Downloading and Setting Up your Event's Companion App

Our Companion App, where attendees can view your event’s agenda, network with other attendees, check in to sessions and expo booths and more.

For Hybrid Events, we have apps your attendees can download on their mobile devices to accompany them throughout your event. The main app is our Companion App, where attendees can view your event’s agenda, network with other attendees, check in to sessions and expo booths and more. 

Below, learn more about how to set up your Companion App for attendees to download and how to customize the interface to make the design an extension from your event. 

First things first, your attendees must be registered to your event before being able to access your Companion App. Once they are registered, they can then proceed to download the app from the App Store or Google Play and then log in using their registration credentials and establish a password. 

Table of Contents: 

1. How to Set Up your Companion App 
2. Designing the Launch Screen 
3. Designing the Login Screen 
4. Setting up the Check In 
5. Setting up the Virtual Event Badge 
6. Designing the Virtual Event Badge 
7. Designing your Homepage 
8. Setting up the Agenda
9. Setting up Sessions 
10. Setting up RTMP 
11. Setting up Surveys 
12. Setting up the Networking Center 
13. Setting up the Expo Hall 
14. Applying a search filter to the Networking Center

How to Set Up your Companion App 

1. On your Main Series, click Manage Event

2. On the Virtual Events backend, click to Mobile App on the left hand side 

3. Enable on the Mobile App On toggle 

After that has been enabled on, you will see the design components that can be customized. 

Designing the Launch Screen for the Companion App 

If you desire an image to be included when attendees or registrants are opening up your app, we can hardcode an image of choice for you. The image will need to be provided to your BigMarker event team, with the following specifications: 

•  iOS: 1242 x 2688, 1242 x 2208,  2732 x 2048
• Android: 1024 x 500

An example of a hard coded image in the Companion App Launch Screen: 

 

Designing the Login Screen

1. Name the app in the App Name text box. 

2. Upload an event logo image into the Mobile App Event Logo box. We recommend these images be in sizes 1024x1024

3. Go to the Design section and customize the background color of the launch screen under Event Site Background 

These will encompass the design for the login screen of your App. Below is an example of a login screen: 

 

Setting up the Check-In

You can customize the Check In for your virtual event, from the design components to the virtual business cards and event badges. 

First things first, you will want to enable Check In on for your virtual event. You can do this under the Event Modules section and toggling on Virtual Check-In

For the Custom Registration Fields, you can set these up from the Main Series’s Custom Registration Fields (learn more here). We do recommend ensuring these custom registration fields are in your app’s Check In: 

• Title 
• Company 
• Location 
• Bio

Additionally, make sure to check off Show Question and Response in Business Card (used in the Networking Center) to show their responses on their event badges. 

 

Lastly, if you are using our Badge Scanner App and having attendees check in onsite, make sure you check off Show field in Printed Badge for the custom registration field to show up on the Event iPad for them to review and confirm their information. This field's answer will show on the attendee's event badge when checked off. 

 

 

If you’d like your attendees to add their Social Media profiles and and share them with other attendees on their Virtual Event Badge, go to your event's backend and head to the Check-In section. From there, click Customize on Preferences.  Toggle the Ask for setting on for any social media platform you'd like to be showcased on your attendee's virtual event badge, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and more. 

 

If an attendee inserts their social media profile it will display on their virtual badge for all attendees, no connection request needed. The icons for the respective social media will populate on an attendee's badge, which will redirect the attendee to that specific platform for instant connections. This promotes networking both during and after the event for your entire audience. 

After your custom registration fields are set, and your check in is enabled,  proceed to Design once more to begin designing your virtual event event badges 

Setting Up the Virtual Event Badge

 

1. Go to the Check-In section on the left hand side, then click Customize on Your Event Badge

 

2. Fill in: 

• Check In Main Title 

• Check In Sub Title 

• Check In Badge Background 

3. Click Save Changes 

Designing the Virtual Event Badge

1. Go to the Design section and click Open Badge Designer under Virtual Event Badge 

2.Customize the design of the Virtual Event Badge, including: 

• Cover Photo 

• Connect Button Text 

• Connect Button Text Color 

• Button Color 

3. Click Save Changes.

This will be the virtual event badge attendees will see and use to connect with other attendees and check into events. 

