“In any event process, you’re on such a tight timeline. You need fast support, and MobileUp gives us that.”

Executive Summary

Managing major industry events like ECIA’s annual Executive Conference requires flawless communication, accessible resources, and smooth operations. Before adopting MobileUp in 2021, ECIA faced steep costs and administrative friction from previous mobile app solutions and traditional print materials. By partnering with MobileUp, ECIA gained an intuitive, cost-effective mobile platform backed by rapid, responsive customer support.

About ECIA: The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) represents leading manufacturers and distributors in the electronic components industry. ECIA lends networking opportunities, market intelligence, industry standards, and educational resources to help its members advance.

MobileUp Client for: 5 years

Who We Spoke To: Stephanie Tierney, Director of Marketing Communications and Member Engagement, and Donna Valore, Director of Administration

The Challenge: Costly Tools, Login Friction, and Administrative Overhead

Prior to 2021, ECIA relied on outdated mobile application software that lacked user-friendliness for both administrators and event attendees.

• Higher Costs: Alternative mobile app providers came with heftier price tags that unnecessarily strained event budgets.
• Member Friction: Attendees experienced difficulty logging into previous apps to access session schedules, presentation files, and registrant lists.
• Paper & Administrative Inefficiencies: ECIA historically relied heavily on physical printed materials, including massive conference binders, to share information. Maintaining separate event websites and mobile apps required duplicated content management effort. This put a palpable strain on staff.
• Strict Event Timelines: During live events, administrative hiccups demand an immediate resolution. Previous software vendors proved to be slow with response times, leaving staff stranded during critical execution windows.

The Solution: A Flexible, User-Friendly Mobile Platform

In 2021, ECIA transitioned to MobileUp. The platform stood out immediately for its competitive price point, clean user frontend, admin-friendly backend, and features tailored for trade association events.

Key Features Implemented:

• In-App Speaker & Session Surveys: Direct evaluation tools allowed feedback collection from attendees post-presentation.
• Instant Attendee & Resource Access: Attendees and exhibitors enjoyed in-app access to conference registrant lists, presentation slide decks, and venue documents.
• Push Notifications & Messaging: Direct communication channels helped the association reach event attendees instantly without reliance on print or easily-missed email.
• Seamless AMS Integration: Smooth integration with ECIA’s Association Management Software (AMS), ensuring an easy transition when ECIA changed AMS providers.

Results & Impact

1. Exceptional Customer Support & Rapid Response

For ECIA’s Director of Marketing Communications and Member Engagement, MobileUp’s customer support became the single biggest differentiator. Fast email turnarounds from the MobileUp team, including direct assistance with data exports and event duplication, eliminated stress during high-stakes event windows.

“Because we have experience with other software organizations, the pain points of help can be real. Issues are often an easy fix with MobileUp, which has been such a pleasant surprise,” said Tierney.

2. Upgraded Member Experience

Member feedback transformed from login complaints to praise for the ease of access. Having direct access to attendee lists and downloadable presentation files made a huge difference in the member experience. “We just point them straight to the app; it’s been a gamechanger,” Tierney shared. 

3. Significant Cost & Time Savings

• Lower Cost Than Past Provider: MobileUp’s competitive price point brought significant savings over their previous app provider, while providing similar functionality and higher attendee satisfaction. 
• Reduced Print Costs: Eliminating physical schedules saved budget resources that had been formerly allocated to print. 
• Single-Source Publishing and Less Duplicate Effort: Because MobileUp’s solution is available as both an app and a desktop website, this has given staff the option to post event schedules once, rather than having to post on both the app and their event website. They’ve even considered retiring their event website in favor of using MobileUp’s web version instead. 

4. Organic Advocacy & Expansion

Impressed by the platform’s reliability and affordability, ECIA recommended MobileUp for a joint event co-hosted with a partner association. The partner organization adopted MobileUp for the event and achieved the same degree of operational success.

Looking Ahead

MobileUp has established itself as an indispensable tool for ECIA’s annual Executive Conference. They’ve even considered adopting MobileUp’s year-round mobile app for ongoing member engagement, rather than just using it at the conference.

Their Message to Other Associations:

“Go for it. The support as well as cost is a huge factor in how well it’s worked for us. What’s kept us as customers is support, ease of use, and cost.”

Ready to Get Your Own MobileUp App?

MobileUp helped this association do more with less. 

They just needed a partner that understood associations, and delivered.

Want to see what MobileUp could do for your events and membership? Let’s chat. It all starts with a brief demo. Or simply reach out with any questions you have, and we’ll get them answered. It starts by clicking below to request a demo or learn more.