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Have you ever heard of the Bachelor Thesis Day at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)? On that day, undergraduate students of health professions at the ZHAW present their thesis to their families, friends and other interested persons.
Philipp Funk and Nina Stadelmann help to organize the event. They explain how the event has benefited from an event app and what role parallel event points play in it. Have fun while reading. ?
LineUpr: Hello Philipp and Nina. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please introduce yourself and the ZHAW.
Philipp and Nina: We both work at the ZHAW Department of Health Professions, which comprises about 1,600 students and 300 employees. Philipp is the Online Manager and takes care of all digital channels including websites, social media, etc. Nina is responsible for our events as event manager and has also co-organized the Bachelor Thesis Day.
LineUpr: You used LineUpr for the “Bachelor Thesis Day”. What is this event about and what added value do you offer the participants?
Philipp and Nina: On the day of the bachelor thesis, around 350 undergraduate students present their thesis in 175 presentations. This event is organized in the style of a public event for internal and external persons who are interested. So also family, friends, practice institutions and other interested parties can experience the final presentations in the form of a small (knowledge) festival.
LineUpr: Who is your typical target audience and how do you reach them?
Philipp and Nina: The main target group are our bachelor students of all five health professions – occupational and physiotherapy, nursing, midwifery as well as health promotion and prevention. They also have to attend some presentations as preparation for their own bachelor thesis. The families and friends of the presenters, as well as practice institutions or other interested persons, are also invited.
LineUpr: How did you learn about LineUpr and what was the decisive argument for you to use an event app?
Philipp and Nina: Our programme is very extensive with around 175 presentations by the 350 students and it takes place in parallel and in different rooms of the University of Applied Sciences. Our primary goal was to create an app that would help participants build their personal agenda for the day as intuitively as possible. We learned about LineUpr through our internet research.
LineUpr: How did you use the app before, during and after the Bachelor Theses Day?
Our primary goal was to create an app that would help participants build their personal plan for the day as intuitively as possible.
Philipp and Nina: We sent the link to the app via e-mail about three days before the event and published it on our website so that visitors could already put together their individual programmes.
During the event, the participants were able to download the app via conveniently placed QR codes on the infoscreens on site and could thus also read detailed information about the speakers and their work.
LineUpr: How did your students react to the app?
Philipp and Nina: We have received very positive feedback from the students and lecturers about the app and have often heard that it greatly simplifies creating individual programmes. While the app will not completely replace a printed program, it will innovatively complement it.
LineUpr: Do you think that other events of this kind can benefit from an event app or is this an exception for you? There are also Bachelor Thesis Days at other universities.
Philipp and Nina: Yes, similar events with so many parallel events can definitely benefit from the app, especially if there is also essential background information on the presentations or speakers available. We do not know if other colleges also organize such days – if so, the app would certainly be a good thing.
Similar events with so many parallel events can definitely benefit from the app
LineUpr: What are the top three tips you would like to give other organizers for the use of LineUpr?
Philipp and Nina: Firstly, adapt the structure to the needs of the visitors and not primarily to those of the organizer (user-centered).
Secondly, send the link to the app early enough so that participants can put together their own agenda.
Thirdly, strategically position the QR code in various places and include a notice that says that you only need to focus your cell phone camera on it on getting directly to the programme. (Note: Many smartphones today no longer need a QR reader, but the regular cell phone camera can recognize the code)
LineUpr: Thank you Philipp and Nina for the great interview. It’s always so exciting to get an insight into different types of events during these talks. More information about the Department of Health at the ZHAW can be found on their homepage and on social networks such as Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn. For visual motivation, we also recommend a look at Instagram.
We look forward to your next events and to how we can support them with LineUpr.
