The Digitalization of the Event Industry – Mobile and Internet Applications as a Tool to Improve Event Communication and Experiences: A Case Study of a French Event App Start-Up

Following the lack of existing studies about the applications development and use in the event industry, this research aims to analyze the use of applications as a tool to improve event communication. The methodology used includes an exploratory method. This research methodology is based on a review of the literature, a semi-structured interview with the CEO of the company and a case study with participant observation of the French start-up Invent App which provides event applications. The study demonstrate that the event app use allows to ease the event organization, to improve the event communication but also the interactivity and the participant engagement. All of this, increasing the customer experience but also having a part in the customer digital experience improvement. Event applications could be thus considered as a marketing and event communication tool. The research has the limitation to its application within a single company in France. Furthermore, the point of view adopted is the one of the event organizers and not the event participant one. This research helped to better understand the role that event applications can have in the event industry and particularly in the communication around an event. In addition, this made it possible to understand the perception of market requirements and the characteristics expected of an event application.