For the National Landscapes Association, efficiency has always been a focus when organizing their events. With conferences bringing together between 100 and 250 participants from the conservation industry, they needed a solution that would both save costs and enrich the attendee experience. Networkapp proved to be the perfect tool to achieve these goals.
“We have now used Networkapp for two conferences in the past three months and are working on the third,” says Anna Trant, who runs events for the National Landscapes Association. “With participants from diverse backgrounds, especially in conservation, saving on paper programs and other materials is important to us and our delegates.”
One of the main benefits of Networkapp is the ability for participants to create their own program. “Participants love that they can decide what to do during the conference. They can book workshops and share pictures from field trips, which makes them more involved in the event.”
The positive response was quickly felt. “We have received a lot of positive feedback so far. The app is easy and intuitive to use, and people like having all the information at their fingertips at all times.” Although not everyone was comfortable with technology, the organization chose to actively push for participants to use the app. “We take a zero tolerance approach to make sure everyone uses the app. Even people who don’t like technology, we managed to convince them.”
Not only the participants, but Anna herself experiences a great improvement in the way she works since using Networkapp. “It has completely changed my event management process. Once I enter the program and speakers, I can quickly see where information is missing. I no longer have to use external e-mail clients, which often led to problems with firewalls and manual follow-ups.”
In addition, Networkapp has simplified the logistics process during the conference. “If something changes during the event, it only takes two minutes to adjust it in the app. It saves us an enormous amount of time and resources by not having to create separate paper programs and participant lists.” This allows Anna to shift her focus from logistical tasks to deeper conversations with participants. “For the first time, I was able to have conversations about real topics instead of telling them where dinner was every time.”
The support from the Networkapp team also leaves nothing to be desired, according to Anna. “The team is great. They respond quickly and know every detail of how the app works. They easily bridge the gap between me as event manager and them as developers.” When she needed a solution for assigning hotel information to attendees, the team was immediately there for her. “They offered me multiple options and gave clear explanations on how I could set it up myself. Every participant ended up in the right hotel, so it worked!”
Working with Networkapp goes beyond technical support. “After our first event, I sent a list of suggestions for future developments and I look forward to seeing some of them come to fruition,” says Anna. This shows that Networkapp not only provides a solution for today, but also continues to innovate for tomorrow’s needs.
“I didn’t expect it to make my pre-event work so much easier,” Anna concludes. “Networkapp has been a great success with our participants and I wouldn’t want to host an event without it!”