Freshly returned from BlogHer ’11 in sunny San Diego, I’m eager to share insights of the things I learned throughout the jam-packed, two-day conference. I was a first-time BlogHer attendee, and I have to say right out of the gate that one of my favorite things was the official BlogHer mobile app. It made getting around the conference so easy, and the app itself was simple and user-friendly.
The key features included a day-by-day schedule (where you could even mark sessions as favorites so that they appeared within your own personal schedule and also rate those sessions you attended), maps of the expo hall, convention floor and San Diego area, a detailed list of BlogHer sponsors, a list of conference attendees who you could share your contact information with, the @BlogHerEvents Twitter feed (and ability to sync your account and tweet directly within the app), a QR code reader, shareable tools and more.
It’s clear the app was definitely designed with the conference attendee in mind. Not 20 minutes into my first day, I ditched the traditional paper program and used the app to plot out the rest of my schedule.
The fact that BlogHer offered a mobile app for attendees is significant in and of itself, demonstrating that smartphones really are the primary technology platform for busy conference attendees. Mobile phones and tablet devices far outnumbered traditional laptops in each of the conference sessions I attended, and I’m wondering if a mobile app will become the new standard for big name conferences and events.
Now, if only I would’ve thought to “Bump” all the other attendees rather than exchange traditional business cards…
Have you been to other social media conferences or major events that have offered event-specific mobile apps? What did you think?
Stay tuned for more to come from me on my BlogHer ’11 experience!