In order to help meeting managers collect more precise data on the onsite behavior of individual delegates, event application and management software provider DoubleDutch has incorporated Apple's Bluetooth-based iBeacon technology into its event apps. IBeacon enables managers to pinpoint participating attendees' location within an event.
IBeacon works in a "radius format," which means meeting managers can set up parameters for particular sessions or events, and collect data only on a particular delegate who steps within that radius. By leveraging these implicit interactions, organizations can "bolster data captured through social engagement and optimize their events like they would optimize a website," said DoubleDutch CEO Lawrence Coburn. Delegates will be counted only when they opt in to the program and enable their phones' Bluetooth, he said, so no one's behavior would be observed without his or her acknowledgement.
"It's a way to expand the data reach beyond social engagement," said DoubleDutch CEO Lawrence Coburn. DoubleDutch event apps include such social elements as activity feeds, likes, comments and leaderboards. "All of these things are a means to an end. If the app feels social, then we can drive a lot of engagement and that's going to generate a lot of data," he said.
DoubleDutch iBeacon event application features include Head Count, which identifies for meeting organizers the sessions attendees visit without requiring delegates to check in or fill out a survey, and Nearby Network, which allows delegates to connect with like-minded people in their vicinity. Within the app, attendees can follow or "bookmark" people they are interested in meeting or tag particular interests and receive a list of all attendees with similar concentrations. The Nearby Network feature will send such attendees a push notification when they are within 15 meters.
"With mobile, we think context is everything," Coburn said. "If you know the context of the moment, you can deliver a more precise experience to the user."
Coburn stressed that when encouraging attendees to opt in to location-based apps, meeting managers should prioritize delegate experience, giving them something of value in exchange for data. "We need to make sure we take care of that data and don't use it in ways that are against their best interest," he said.
Another location-based feature in the DoubleDutch's pipeline for circumvents Wi-Fi, allowing attendees to share information with one another via Bluetooth alone, without an Internet connection. Eventually, DoubleDutch wants to provide a service similar to Google Now—an app that collects users' calendar, email and phone GPS information in order to make tailored recommendations—and suggest particular sessions, people and expo booths to attendees in real time.