Planning an event from A to Z is as multifaceted and minute as a task can get. One can never truly map out the process. Seemingly small and miscellaneous subtasks crop up as you seem to complete each milestone. And only after this does an event professional get to building and launching a mobile event app.
However, here is a question for you to introspect on:
Does your app really work?
Does your app fulfill its purpose of making your event’s management easier?
No app is better than an app that lags, closes on opening and encounters numerous bugs along the way. The latter is simply counterproductive to your larger goal of convenience for your audience. In turn, it just makes things worse for you and your team. And worse, it puts off your user to the maximum. Nothing is more frustrating than an app that loads like it is from the early 2000s. A responsive and well-equipped app is only the bare minimum for event organizations today.
Yet many organizers rush into launching event apps that only end up frustrating their attendees and creating more work instead of lessening the burden. The difference between a helpful app and one that gets deleted within minutes often comes down to a few preventable mistakes. Here is everything you need to know about avoiding the mistakes that sink event apps before they even take off.
Mistake 1: You Overcomplicate the User Interface
Your attendees don’t want to study a manual before they can check the schedule. Buttons compete for attention and important information tends to get buried under layers of menus. Therefore, keep your interface easy and clean.
Test your app with people who’ve never seen it before. Watch where they struggle. If someone can’t figure out how viewing the schedule works in under 10 seconds, you have a problem that needs fixing.
Mistake 2: You Skip Real Device Testing
An app might look perfect on your computer screen, but crash constantly on actual phones. What works flawlessly on the latest iPhone might be unusable on a three-year-old Android phone. And that’s a significant portion of your audience that you’re alienating.
Budget time for testing on multiple devices before launch. Check how your app performs on both iOS and Android. Look at it on small screens and large tablets. Pay attention to load times, especially on slower connections. Many event venues have terrible WiFi despite their promises.
Can people still access basic features offline?
Does cached data help when the network is spotty?
These are questions you need answers to before launch day.
Mistake 3: You Ignore Onboarding and Instructions
You know your app inside and out, but your audiences do not. They are seeing it for the first time and therefore keep this in mind when you design the app. When you assume that people will naturally understand how everything works, you are setting yourself up for failure.
A lot of features need explanation. Don’t leave people playing guessing games.
Mistake 4: You Neglect Push Notification Strategy
Push notifications can either be incredibly useful or incredibly annoying. There is no in between and the line that separates the two is thinner than you think.
Plan your notification strategy carefully. Session reminders make sense. Last-minute room changes are important to communicate. Some people want reminders for every session they bookmarked. Others prefer silence unless something critical happens. Give them options in the settings. Time your notifications appropriately
Mistake 5: You Forget About Accessibility
Not everyone uses your apps in the same way. People with visual impairments rely on screen readers and those with motor difficulties need larger touch targets. Color-blind users might miss information conveyed only by color coding.
If you’re one of those organizers who think accessibility is optional, we are guessing that this is probably one of the most important sections for you to read. Design with accessibility in mind from the start.
Mistake 6: You Provide Inadequate Search and Filter Options
Without good search and filtering, finding relevant content becomes frustrating. Needless to say, this defeats the entire purpose of having an app itself.
Implement good search functionality. Let people search by speaker name, topic, session title and keywords. Include filters for track, time, room and session type. Make it easy to narrow down options quickly. Show search results clearly. If someone searches for a speaker, show all sessions featuring that person. If they filter by topic, display relevant sessions in chronological order.
Mistake 7: You Launch Your App Too Late or Too Early
Timing matters more than you might think when it comes to launching an app. Launch too late and attendees will show up not knowing how using it works. Launch too early and there might not be enough content keeping their interest. So, this is your sign: timing is everything.
Aim for launching your app about two weeks before the event. This gives attendees time downloading it, exploring features and adding sessions on their personal schedule without requiring them remembering details months in advance. Update your app regularly between launch and the event. Add new speakers as they’re confirmed. Update session descriptions. Keep people engaged and encourage them to check back.
Mistake 8: You Underestimate Backend Requirements
Plan your infrastructure for peak load, not average usage. Everyone will open the app at the start of the first day. Many will check it between sessions. Budget for capacity that exceeds your expected attendance.
Monitor performance during the event and have technical support on standby to address any issues that do come up quickly. Nothing damages credibility faster than an app that crashes during the opening keynote.
Mistake 9: You Fail to Integrate Key Features
Event apps shouldn’t exist in isolation. Attendees expect integration with their calendar apps. Speakers need their slides to sync properly. Networking features should connect with professional social networks.
Consider what integrations matter most for your specific event. For instance, academic conferences benefit from integration with citation managers. Trade shows, on the other hand, need easy business card scanning and lead capture. Corporate events might require single sign-on with company credentials.
Mistake 10: You Neglect Post-Event Value
Most organizers think about their app only in terms of the event itself. But what happens afterward? Does your app become useless the moment the event ends?
Plan for post-event utility. Let attendees access session recordings and slides. An app that continues providing value after the event ends will build anticipation for next year. Attendees keep it installed and they will remember your event more fondly. They’re more likely to return.
Make Lesser Mistakes in 2026, With Dryfta
An event app today has turned into an almost inextricable part of contemporary event management. A website and a flyer do not just suffice anymore.
At Dryfta, we are committed to providing tech-driven and personalized solutions for your event management needs. We’re getting AI and decades of industry experience working in unison for your needs, particularly with regard to a functional event app.
Sign up for a free demo today and see how easy launching an event app can be.