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Today’s blog guest has been a user since almost the very first hour. Already two months after LineUpr officially started, the BANKINGCLUB had created its first app. As the name suggests, the BANKINGCLUB deals with all relevant topics relating to banking and insurance. The focus here is on community thinking. At the same time, physical events are a decisive success factor. They are experts in the use of event apps because they use them at seven congresses every year.
Representing the BANKING CLUB is Frank Rathner and he will tell us which events they actually organize and how they specifically address their target group. Of course, it is also about the use of event apps and what organizers should consider when creating one. As always, a delightful article. ?
LineUpr: Hello Frank. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please introduce yourself and the BANKING CLUB. What are your goals and what roles do events play?
Frank: We are an economic club for employees of banks, fintechs, insurance companies, and financial service providers. The network and community concept is our priority. We network the banking and finance branches both online and offline through various channels and access current topics from the banking world. This happens on one hand through our newspaper BANKINGNEWS, our website and our social media profiles on XING, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, we organize around 35 events every year. In addition to webinars, roundtables and evening events, there are also seven two-day specialist congresses. There our members and guests have the opportunity to hear lectures from experts in the various specialist areas of the industry, to exchange ideas within the community and to expand their network. The main topics range from compliance, fraud management, innovation management, marketing, sales, and human resources management to risk management and payment transactions.
I myself have been in the BANKINGCLUB for over four years. Here, I have successfully completed my training as an event salesman and today I am one of the heads of the event team that plans, prepares and carries out these numerous events.
LineUpr: Who is the typical target group of your events and how do you reach them? What channels and tools do you use for marketing and presentation?
Frank: We address employees from the banking, insurance and financial services industries. These can be reached through the channels mentioned above. We advertise our events through our social media channels, our newspaper, and our website. We also do e-mail marketing. Our members and newsletter subscribers have the opportunity to select topics and thereby be explicitly informed about events in their area of interest.
LineUpr: In your opinion, which of these channels is your strongest or most efficient one? What information do you distribute over these channels?
Frank: Thorsten Hahn, Managing Director of BANKINGCLUB, is one of the most networked people on XING with more than 50,000 contacts and through him, we are able to reach many people at the same time. Also, our website provides an extensive range of information, with the help of which, for example, we refer you directly from an article on compliance to an event on this topic. Here we offer the participants all the information about the event:
- Agenda
- Location & Directions
- Conditions
- Speakers & Partners etc.
LineUpr: Ok, 50,000 contacts is already quite a number. Let’s get to your events. What added value do you offer to participants and why should everyone participate?
Frank: The two-day congresses combine the latest developments from a specific subject area, for example, from fraud prevention or payment transactions. Our evening events, webinars, and roundtables are always about a particular question. For example, how can the implementation of artificial intelligence in banks be used beneficially? In this way, the participants can receive further training and up-to-date information. They also learn how colleagues from other institutes deal with the current challenges.
Many participants already have the app on their phone when they come to the event.
LineUpr: How do you use the app specifically before, during and after your events?
Frank: The app is provided by us one week before the event with all the information. In this case, it is essential to us that the participant receives all critical information regarding the location and the way there and, of course, the programme. We send the link to the app to all participants before the event by e-mail. During the event, the app is of course used for an overview of the process. We, along with many participants, also have the environmental aspect in mind. Thanks to the app, no elaborate programme booklets need to be printed anymore.
LineUpr: How have your events changed by using an event app?
Frank: The events themselves have not changed much. The work in advance for us, however, has been greatly simplified. Creating a printed programme is very time-consuming, and once it is printed, you can no longer correct mistakes or make changes to the agenda. Besides, in times of digitalization, a tool like LineUpr is very well received. Since each of our participants owns a smartphone, handling the app easily is no problem for anyone. Many participants already have the app on their phone when they come to the event. For others, we print the link as a QR code on the back of each name tag. This is a simple and effective method.
LineUpr: We want to grow daily and offer our customers a better experience, what features do you want for the app and why?
Frank: In this regard, we are completely satisfied with LineUpr. Due to our processes and requirements, we do not even use all of the functions. A kind of push notification after lectures would be an interesting feature so that a speech can be directly evaluated and commented on.
LineUpr: That fits perfectly. We are also working on that.
Since you are now a real professional in dealing with event apps, which tips would you like to give to other organizers when using LineUpr?
Direct feedback from the customer is worth gold.
Frank: Open communication with the participant. It is important to draw attention to the use of the app to encourage as many visitors as possible to use it and to tap its full potential.
Good design. The app should be equipped with the most critical information about the event and should not look like an advertising platform. This increases the enjoyment of use.
Get feedback from the participant. Direct feedback from the customer is worth gold. If the design and content are oriented to the customer’s wishes, use is more likely.
LineUpr: Thank you, Frank, for the great interview. Thanks to your open nature, we were able to gain a good insight into your events and the planning ahead of them. If you are from the banking or insurance industry, then a visit to the next BANKINGCLUB event is definitely worth it for you. More information about the events and also the newspaper BANKINGNEWS can be found on their homepage. Or take a look at the BANKINGCLUB’s profiles on Facebook and Twitter.
We look forward to your events next year and hopefully, we are allowed to be their again with our app.
