With over four hundred attendees annually, the IACP Annual Conference & Trade Show is the premier industry event for behavioral health community providers and industry professionals in Iowa. IACP uses the GoEngage platform from MobileUp to provide attendees a better conference experience by putting everything in the IACP Mobile App including the conference schedule, sponsor and exhibitor connections, PAC information, and presenter materials. Attendees appreciate the convenience, and IACP likes the time and material expense savings gained from going paperless.
“We’ve been using MobileUp for calendars, contacts, groups, and notifications and it was very easy to start using it for our annual conference and trade show. Plus, it was already integrated with our MemberClicks AMS.”
Maddie VanKirk
Communications Coordinator,
Iowa Association of Community Providers (IACP)
Challenge: Streamline Annual Conference Communications and Improve the Attendee Experience
The Iowa Association of Community Providers (IACP) advocates for behavioral health professionals so they can fully serve Iowans by building healthy communities. More than 125 provider organizations, with more than 2,400 registered web and app users across the state look to IACP as a trusted resource in their work to help people lead more productive and fulfilling lives.
IACP needed a modern mobile event app to update its annual conference attendee experience, make conference management easier, and save SG&A expenses.
Solution: The All-In-One Mobile App – Events Included
IACP was already using the GoEngage platform from MobileUp for member communications, engagement, and advocacy. Maddie VanKirk, Communications Coordinator at IACP, decided to take advantage of the app’s integrated event management capabilities as well.
“We’ve been using MobileUp for calendars, contacts, groups, and notifications and it was very easy to start using it for our annual conference and trade show,” VanKirk said. “Plus, it was already integrated with our MemberClicks AMS.”
While VanKirk had some experience with the member engagement side of the MobileUp app already, she was still a bit intimidated by the idea of building a whole conference app. MobileUp’s client success team walked her though the basic building blocks to get her started and VanKirk was able to take it from there.
“The MobileUp team showed me all the modules, answered my questions patiently, and gave me every bit of support I needed to set up our event and make it ready for members,” VanKirk said. “Once I had the basics it was very easy for me to build it and finish it.”
The IACP Mobile App features:
- Daily schedules
- Presenter listings and session titles
- Session descriptions and presenter biographies • Sponsor levels and overviews
- Sponsor solutions and company contacts
- PAC information, updates, and donation links
Results: IACP Mobile App Downloaded and Used by 85 Percent of Annual Conference Attendees
VanKirk said aggressive promotion of the IACP Mobile App, and the fact that it was designated as the primary source for conference information – no printed materials were made available to attendees – drove downloads and usage.
“We simply removed the paper option for attendees, and it worked,” VanKirk said. “The mobile app was the only way to see schedules, sessions, presenters and contacts for networking and it prompted almost 250 app downloads among the 300 attendees. The feedback was incredibly positive because attendees know that’s how modern meetings work now.”
App notifications were another big productivity booster for IACP during the annual conference.
“We sent about 10 notifications through the mobile app each day to keep attendees connected, remind them of start times, provide lunch locations, and keep them informed of PAC Silent Auction details,” VanKirk said. “It was fast, easy, and super simple and we’re now planning to use it for other monthly meetings and group communications.”
Association productivity has improved, but VanKirk said member convenience and experience is the real measure of success.
“We want to be a hub for our members when it comes to collaboration, idea sharing, and legislative issues,” VanKirk said. “And MobileUp helps us do all of that for our members, as well as run top-notch events. It’s a powerful platform, an excellent value, and it does everything.”
