Link
http://livecube.co
Specifications
Livecube is an event app for engaging audiences at corporate meetings, trade shows, conferences, training events, conventions, and online events.
Features include game mechanics (that require no download) to reward users for contributing quality content, networking, and engaging with the event overall.
Audience members can communicate with each other and with speakers. Conversations can be kept private or, when powered by Twitter, the app automatically populates conversations with hashtags and the speaker handles.
Additional features include a leader board that tracks participant contributions, tools for creating polls and surveys, speaker scheduling and logistics management tools, and the ability to generate reports and recaps based on attendee participation.
Cost
Starts at $4,800 for a single-day corporate event.
User
Kate Childs, publicity manager at Random House, has been using Livecube since November 2013.
How do you use it?
Livecube is a very interactive way to engage people at an event, and it makes it easier for attendees to connect with related content.
You log on to a unique URL to set up an event, and all the information collected during an event lives there forever.
It’s very easy to set up an event. You just create a session, add your speakers, and insert the content you would traditionally put into an event program. You can also add speakers’ Twitter handles and link to their Twitter pages, which is great.
You can create a point system for actions taken at an event. Our event attendees were naturally interacting with each other and tweeting, so we wanted to try Livecube’s gamification features to reward them for actions they were already taking. You control what each action equates to in terms of points and what the reward is.
During an Open House event we held last November, everyone got two points for checking into a session. Posting a tweet or photo through the Livecube app earned three points, and retweeting a message earned one point.
We assigned a reward for each session and integrated our sponsors. For example, the event attendee with the most points from a panel discussion would get a pass to a class paid for by one of our sponsors or another prize, such as a month’s supply of Popchips.
We pointed attendees to the event URL, and once they sign in with their Twitter handle, they can see the whole dashboard and take actions within the Web portal.
You can see metrics in real time, including what devices people are using and how many people are engaging with a session. It’s also easy to share metrics with speakers after a session.
We set up a live countdown from October 31 through our November 8 event last year, so guests could get familiar with the Livecube app and we could work out any kinks.
We haven’t really had any issues with the platform. For the most part, it’s pretty intuitive and works great.
One of Livecube’s founders did come to our November event to help. When Wi-Fi was weak, we could push a note to attendees letting them know someone was working on it and when to refresh the app. Those features are built into the backend that you can use at event.
How does it serve your business needs?
Twice a year we host Open House events in our New York City offices and we invite 250 readers to come in for a full day of sessions and panel discussions with some of our authors. We’re always looking at new ways to connect with readers and Livecube is a great tool to make the Open House events easier and more interesting.
The Open House events are about discovery and giving readers access to something that’s pretty exclusive because attendance is limited. They let us profile authors in a new and accessible way.
The events also give readers a chance to meet authors they’ve loved for years and to interact with other readers. People love talking about books and what they’re reading, so these events give them opportunity to do that in a new setting.
With the growth of social media, people are increasingly talking about authors online. We want them to engage with those authors in person and then go back online and talk about them more, so it’s important to give them access to authors.
Many times people worry that event attendees will just stare at their tablets during a session, but Livecube fostered a sense of community at our event.
For example, because we could see the faces of everyone who was using Livecube within the app at last November’s event, we could tell specifically who was messaging back and forth on the platform. Then we would see those people talking in person during breaks. So people were connecting more in person after the sessions because they had this connection through Livecube, and they also connected more with each other during sessions.
When people tweet within the app, Livecube automatically fills in the hashtag for an event. We saw increased tweets around our event hashtag because Livecube makes it so simple. Tracking conversations, especially on-site for our social media manager, is definitely easier than it was before we used Livecube.
The platform breaks metrics down by session so can see exactly how many tweets are coming out of a session. In tracking tweets from November, about half came through Livecube. We will tailor our upcoming May event based on real-time feedback we got from Livecube during the November event.
The platform also allows you to display different things on flat screens at events. We had two displays at our November event – one showing all the tweets and one showing all the metrics. Those are additional interesting ways that our guests could interact with the platform.
What are the main benefits?
It’s really helpful and beneficial to be able to give people all of the information on what will happen during an event and all of the information about speakers through a highly organized digital platform.
Before we started using Livecube, we did prize giveaways for each event session but not in a formal way. The ability to define points for actions and tally them makes the process more official.
It’s a really nice, easy interface. I like that you can use it for a one-off event or continually for multiple events.
What are the main drawbacks?
We couldn’t customize the interface as much as we wanted to in terms of branding. Livecube is working on this now.
Generally speaking, most people are so used to using Instagram and Twitter that there is a minor drawback in asking them to use an event-specific app.
We were a little surprised at how many people embraced Livecube and gave us positive feedback on it during and after the event. That’s a real testament to the platform.
What would you like to see improved/added?
It’s great for engaging attendees at events. We’d like for attendees to be able to find information about an event and to connect with Random House and each other before they arrive. Specifically, we would like to have the ability to organize information into different categories, such as transportation and accommodations, and to be able to push messaging about different additions to an event.
Competition
DoubleDutchL provides mobile event apps that feature branded event agendas, tools to encourage networking among attendees, survey, polling, and monetization capability, and more.
CrowdCompass: provides mobile event apps that include personalized schedules, interactive maps, video and web content tools, contact and social sharing capability, speaker and exhibitor profiles, and more.
