Guidebook

Frequently Asked Questions

Question about Guidebook? You've come to the right place.

1. 1 What is Guidebook?
   Guidebook is an app that allows event organizers to easily and inexpensively get all of their event materials to their attendees on their mobile devices (iPhones, Android devices, iPads, Blackberries, etc.). For instance, attendees are given a schedule of events with personalized reminders, interactive maps of the venues, and searchable lists of speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors. They can also easily browse and contribute to the event buzz on Twitter and Facebook, create personalized to-do lists, rate the sessions they attend, and give the event organizer feedback.


2. 2 I’m not sure if a mobile app is necessary for my event. What types of events does Guidebook work best for?
   Guidebook works for events of all types and sizes. We have supported events with less than 100 attendees and events with more than 50,000 attendees. Guidebook is all about lowering the barrier of entry for any organization that wants to connect with its attendees on their mobile devices, but has been dissuaded in the past by the high costs or difficulty involved in creating one.


3. 3 Is Guidebook available for all devices (iPhones, Androids, Blackberries, etc.)? Will all of my attendees with smartphones be able to access it?
   Yes! With native apps for Android and iPhone, and a mobile web version for web-enabled devices like Blackberries and Windows Phones, Guidebook guides are available on nearly any smartphone or tablet. Other mobile app providers don’t offer native solutions for both Android and iPhone, which excludes a considerable amount of people from using it to the fullest extent. For instance, without a native solution a user can’t personalize their schedules and create reminders, or rate sessions.


4. 4 What information do I need to provide in order to create a guide?
   Our content management system, Gears, has clear and comprehensive instructions that tell you everything you will need to know to create your guide. As a general rule, however, we will need these basic pieces of information:
   a. Event logo(s)
   b. Maps of venues
   c. Schedule of sessions
   d. Brief summary of event
   e. Lists of exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers (if desired)
   f. Images that you would like associated with any of the items (schedule, exhibitors, etc.)
   g. Twitter hashtags that people will be using to Tweet about your event (if desired)
   h. Questions that you would like to ask your attendees (if desired)


5. 5 What if I need to make last-minute changes to my guide after it is already published?
   This is no problem at all. You can make any changes through our content management system, Gears, and they will go out to your attendees instantly. Alternatively, if you order either our Plus or Premium packages, you can call or email our support team and we can make the changes for you. After a change is made, your attendees will be prompted to update their guide the next time they use it.


6. 6 Who pays for Guidebook, and how much does it cost?
   Guidebook is free for anyone to download. For event organizers who want to create a guide, we have three plans to choose from, ranging in price from free to $4,000. We also offer package deals for organizations that put on multiple events. For more information, you can check out our plans page at guidebook.com/plans.


7. 7 Once we make our guide and post it on Guidebook, how do we let people know to download it?
   Good question! We provide you with a launch kit that contains:
   a. A poster that you can print and place in the registration area. It has a QR code, and instructions for other ways to get the guide on your mobile device.
   b. Email templates with download instructions that you can send to your registrants before the event.
   c. Ideas for Tweets and Facebook posts about the app
   We have found that these are some of the most effective ways to promote your guide, but every event is different. If you would like additional promotional materials, just let us know and we would be happy to help.


8. 8 Can Guidebook make me my own app, instead of listing my guide on the Guidebook app?
   One of the cool things about Guidebook is that it is one unified app where hundreds of events, universities, museums, and community centers list their guides. Once a user has downloaded a guide, it is front and center when they open up Guidebook, making it just as simple as having an individual app. Having a unified platform approach also allows our developers to constantly improve and develop innovative features that are automatically incorporated into every guide that is listed on Guidebook. In contrast, companies that develop individual apps for each of their clients have to make redundant changes to all of the apps that they build, making their development times longer, their costs higher, and their features less up-to-date.


9. 9 Can I preview my guide before I publish it for the world to see?
   Yes. Simply go to the Guide Home section of our content management system, Gears, and click the “Display Code” link in the Preview Code row. This will generate a code. Then, on your mobile device, open up Guidebook, click Download Guides, click Redeem Code, and enter the code. This will download your guide to your device. If you see anything that doesn’t look the way you would like it to look, make your changes before publishing.


10. 10 Is my information secure?
    Yes! We don’t collect any identifiable personal information. The only information we collect is aggregate usage data in order to help you understand how many people are downloading your guide, or what the most popular sessions are.