Go back to the Check In section, and enable on Matchmaking if matchmaking is desired (Click Customize to customize the matchmaking designs and the Matchmaking section to add categories of interests attendees can select). 

 

After that, the customizations for the Check in are complete. You can opt for a Welcome Video and the QR code will be hard coded into the app. We do recommend creating a video of your own welcoming your attendees to the app and showing them how to use it. 

Here are examples of the CheckIn screens on the app: 

1. Event Badge      2. Edit Badge                3. Matchmaking         4. QR Code

 

After the Check-in, proceed to customize the Homepage for your Companion App. This will be where attendees see your agenda, sessions, location and more. 

Designing your Homepage

There are hard coded widgets on the home page that will look and function the same way across all companion apps. The hard coded components are: 

• Happening Now Nudges 
• Check In Widget 
• Agenda Widget 
• Connection Request Widgets 

You can customize the tile, logo and background color of the homepage. To do so, go to the Mobile App section and adjust the App Name and Mobile App Event Logo Image. For the Background Color, you can adjust on the Design section under Event Site Background Color 

 

 

Here is an example of a Companion App Homepage: 

Setting up the Agenda

The agenda is one of the most important aspects of your Companion App, so it is important that it is set up correctly. 

1. Go to the Event Modules section on the left hand side and enable on the Agenda module. 

 

2. From there, go to the Mobile App section on the left hand side and click to the Mobile Agenda tab. 

3. Enable on Display Agenda in Mobile App and use the dropdown menu below to select the Agenda to use. 

 

You can opt to have the Agenda display only those sessions aligned with attendee’s answers to your custom registration fields. To do this, check off Only show the agendas for those registered for the attached webinar. 

A few key components to consider when setting up your Agenda: 

• Time Zones can only be “time only” or “24 hour clock format” 
• Happening Now Nudges show all the live sessions and are set with the Agenda series selected 
• You can add Agenda Dates and Favorite Hearts to the Companion App 
• The filters are taken from “agenda dates” and the categories will be set with those sessions associated. 
• If you’d like to limit access of attendees to sessions they only registered in the app, enable only show agenda for those that registered for attached webinar. That way only attendees who registered for sessions will see them  on their agenda as well as attend them.

Here is an example of an Agenda on a Companion App: 

Setting up Sessions

1. Go to Sessions on the left hand side and then click Add Session 

2. When creating a session, fill out: 

• Session Name 

• • Event Type - Hybrid or In-Person
    1. For Hybrid - you will have the option to stream the session in the App or Browser 
       1. For In-Person - there will be no live webinars available in the App or on a Browser
    2. Room List - add these from the Venue added under the Mobile Section 
    3. Session - Live or On-Demand 
    4. Copy from Template - create the session based on a saved template 

• Description 

3. Agenda Item/ Sub Agenda Item - create the session as an Agenda item or a Sub-Agenda item to current sessions on the agenda. 

4. Click Save & Exit 

From there you will want to add your Presenters to your sessions. After saving the session, click Manage to go to the session’s settings. Once there, on the top click the Presenters tab and then click Advanced Settings. 

You will be able to add the Presenters into the session as you would for other events. Click here to learn more. 

 

Next, add locations to your sessions. Go to the Mobile App section once more and click to Venue. 

1. Click Add Venue

2. Enter in the Venue Info: 

1. 1. Address
   2. City 
   3. State 
   4. Zip Code 
   5. Venue Name 
   6. Location

3. Click to the Map tab, then enter an image file of your venue’s map. We recommend a 962x1391.png file

5. Click to the Room tab and click Add Room. Enter in the room’s info: 

1. 1. Room Name - title of the room name
   2. Capacity - amount of attendees allowed in the room at the same time
   3. Map - a map of the room. Click the three dots on the side and then Add Map. 

