Why Build an Event App in 2025?

Since starting on the Highbar journey six months ago, I’ve been asked the same blunt question more than a dozen times:

“Why build an event app in 2025?”

It’s a fair question—and a surprisingly deep one. It’s also not easy to answer, because let’s be honest: the event app category hasn’t been buzzing with innovation.

Many of the most exciting vendors—companies that once pushed boundaries—have been acquired, sunsetted (like Attendify), or quietly settled into a groove, serving a narrow market niche. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there isn’t a single customer I’ve talked to who’s genuinely excited about the category.

As an entrepreneur, you typically want to ride a rising wave—and event apps have felt like they’ve been in structural decline for the last 4–5 years. So what gives?

To me, the answer is simple:‍

Every path to meaningful AI in event tech runs through creating the next-generation event app.

You can’t reinvent event technology without a much deeper understanding of the attendee.

It’s the Attendee Experience, Stupid.

The real opportunity is to build a next-gen event management solution—one that finally embraces the attributes we expect from modern SaaS: consumer-grade experience, product-led growth, self-serve onboarding, transparent pricing, a constant stream of innovation.

But you can’t boil the ocean. And more importantly—you’ll never reach that promised land without deep, actionable insight into the attendee experience. And that’s where event apps come in...

Apps aren't perfect. But they’re an amazing form factor and they're universal. No other event technology touches what matters most, the attendee experience — at least until everyone’s walking around in Meta Ray-Bans 🙄.

Because the app is the ONLY way to capture the full arc of attendee behavior, as it unfolds, in real time. Not just who showed up—but what they did once they got there.

• Did they actually attend the session they registered for?
• Did they open the push about the sponsor booth?
• Did they connect with other attendees?
• Did they engage with content—or bounce after Day 1?
  

The list goes on. But here’s the big shift... The difference between today’s event apps and the next generation isn’t just polish—it’s a complete rethinking of what the app does.

Event Apps 2.0

v1.0 event apps captured attendee engagement—but only through clunky reports and indirect signals. Menus. Lists. Profiles. Clicks. Downloads. Friction everywhere and fuzzy data that never quite told a clear story. What does it mean when someone views a sponsor profile? Or downloads an attachment? Or scrolls through the agenda?

Those engagement signals are vague at best—and often misleading. Next-generation event apps will:

1. Empower attendees to ask questions and get instant answers (available today).
2. Provide real-time support via a personalized AI co-pilot (available today).
3. Surface content and connections using an AI agent working quietly in the background (coming soon).
   

The result? Attendees spend more time focused on your event—not the app. They’re more present. Less distracted. And your event team spends less time answering repetitive questions.

That’s already a huge win—but it gets even better.

Intent Signals Like Never Before

In next-gen apps, the primary interaction isn’t tapping around menus—it’s asking questions. And that shift unlocks a goldmine of signal:

“I’m looking for a session on _______”

“I need to connect with a company that can help with _______”

“Are there any insights on _______?”

Every blank is a window into what your attendees want—as individuals and in aggregate. This data doesn’t just improve the app, it helps you:

• Design a smarter event
• Surface better matches between attendees, sponsors, and content
• Deliver on the long-promised vision of real-time personalization

What’s Next?

Our goal isn’t to replace your whole event stack. It’s to radically improve the part of the experience that attendees actually touch—and to make it infinitely smarter.

Once we get that right, we’ll unlock the insights needed to:

• Personalize at scale
• Power better sponsorship value
• Reimagine registration and other core tools through the lens of AI
  

Because the future of events doesn’t live in a web dashboard, it lives in the hands of every person walking your floor.

We hope you’ll join our journey, share your perspective, and help us build what’s next. Onwards! 🚀
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📖 Want to see what a smarter event app looks like? Get a demo or follow along as we build at highbar.ai

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