Guidebook Reviews

Pros

It connects with Open Water which lets us use a single platform to organize and manage our conference. After the app is finally downloaded and an attendee gets through the very messy login process, it is easy for attendees to use.

Cons

Invite-only setup is extremely frustrating. We need access limited to people who have actually registered for our conference but forcing them to log in through an email link causes major problems, especially when some phones block that link. There should be a way for us to upload registered attendees' email addresses so they can sign in and set up their own password without relying on email links. It would also help a lot if we could download QR codes for each attendee to add to conference badges, so they would not need their phone to be scanned into a session. Attendees should also be able to view which sessions they were scanned into. On top of that, either we or the attendees should be able to print certificates of attendance directly from the platform instead of making us export attendance records, sort everything manually, build a separate certificate process and email them one by one.

Pros

Having everything in one place made a huge difference for our event. We were able to put agendas, maps, surveys, ads, reminders and more in a single location, so parents and students could quickly find whatever they needed. During New Student Orientation, it helped us stay on track and gave us a go-to spot for answers to most of the FAQs that would have otherwise flooded our administrative offices. The map feature was especially useful and even cut down on the number of people getting lost around campus.

Cons

We did run into a couple of technical problems while uploading our agenda but once we contacted support, they were quick to respond and very helpful. The issues were sorted out without much delay.

Pros

It's very easy to use and most of my conference attendees already feel comfortable with it because it's so familiar.

Cons

Only thing I'd change is making the session import process less tough.

Pros

This mobile app has been the perfect tool for running our academic conference. Adding information is very easy and it helped us organize 40+ sessions in a single day without trouble. The college community also really enjoys using it.

Cons

Edit button should be much more visible. Right now, it's tucked away under the three little dots in a spot that's easy to miss.

Pros

Getting everything up and running was really easy for us and attendees have no trouble using it.

Cons

I just wish there were a way to keep all the course materials in one central place so attendees could access everything there.

Pros

Getting started was pretty easy and making changes when needed has been simple for us too.

Cons

Downside is that text messaging isn't included unless you pay extra for a costly add-on.

Pros

Coming from a marketing background rather than IT, I appreciate how user-friendly the platform is for me. It's manageable even for non-technical admins and creating and navigating events as a host is free for us. The pricing model based on the number of users also makes the value clear and practical.

Cons

Pricing structure is a concern, though. I'd love to send live inquiries or surveys during events but those features are priced too high for what they offer.

Pros

One thing I really appreciate is that attendees can log in whenever they need to and the live update feature takes effect right away for everyone at the same time.

Cons

Explaining every feature can be a bit challenging at first but that's just part of learning any program and it takes a little time to get familiar with it.

Pros

Getting to the conference schedule is really convenient and quick for me.

Cons

Interaction between attendees feels more complicated than it should be.

Pros

Hosting conferences has been much more manageable with this for us. Attendees can browse the available workshops, take their own notes and connect with colleagues all in one place which makes the overall event experience much more useful and engaging for us.

Cons

Only downside was the cost which felt a bit high for our non-profit since we only used it for a handful of large events and conferences. That said, their staff was willing to work with us and help us get the best possible deal.

Pros

Very few event apps let us store documents locally so 1,000+ attendees can access them reliably at the same time and that has been a big advantage for us. I also really appreciate the modern interface and how easily it can be customized across both the mobile and web versions.

Cons

Built-in PDF viewer still needs some important upgrades to be more practical, especially the option to jump to a specific page and to search within the document.

Pros

Bringing this app into our conference turned out to be a really good decision for us. It was very simple to get everything set up, easy to use and the pricing was extremely affordable for us.

Cons

There were no problems at all from our side, only positive feedback about how well it worked. Our conference attendees also had nothing but complimentary things to say.

Pros

Getting around the software feels very easy for me and it makes it easy to locate details for conferences and breakout sessions.

Cons

Nothing comes to mind at the moment that I dislike about the software.

