Why your event app promotional strategy matters
Launching a mobile event app is more than just flipping a switch. For event organizers, it’s about promoting it in the right way so your participants get a seamless digital layer to their event experience. Done right, it delivers connections and business relationships at your event, drives exhibitor ROI, increases engagement and gives your team powerful event intelligence.
But an event app won’t deliver ROI if no one uses it. That’s where the right app promotion is needed with a blend of strategic planning, cross-team execution and clear communication.
This guide will detail how to successfully launch and promote your event app across your full event lifecycle, from initial planning to post-event insights.
Pre-event timeline (with team roles)
✅ 3 Months out: Set the foundation
Lead: Marketing | Support: Sales & Ops
- Hold a strategy kickoff meeting with key stakeholders
- Align on measurable goals for the app: e.g., target number of downloads, meeting requests via app, attendee engagement scores
- Set up the app’s branding, core content (agenda, speakers, exhibitors) and integrations (registration system, CRM, etc.)
- Confirm app functionalities such as matchmaking, lead retrieval, floorplan mapping, and session feedback are configured
- Create your toolkit: social banners, email banners, instructional videos, download links and QR codes
- Launch a dedicated landing page highlighting key features and benefits of the app with download instructions and store search keywords
- Include app access details and value propositions in your event prospectus and exhibitor service manuals
- Encourage exhibitors to co-promote the app using custom banners or incentives
✅ 2 Weeks out: Drive Awareness
Lead: Marketing | Support: Sales & Ops
- Start a multi-channel promotion campaign across email, social, press, and your event website
- Publish a blog or send a newsletter about the app’s benefits and features
- Train your internal teams and registration staff to guide attendees on how to use the app
- Post short walkthrough videos and sneak peeks on social channels and your event website
- Promote exclusive in-app content (e.g. speaker handouts, digital giveaways, access to polls)
- Send attendee and exhibitor emails with download links and clear setup instructions
- Encourage staff to update their email signatures with app download call-to-action
✅ 1 Week out: Final push
Lead: Marketing & Ops | Support: Exhibitor Success
- Send final reminder emails to attendees and exhibitors
- Confirm signage installation at high traffic areas: registration, lounges, lobbies, hotel entrances, airports and shuttles
- Add app slides into speaker decks and high-attendance sessions
- Share how-to videos via shuttle TVs, onsite monitors and event emails
- Provide QR code cards or flyers in attendee welcome packs, at check-in desks and ensure event badges have a call-to-action printed on them e.g. “Download the app” and a QR code to your app landing page (see this Figma file for some reference badge design templates you can use)
✅ During the event: Maximize adoption and usage
Lead: Ops & Event Delivery | Support: Marketing
- Send real-time alerts for room changes, session starts, networking opportunities and competitions
- Promote features like booth routing, smart matchmaking and session ratings
- Deploy app help desk or branded ambassadors to assist with downloads and troubleshooting
- Encourage live tweeting and photo sharing directly from the app
- Highlight digital-first sustainability efforts by going paperless
- Run gamification challenges and scavenger hunts using in-app check-ins and surveys
✅ Post-event: Review, learn and repeat
Lead: Marketing & Product | Support: Sales & Ops
- Review analytics: total downloads, session engagement, meeting conversions and time spent in app
- Schedule a wrap-up call with your app provider to analyze what worked and explore new features
- Conduct internal debriefs to document what to improve in the next cycle
- Survey attendees and exhibitors on ease of use, features, and outcomes
- Use post-event insights to plan content strategy, event layout or sponsorship packages for the next event
Marketing checklist for app promotion
📅 3 months out
🔲 Draft and distribute press release about the event and app
🔲 Add app to event prospectus and exhibitor communications
🔲 Build exhibitor toolkit with banners and co-promotion assets
🔲 Create teaser or explainer video using provided templates
🔲 Prepare internal team onboarding with feature overview
📅 1 month out
🔲 Launch app landing page to exhibitors with download instructions and store links
📅 2 weeks out
🔲 Launch app landing page to attendees with download instructions and store links
🔲 Start email campaign to attendees and exhibitors
🔲 Share user guides and onboarding packs with sponsors and speakers
🔲 Announce app on social with countdown graphics
🔲 Schedule push notifications through the platform
🔲 Finalize QR signage, registration area branding and hotel flyers
🔲 Upload app promotional videos to website and monitors onsite
📅 1 week out
🔲 Final reminder email to attendees and exhibitors
🔲 Coordinate signage setup at registration and venue hotspots
🔲 Upload speaker slides with app callouts
🔲 Publish final checklist for staff and volunteers
🔲 Rehearse app talking points for on-site staff and announcers
📅 During event
🔲 Roll out app help desk or mobile app ambassadors
🔲 Post daily push alerts and networking prompts
🔲 Promote gamification rewards and in-app polling during sessions
🔲 Monitor real-time analytics and adapt messaging
🔲 Capture testimonials and in-app user behavior to reuse in case studies
Sample copy for your marketing channels
Subject line: Start Networking Today – Download the [EVENT NAME] App
Body: The official [EVENT NAME] app is now live! Plan your schedule, connect with exhibitors and discover personalized meeting recommendations now.
