If you're a professional organizer, you know you'll be judged from the very first welcome, and your guests expect a certain level of attention. Nothing is more frustrating than being criticized over a small detail when you've worked hard to make the event a success!
It's therefore essential to get participants' welcome right and break the ice from their very first steps. One of our features does this particularly well. Called "smart message", it lets you send a text message or an email at key moments in the event's life (registration confirmation, guest arrival, or even some time after the guest arrives).
A few weeks ago, Google asked us to handle check-in for a training session of about a hundred people. They needed to share the venue's Wifi details with participants. Rather than putting up signs in the room, we suggested sending the following text message:
"Welcome first name, feel free to use our free Wifi. Network: XXX, Password: YYY".
Picture this: arriving at the event, a hostess checks the participant in within seconds on the iPad, then a text notification goes off (and let's be honest, very few people don't read a text message the moment it arrives)! The first reaction is surprise. Chances are the participant wasn't expecting a welcome message with useful information so soon after arriving. It's also often a great way to create contact with the organizer or whoever is nearby, turning the participant into an active part of the event.
Every time this feature is used, the organizer gets comments like: "Not bad with your texts, events are getting modern this year!". You've just sparked curiosity and created a connection with your participants. Well done, you've scored a point!
In practice, this feature is priced at €99 + 10 cents/SMS. You can customize the sender name, the message content, and include information specific to the guest (from your original Excel file. Example: Table name).
Strengths:
- More than 80% of text messages are read within 10 seconds
- The 160-character limit of a text message forces a simple, relevant message
- 60% of mobile phones are smartphones, which lets you include a hyperlink in the text message
- Works with international numbers at no extra cost
Operational constraints:
- You need the participant's phone number (you can collect it directly at the entrance on the iPad).
- Mobile network available at the event venue.