11. 11 Is your free solution really free?
    Yes! Our free version is absolutely free. There are no additional service charges, taxes, or strings attached. We don’t make a penny on it. The reason we offer it is because our core philosophy is to demolish the barrier to entry for people to create a high-quality mobile solution. And, of course, we hope that you like it so much that you will recommend it to your friends and use us again.


12. 12 How can you offer prices that are so much lower than industry standard?
    By not reinventing the wheel. We realize that every event is different and we allow each event to brand its guide and choose which features to build in. However, there are some things that most events have in common (for instance, a schedule of events, and a venue). Companies that make stand-alone apps for events have to program features like schedules and maps into every new app they launch. That takes them time and costs you money. Since we realized early on that these similarities exist, we programmed all of the features an event organizer might want into Guidebook and spent thousands of hours honing them and allowing our users to customize them. Because our work on Guidebook benefits all of the guides that we host, everyone shares the cost of development and it’s less expensive for everyone.


13. 13 My event is coming up in a few days. Is there enough time to make a Guidebook guide?
    Definitely! We can make a guide in as little as two business days once we receive all of the information we need. This is a big benefit over most app makers, who generally require lead times of 6 to 10 weeks so that they can program their apps from scratch and wait for approval from the various app stores and marketplaces. Nonetheless, it is always best to start early so that you leave yourself time to promote your guide and make sure that people are able to use it to its full extent.


14. 14 Can people use my guide if there is no internet?
    If your attendees are using Guidebook on either iPhones or Android devices, the guide will be available even if there is no internet access because it is stored directly on their devices. They can use the latest version that they downloaded. When they return to internet service, they will be automatically prompted to update their guide if changes have been made. Users of the mobile web version of Guidebook will not be able to access it without internet.


15. 15 I’m not very tech savvy. If I decide to go with one of your do-it-yourself packages, will I be able to do it myself?
    Yes. We designed our content management system, Gears, to be simple and self-explanatory for people without any technical knowledge. As a general rule of thumb, anyone who can fill out a Facebook profile or make an online purchase shouldn’t have any trouble creating a guide on their own. And if you need help, we offer email and phone support.


16. 16 How long does it take to make a guide on your own?
    It varies depending on how much data you have and how well-organized it is. As a rule of thumb, though, it could take anywhere from four to 16 hours once you have all of your information at your disposal. We also offer a premium package where we create the whole thing for you from start to finish, in case time is scarce.


17. 17 Can I design my own package by picking and choosing the features that I want for my guide?
    Yes, we offer most of our features either as part of larger packages (free, plus, or premium) or ala carte. Even if you don’t want all of the features in a particular package, however, it is often still less expensive to pick one of them because we offer substantial price breaks for bundling services.


18. 18 Are the prices that you list annual subscription costs or prices per event? In other words, if I purchase once, can I use it for all of my events for the year?
    The prices that we list for our plus and premium packages are for one-time use. However, we offer significantly discounted package deals for organizers who put together multiple events. Please inquire with our sales team at contact@guidebook.com.


19. 19 What happens when I go over my download limit? Should I buy more downloads now, just to be safe, or can I make the decision when my download total starts to approach the limit?
    We give you the flexibility to do it either way. The simplest way is to either purchase the premium plan, which comes with unlimited downloads, or add unlimited downloads to your plan for $500. If, however, you aren’t sure whether you will exceed your download limit, we can make sure that anyone who wants the guide can download it. After the event, we will look at how many people downloaded the guide and if you’re over the download limit, you can simply pay the $500 for extra downloads. If you’re under it, no more money is necessary. A less recommended option is to put a hard cap on the number of downloads, but this is dangerous because people who want to download the guide might not be able to.


20. 20 I would like a feature in my guide that you don’t currently offer. Can you build it for me?
    We are constantly building new features for Guidebook. If there is something specific that you would like that is not currently available, please let us know at support@guidebook.com. We may already be developing it.


21. 21 How do I download my guide on my phone to preview it?
    For an iPhone or Android phone, go to the app store or marketplace and search for Guidebook. Download the app and open it up. Click "Download Guides" then click "Redeem Code." Enter the code and click "Redeem." This will download the guide to your phone. Open it up and browse around. On all other web-enabled devices (Blackberries, Windows Phones, etc.) go to m.guidebook.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Redeem Code." Enter the code and click "Redeem." This will open up the guide. Once a guide is actually finished and made public, it is a much simpler process to access it. (Just search for it or browse for it in the "Soon" events). Or go to http://www.guidebook.com/getit/