure it's one attendees will remember.