Previously laughed at, yoga is now one of today’s mainstream activities. Formerly something for women, today many men swear by the almost serpentine movements. And research has proven that yoga is excellent training for your back. It also helps you to keep the balance in your life.

As more and more people practice yoga, there are also more and more yoga studios. You can almost think of it as a movement. For even more people to experience the wonderful effects, yoga coaches invest a lot of effort in interesting beginner events. One of them is the LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA. Yoga für alle e.V. brings together several yoga studios from different cities and offers many different classes for one night. In 2019, there were a total of 115 locations in 5 cities.

So that the participants do not lose the overview here, an event app from LineUpr was used again this year. Cornelia Brammen from the association Yoga Für Alle was responsible for this. In this interview, she will tell you how she integrated the different yoga styles into the app and how the app was received. Have fun while reading.

LineUpr: Hello Conny. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please introduce yourself and the association Yoga für Alle.

Conny: I am Conny Brammen, Kundalini yoga teacher Level I and II, journalist, and founder and director of the non-profit organization Yoga Für Alle, which organizes the LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA as a fundraising event every year on the closest Saturday to the summer solstice. So again on June 20, 2020.

LineUpr: Once a year, you organize the LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA. Please tell us more about this.

Conny: As a non-profit organization, we depend on donations to achieve what we started out to do: to facilitate social yoga. So yoga for people in the care of social and government institutions. The LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA is our fundraising event. And in the best sense of the word it is yoga for everyone – because for only 20 Euros, visitors can experience the diversity of yoga in many places in their city. In 2019, there were 116 Yoga locations in Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Bochum, and Sylt. Hopefully, Frankfurt, and possibly Düsseldorf, will join in 2020.

LineUpr: What strategies and tools do you use to address this target group? Do you attach particular importance to something special?

Conny: We use the LineUpr web app in every city to guide visitors perfectly through the LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA. We also do marketing on Facebook and Instagram, and we have a nice, very individually designed newsletter. Hamburg Marketing supports us with A1 posters in the metropolitan region and the Sports Bureau also assists us with patronage from the State Sports Council.

LineUpr: You have used LineUpr now for the second time. How did you learn about LineUpr and what added value does an event app offer you?

Conny: Our graphic designer looked on the internet for a beautiful app and found you. And as I already said: LineUpr allows visitors to surf securely through the LONGNIGHTOFYOOGA.

LineUpr: How did you describe the different yoga styles in the app?

Conny: There are many different types of yoga styles. We wanted our attendees to be able to search directly for these styles. So we created a separate line-up profile for each yoga style. We then linked this profile directly to the program points where this style was offered. In the program point, of course, the corresponding studio was linked. This allowed each participant to select his style directly and then have all the program points and studios displayed.

LineUpr: You had already published the app before the event and so you were able to also advertise, for example, the ticket offices. How and why did you do that?

Conny: We just love the stationary trade. Therefore, the ticket offices are very important to us. Since the app was one of our marketing channels, this, of course, could not be missed.

LineUpr: When and how did you inform your participants about the event app?

Connie: As I said, the app was an important part of our marketing strategy and was therefore integrated from the beginning. So we mentioned the event app, for example, in our newsletter, and on Facebook.

Parallel to the app, we also had a program booklet. Going completely digital is not yet possible and a printed program booklet also has a different feel. But also in this program booklet, we pointed out the event app on the last page.

LineUpr: How did your visitors react to the app?

Conny: We did not actively ask for feedback. But since no one has said anything negative about the app, there was apparently nothing to complain about. Also, the usage figures look very positive. So I would say the app was well-received.

LineUpr: Thank you for the great interview, Conny. That was a very interesting conversation with you. If time permits, we also try to do yoga in the office from time to time. But I admit, unfortunately only very rarely.

More information about the association Yoga für Alle is available on this page. Here you can also get glimpses of the LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA from the previous years. On this page, you can also find out about the next edition in 2020. We are already looking forward to it.

The post LineUpr in Action – The Digital Program of the LONGNIGHTOFYOOOGA first appeared on LineUpr Blog.

