Forum - October 2011

back surveys. Because they are shorter and pertain only to events the member participated in, these types of surveys have higher return rates. The surveys also can be timed for distribution immediately after the event so attendees can fill them out on their mobile devices at their hotel or on the plane ride home, while the meeting is still fresh in their mind. This ability to track what sessions each member attended while getting more specific feedback gives associations better insight into their target market as well as the success of their programs and speakers — all valuable information for future planning.

Unless you have an unlimited
budget, the clear choice for most
association conferences is a
mobile website because it is both
more affordable and more acces-
sible than a mobile app.

The Bottom Line Ultimately, using a mobile website for your convention gives your association an economic edge. By garnering sponsors for the entire site, for individual pages, or for a game or trivia contest — a small title bar, for instance, can feature the name of a sponsor company — your organization can generate significant revenue.

You also can open up advertising to exhibitors, which helps drive traffic to their booths and gives you yet another revenue stream. And, of course, printing and mailing budgets can be trimmed as more marketing is channeled through the mobile website.

For these reasons and others, a
mobile website is an investment well
worth considering. It can make the dif-
ference between just another annual
conference and an engaging, profession-
ally fulfilling event that keeps attendees
coming back year after year.