Log in now to:
- Build your personal agenda
- Connect with attendees and exhibitors
- Book meetings
- Get real-time updates and notifications
📱 [Download Now] – Available on the App Store and Google Play
📝 Website banner
Headline: The [EVENT NAME] App Is Here
Body: Access the full attendee list, browse exhibitors, explore the agenda and build your schedule before you arrive. Download the app today to connect with the right people and maximize your time onsite.
[Download the app]
#️⃣ Social media
LinkedIn / Facebook Your ultimate event companion is here. The [EVENT NAME] app helps you connect, plan and engage. Meet new contacts, pre-book meetings and stay on top of every moment.
Download now ➡️ [Link] [#EVENTNAME] #SmartNetworking #EventTech
X: 🚀 Maximize your time at [#EVENTNAME] with our official event app! Schedule meetings, discover exhibitors, and unlock exclusive content. Download now → [Link] #EventProfs #Networking
Dos and don'ts of event app promotion
✅ Do:
- Promote the app at every attendee and exhibitor touchpoint
- Calculate the amount of signs and other printed promotional material you need to create
- Educate through FAQs, walkthroughs, and onsite signage
- Use a “go paperless” sustainability message to boost app usage
- Embed QR codes on lanyards, registration desks, hotel signage and even airport pickup banners
- Create incentives for exhibitors to share the app (e.g. additional visibility, sponsored filters)
- Offer an app helpdesk at the entrances to your show
❌ Don’t:
- Wait until the week before the event to start promoting the app
- Forget to include app instructions in registration confirmations
- Overwhelm attendees with too many notifications at once
- Neglect onsite staff training - they’re key advocates for usage
📺 Webinar
Watch this on demand webinar where the top app adoption experts give over 50 strategies to get your participants using your mobile event app.
💡 Tips and tricks
⏪ Pre-event:
- Incentivize everyone who downloads the app with entry into a prize draw to win an item (which can be sponsored)
- Host a pre-event webinar for exhibitors on how to maximize their ROI at your event, including how to get the most from the app
- Offer to plant a tree or donate £1 to charity with every app download
- Sell the value and benefits of the app, not just listing the features in marketing materials. i.e. what problems does it solve rather than what it does. Show participants that it’s easy for them to find what they’re looking for using the searchable exhibitor directory (rather than simply ‘exhibitor directory’)
- Create a ‘sizzle reel’ video of the app to use across your marketing channels and between sessions in conference theatres (we offer bespoke sizzle reel videos to our clients, get in touch for more info)
- Schedule a campaign email a few days before the event to all inactive users
- Consider a ‘last push’ of the app on the first morning, timed for when participants are travelling to the venue
- Add an item in the exhibitor manual checklist to download the app
- Train your information/support staff to refer to the app when answering questions on-site, to encourage downloads.
⭐ During-event:
- Use printed QR codes for easy app download. Display the QR code in registration areas
- Show QR codes near any foreseeable queuing points
- Get the QR code printed on support staff t-shirts
📋 Post-event:
- Measure your event app adoption rate, that way you can test some of these tips and see which ones move the needle, then double down on them.
For more top tips, see this article: “54 tips to increase mobile event app adoption”
Final thoughts
Event technology works best when it's adopted by everyone. With the right plan, your event app can become the digital heartbeat of your show, driving engagement, connections, business relationships and commercial success. Promote it like it matters. Because it does.
Need help launching your app? Contact our team to build your customized event app promotion plan