Kirsten Bondzio’s daily life revolves around working with young, motivated people. She works at the Central Student Advisory Service of the University of Paderborn. With more than 20,000 students and about 70 courses of study, it is a heavyweight in the German higher education landscape.

Of course, such a university attracts interest among students from all over Germany. The University of Paderborn organizes an Open Day every year so that students can inform themselves comprehensively, explore departments and experience the campus in person. This event is organized by Kirsten. She has been using an event app from LineUpr since two years. In this interview, she talks about her experience with LineUpr, the advantage of an app compared to paper and how quickly and easily everything is created.

LineUpr: Hello Kirsten. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please introduce yourself and the University of Paderborn.

Kirsten: The University of Paderborn has about 20,000 students in about 70 degree programs. I work in the Central Student Advisory Service and the main focus of my work is the support of students in their study orientation. This includes the organization of our annual open day, where prospective students can inform themselves about our courses of study through informative presentations, library and laboratory tours, lectures, and information stands around the university.

LineUpr: You use LineUpr for the Open Day of the University of Paderborn. How do you inform students about this event? Which channels and tools do you use for this?

Kirsten: Since the Open Day takes place on a weekday and many of our visitors are groups of pupils or whole classes, we especially inform schools in our area about the event. The schools then decide whether they come as a closed group or exempt individual students from the classroom. In addition, of course, we also use classic press work to publicize our Open Day.

LineUpr: You told me that you currently use printed program booklets and the app in parallel. What added value or advantage does the app have in comparison to the printed booklet?

Kirsten: For us, the app is great, because it allows us to easily enter our program and even announce short-term changes (e. g. room changes) – even on the day itself. But I see the great advantage for our visitors, who can put together an individual daily program from our wide range of offers and can quickly look at their favorites.

LineUpr: How long before the event do you start creating the event app? How much time do you invest in the app?

Kirsten: The program is usually completed about three months before the event and then we start creating the app. The entry of the program points does not take much time. We have used the app for the second time now and really appreciated the auto-completion. This means that, for example, events that had the same title last year are directly suggested when typing. That’s a great time saver.

LineUpr: How do you integrate the app into the event communication? When is the app published and how do you share the app among the students?

Kirsten: We publish the app about two months before the event together with the program in paper form. We refer directly to the app on the program booklet and on posters. We also use the app as a cornerstone for press releases and information letters to schools.

LineUpr: What information and content do you communicate via the app?

Kirsten: We mainly use the app to announce the individual program items at the Open Day, but also to point out special features that are not included in the program booklet. We link in the app, for example, the daily menu of the canteen or explain how to understand the room information.

LineUpr: Do you still use your app after the end of the event?

Kirsten: The feedback survey is a great way to get direct and anonymous feedback on the event. We have not used them yet, but we are planning this feature for next year. We would like to draw the attention of all visitors to the events to the feedback function in order to get as much feedback as possible.

LineUpr: We want to grow daily and offer our customers a better experience, what features do you wish for the app and why?

Kirsten: At the open day, our student councils have info stands in the university foyer and in the program booklet we have a map that shows who is where. It would be nice if there was a way to integrate this stand plan in the app.

LineUpr: Which top three tips would you like to give other organizers when using LineUpr?

Kirsten: Orientate, inform, and try! These are tips or steps that we suggest to prospective students to help them reach a study decision. But that’s exactly what I did before I decided to go with the app:

Orientate: View examples of other events and gain an overview of the possibilities.

Inform: Get in touch with LineUpr and get information. For example, I wanted to know how to enter the data.

Try it: Use the app for an event. We were immediately convinced and even plan to get rid of the printed program booklets in the future.

LineUpr: That’s a great tip. Thank you for the friendly interview, Kirsten. Universities and colleges are an exciting market. Unfortunately, in Germany, most are still very reserved when it comes to apps. In the USA many educational institutions already have their own app. You, as pioneers in this field, are helping other educational institutions to follow this path as well.

More about the University of Paderborn is available on their website and their profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and of course YouTube.

We are already looking forward to the next open day.

The post Event Apps for Universities – Example University of Paderborn first appeared on LineUpr Blog.