To get started, sign up for a free account and select an option from our gallery of app templates. Begin customizing your app by filling in some details (i.e. the name of your app, the location of your event, etc.). Once you’ve filled in the basics, you’ll have access to all the features you need — building a powerful mobile event app couldn’t be easier! When you’ve finished filling your app with content, simply hit Publish and we’ll take care of the rest.

Yes! In fact, Guidebook’s Builder is the thing that our customers love most about our platform. Not only is it super intuitive and easy, but once you really get building, it's sometimes hard to stop. You’re looking for a custom event app and we empower you to build exactly that. A mock smartphone lives within Builder to give you a live preview of your app as you go, and you always have the option to send a preview to your actual device if you want to get a genuine feel for it. But don't just go by our word – jump into our Builder and get started for free!

Integrations pair with your existing technology, increasing its value and enabling you to manage processes more efficiently. For example, with Guidebook’s integrations, you can connect your CRM, event registration system, and marketing software together and control everything from within your app Builder. Our advice is to ensure your event app platform offers useful integrations that are designed to help you. Like insurance, you may never think you need it until you do.

Yes, you can. While our Sales team is great and dedicated to ensuring your success, you can actually just jump into Builder now and start building your app from start to finish. Not only that, but we also designed flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing with smaller audiences in mind. You’ll have access to great features and will only pay once per unique device.

Upon publishing your app, we'll automatically set you up with a custom landing page to share with your audience. Users can easily download the app by texting it straight to their phones. Our app Builder also gives you tools like email promotion, posters, social media templates (and more) to make promoting and downloading your event app super simple.

You're in luck. With our Pro Services, we'll set you up with a dedicated app builder to build your app from start to finish. Since events are in our blood, you know you'll be getting a beautiful app that your users will love. All you'll need to provide is your content (sessions, speakers, etc.) We'll take care of the rest.

It’s important to first understand what kind of app you’re looking for -- an app that’s neatly housed within a container app, like Guidebook, or a standalone app in the App Store. If it’s the former, your lead time is far less than the latter.

Generally for newbies, you can expect to spend around 8 hours from start to finish on an app that’ll be housed in a container app. It's fun, creative work, and you and your whole team can simultaneously build the app - so that 8 hours will probably fly by.

If you’re looking for a standalone app, however, there are other variables at play. When publishing any app to the Apple App Store, you’ll need to set up a Developer account with them, which can take a week or so. They’ll also need to approve your app once it’s complete, which further slows things down. All in all, you’ll want to be prepared for a lead time of at least a month, to be safe. To clarify, this expected time is the same for any event app platform or custom developer out there.

Yes! We know how hectic using multiple event planning tools can be, so we integrated our app Builder with the tools event planners use most. We currently connect with Eventbrite, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Marketo, Cvent, Stova, and Splash. Need something else? Contact us to learn more about how our Open API works and how it can benefit you.

Quite simply, there is no easy or one answer to this question. The best event app is the one that delivers the most benefit to your event and offers you the highest ROI. Your event app should make your job as an event planner easier and it should delight your attendees -- all without causing you headaches along the way.

When considering which event app platform to go with, consider the following:

• What level of security is offered? Whether your event is small or large, building trust with your attendees is important. You want to make sure that their information and your information is secure.
• How scalable is the event app platform? If you plan more than one event, it would be worth investing time into a platform that makes it easy to replicate your events and save you time and money.
• What customization and branding options are available? While you are using an external event platform, you still want your event to be all about you and your brand.
• What type of engagement features are offered? Attendee engagement and experience is key for your event -- you want them to use the app as an extension of your event!
• What types of metrics will you be able to access? Learning from your events and improving on them year after year is important.

This is, by no means, a comprehensive list of questions to consider, but it’s a great start. Make sure your event app marries well with your event goals.

As long as you’ve encouraged your users to download your app ahead of time (tip: following best practices for event promotion advises you've done this), most of the information in your app will work offline. In the unfortunate case of poor wifi at your event, all your schedules, maps, and lists will still be accessible. You will, however, not be able to use features like photo albums, social media, and messaging until users have an internet connection again.

While you can build an app in any language, the Guidebook app is currently only localized for several widespread languages (see the list here). We adjust the language based on the language setting of users’ phones. For example, if a user’s phone is set to French, the Guidebook app will adjust to show all non-app content in French. However, the Guidebook app does not automatically translate any actual data in any individual event app — that data is controlled independently by the app creator!

Absolutely. If, at any point, you need to make a change, just jump right back into Builder, make your changes, and hit Publish. Within seconds, your updates will be live. And, if you need to send any last-minute notifications to your users, you can do that straight from your phone or tablet with Mobile Admin.

We offer a variety of support offerings, depending on your plan level. Email support is offered across all plans -- we boast response times of less than 30 minutes during business hours and also offer limited weekend hours. Support live chat (response times under 20 seconds during business hours) and phone support (9am - 8pm EST) are also available for our flat rate plan customers. If you need additional assistance, such as on-site event support or Pro Services (see question above), we’ve got you covered!