Pros

The backend interface is pretty simple. I've been able to get my event staff and interns up to speed on building powerful apps for our events without much trouble.

Cons

At the same time, it feels due for a bit of a refresh. The look has stayed basically the same for more than five years. It's not bad but as someone who builds in the platform every week, I'd really welcome an updated style and design.

Pros

Having this is so much better than dealing with a printed convention schedule for us. It can be updated instantly and can show tons of different sections for events, panels and booths. It really helps us and our attendees find everything there is to do.

Cons

My only complaint is when convention organizers do not use it to its full potential and release it in an unfinished state. That is really it.

Pros

At conferences with digital event booklets, this has been really useful for us. Being able to search by keywords or numbers made the digitized version much more convenient to use.

Cons

Interface feels a bit crowded, with a lot of options that didn't seem very useful. It would be easier to get around if there were less clutter.

Pros

Running our event app build with this as a first-time user went much better than I expected because it is very user-friendly and quick to learn for me. One thing that really helped was being able to build everything first and only publish it when it was ready to go live, so there wasn't constant stress about accidentally breaking something before the event. I also really appreciated how customizable the features were for us. We could add things like a map, speaker list, sponsors, surveys and more, then adjust those features to fit exactly what we needed. We even needed a project checklist and I was able to upload my own icon so it matched the custom feature which was a nice touch for me. Another feature that ended up being extremely useful was the schedule tracking, since attendees could see which workshops or sessions they were supposed to attend based on their team or track. That made managing a large group much more organized for us.

Cons

One area that was definitely harder than it should have been was the survey setup. It took some digging to understand that you can't just build the survey from inside the guide you're working on. You have to leave that area, go back to the dashboard, click into surveys and polls and then create and edit everything there before attaching each survey to the right event. Since we had separate surveys for every workshop, it became a little nerve-racking making sure each one was connected to the correct session. Downloading survey results was also not very simple, because that has to be done from the dashboard rather than the survey section itself. That part was confusing. It's also not especially simple to make edits once the guide is live, because some changes can be a bit complicated. I'd strongly suggest checking everything carefully before publishing. On the positive side, being able to test the guide before making it live was really helpful.

Pros

As a central spot on the phone for visitors to check details about campus events, it does its job really well for us. For that purpose, it is genuinely useful and works nicely as a single place to direct people for information.

Cons

Customization options are very limited. Being stuck with their preset color palette is frustrating and it just doesn't make much sense.

Pros

One of the biggest strengths of this software for me was how scalable it is and how quickly updates can be pushed out in real time. That made a huge difference during orientation training for our student staff when I was working as a Resident Director. There were plenty of moments when room locations changed unexpectedly, or lunch breaks and sessions had to be shifted at the last minute. Being able to update the schedule directly in the app honestly saved us from chaos, because the alternative would have been trying to spread the word by email or by telling people one by one and our student staff definitely were not checking email during orientation. In situations like that, the live updates absolutely saved the day and made the whole event look organized and under control, even when the planning team behind the scenes was scrambling. It was also very valuable for CRM integration for us which mattered a lot for our tracking and reporting needs. Between the syncing features and list creation tools, there is a lot we can do. We were able to use it for student events, measure ROI for programs and budget planning and even identify new leads for possible future programs with vendors or campus groups. There is a lot of flexibility built in and we can tailor it to fit what our organization needs.

Cons

Biggest challenge for us was the pricing, especially since we were working with a limited budget and fairly large training groups. There are options between self-service and full-service, so there is at least some room to choose what fits best. Still, once budget cuts hit, we just could not afford to keep using it. That said, the full-service option does give you control over branding which is fantastic, so if that matters to your team it is definitely worth keeping in mind.

Pros

Getting started with this platform felt very natural for me because it is incredibly simple to use. It offers a professional, functional and user-friendly app experience, whether I'm just starting to launch an app or need something more advanced. It works well both for the people building the app and for the people using it.

Cons

Only thing I'd love to see added is a lead retrieval option.