As you prepare for the 2016 marketing research conference season, you’re likely looking for new ways to make your time attending events a little easier and more efficient. With millions of apps – free and paid versions – across multiple operating systems, it can be difficult to choose which ones are worth downloading (or paying for!).
In an attempt to find the good and weed out the bad, I’ve taken a look at a plethora of apps, read reviews and tried out a few out myself. The following five apps – all of which have free versions – offer tools that may ease the often-stressful process of conference exhibiting and business travel.Â
Evernote
From taking notes to sharing lists and photos, Evernote will allow you to stay connected with your coworkers while you are out of the office. Information can be stored and synced across a variety of devices and the app allows for real-time commenting on projects.
Expensify
If you find yourself losing receipts (or finding them crinkled up into a ball at the bottom of your briefcase two weeks after a show), Expensify may be the app for you. This free app allows users to create spreadsheet expense reports by taking photos of receipts. The app also allows users to manually edit and add information. An automatic receipt feature gives users the option to link a credit card to the app, which then records each transaction.
CamCard
Looking for a way to keep contact information without having to save stacks of business cards? CamCard is an app that allows users to scan printed business cards and store the information in a searchable cloud database. The data can be synced across devices and the app can read up to 16 different languages.
Periscope
Wishing you could share conference demos with your Twitter followers or capture team-bonding moments for those back at the office? The Periscope app is an easy-to-use live-streaming video service and – with options to share privately or with a larger, public audience – could be just what you need at the next conference you attend. Periscope makes videos available for replay for 24 hours and also allows for real-time comments, as well as likes.
This list wouldn’t be complete without the business social networking service. LinkedIn is a go-to for fostering long-term relationships, connecting to new leads and joining conversations via industry groups. And if it’s the last day of the event and I’ve completely run out of business cards, what app do I turn to? LinkedIn. With just a few bits of information (name and e-mail), you can be sure you won’t miss out on checking back in with a great connection. LinkedIn’s messaging also acts as a great tool for setting up meetings with old contacts before or during an event.