Facilitate Your Next Conference with GPS Tracking

As GPS tracking becomes increasingly more precise, it’s getting easier to implement the technology in smaller venues and for more specific applications. For instance, retailers, museums, trade shows, and other business models have already begun using GPS-based applications to allow customers and visitors to check in, receive special offers, and identify relevant information based on location. Indoor GPS tracking is becoming more feasible as big-name companies like Apple have announced plans for specific apps designed to facilitate business interaction with consumers. For conference organizers, the technology opens numerous possibilities for creating more memorable experiences for attendees and for allowing vendors to better interact with potential contacts.

Conference-Friendly Apps

Indoor GPS applications are just becoming viable for commercial use. Rather than being aimed at consumers, most of the apps are designed for retailers, businesses, and vendors to interact with their customer and client bases better. Specifically, conference organizers and vendors can implement apps like these to improve the conference experience:

• iBeacons—In June of 2013, Apple announced plans for its new iBeacons app. The app will enable businesses to track Bluetooth devices within a region (such as a conference center) and to determine specific ranges and locations within that region. iBeacons will let vendors know when attendees are near a specific booth, allowing them to target specific messages such as information about the next speaker or breakout session, vendor giveaways, and navigation aids. The technology could also be used for easy check-in by identifying registered participants.


• Phunware—Phunware also announced indoor location capabilities this year. Their location services are aimed at businesses and are designed to elicit responses from the target audience. As a conference app, this could be modified to encourage attendees to interact with one another and with vendors.


• Topi—Designed specifically for events, Topi enables the conference organizer to create a targeted geographic area using geofencing. Conference personnel can interact with attendees within that area, creating a more personalized and social conference experience.

 

GPS Tracking App	Features
iBeacons	Indoor regional mapping Bluetooth device tracking User identification and interaction
Phunware	Interactive applications User identification Indoor mapping and navigation
Topi	Geofencing capability User interaction Indoor mapping

As indoor GPS tracking apps become more widely available, it will be easier for conference planners to choose which app offers the specific functionalities they need. It’s feasible that much of the paperwork involved with registration, check-in, and conference participation could be reduced or replaced by GPS tracking-enabled applications.

Conference Uses for GPS Tracking

The apps above and others like them offer a wide range of options for conference planners. GPS tracking capabilities will give organizers the ability to offer the following services to vendors, speakers, and conference attendees:

• Conference check-in—Apps like iBeacons recognize users based on a Bluetooth device. Registered users could gain instant access to buildings and conference facilities based on the device they carry. Added security measures could require a fingerprint or QR code scan.


• Location-based messaging—GPS tracking apps can recognize the location of any individual, enabling location-specific messaging from vendors and organizers. For instance, an attendee who walks through the conference center could receive a message from organizers about the next breakout session or scheduled event. Vendors could send coupons, welcome messages, and other relevant messages to people who walk by their booths.


• Networking—A primary purpose for many conference attendees is networking with others in their field. GPS tracking apps could create real-time chat options based on who is in a particular session or who is standing at a certain booth. This would also create possibilities for people in different cities or at different conference locations to meet and interact based on shared interests and needs.


• Data—Conference organizers can track attendee movements in order to determine which areas of the conference are visited most often, which sessions have the highest attendance at any given time, and which booths receive the most traffic.

As more software developers recognize the broad range of usage possibilities for indoor GPS mapping and tracking, we can expect to see more apps popping up to handle conference-type uses. The best part is that both conference organizers and attendees can take that information with them to facilitate long-term interaction and networking, long after the conference has ended. And of course, that same technology can be used by businesses and retailers to interact with their clients and customers based on location or shopping habits.

GPS tracking has come a long way from its military-based usage roots. Today, the technology touches our lives in multiple ways every time we walk out the door. And by providing better and more accurate data, GPS apps will give both businesses and consumers the information they need to make better marketing and buying decisions, facilitate better use of their time, and gather the data they need to streamline their daily workloads.

Facilitate Your Next Conference with GPS Tracking