6. Click Save & Exit 

When attendees are in a session and click View Map, their first screen will show the entire venue’s map while the second screen will show the individual room map. 

If you would like to disable checking into sessions, on the Mobile App section of your Hybrid Event’s backend, you can check off disable session check-in. 

 

This will prevent attendees from having a QR code to scan for checking into the session. Below is an example of a session with and without the check in enabled.  

 

With Check In Enabled:                  With Check In Disabled: 

.  

 

Add closed captioning to all your live sessions, so attendees can watch the session with separate subtitles. Go to the session’s settings on the Edit Webinar section, then enable Closed Captions. Set the session’s streaming language, and then the languages that closed captions will be available in the equivalent dropdown boxes. 

 

 

From there, inside the Companion App, attendees will see the CC icon to start to view the session with closed captions. 

 

Setting Up RTMP

You do have the ability to stream your sessions with RTMP and multiple language translations. To do this, you will need to go to the session’s backend and enable on Native RTMP Streaming and Generate Secondary Stream Keys. To learn more about setting up multiple language translations, click here. 

What this will do is enable live translations within the session on the Companion App for attendees to stream. They will be able to click the stream icon to switch between the different languages. 

Setting Up Surveys

Last but not least, within sessions you can set up Surveys. You will need to contact your BigMarker Representative to have our Development Team enable surveys within your companion app. 

Once enabled, you are able to go within the Session’s Manage settings and Manage the Survey by going to the backend and adding the survey question you’d like. To learn more about surveys, click here. 

Here is an example of a survey in the Companion App: 

   

 

You can redirect your attendees to an external survey link or a BigMarker survey after the session has ended. For external links, go to the Edit section of the session and enter the URL in the Webinar Exit URL setting. This will redirect the attendee to the URL when the session has ended. 

 

 

If you are looking to redirect the attendee to a BigMarker post-webinar survey, go to your Webinar Survey section, then the settings tab. From there, enable Show the survey immediately after the webinar ends.

 

Setting up the Networking Center

Your attendees are able to connect and network with other attendees within the Networking Center. The Networking Center will operate the same as our browser-based Networking Center with additional features that include connecting via QR code. 

How to Set up the Networking Center

1. Go to the Event Modules section and enable on the Networking Center module 

2. Next, go to the Networking Center section on the left hand side and toggle on People and My Network modules. 

From there, your attendees will be able to send connection requests, view a directory of attendees and chat with their connections. 

Here is an example of the Networking Center in the Companion App: 

 

 

Display your Prize Packs in the app to foster a healthy competition amongst your attendees. In the Networking Center section, toggle the Prize Packs modules. 

 

 

From there, navigate to the Prizes sub-section and create your Prize Packs. Click New Prize to create a Prize Pack or Edit to edit the Prize Pack information. 

 

 

When creating a new Prize Pack, you will need to enter in the prize name, description, the claim button text and an icon. 

 

 

The Prize Packs will be located on your event’s companion app networking center. When attendees click to the Networking Center, they can see a separate Prize Pack section to view all the available prizes. Only when gamification is linked to a prize pack, and attendees have qualified for enough points, will they be able to claim the prize pack. 

 

Setting up the Expo Hall

Create specific exhibitor booths within your app in the Expo Hall. Attendees can scroll through, view the different booths and check into the booths from their app while visiting them in-person. 

How to Set up the Expo Hall 

1. Go to the Event Modules section and enable on the Expo Hall module 

2. Next, go to the Mobile App section on the left hand side and click to the Mobile Expo Hall tab

3. Enable on Display Expo Hall in Mobile App 

4. Select the style of layout for the Expo Hall: Large Card or Agenda Style 

5. Click Save Changes 

Here is an example of an Expo Hall (in Large Card layout)  in the Companion App: 

Your Companion App is now all set up! Attendees can download the App from the App Store or Google Play to fully immerse themselves both in-person and virtually with your event. If attendees would like to delete their profile, they can go to their profile and click the three dots at the top to delete their profile and information. 

Applying a Search Filter to the Networking Center

It is now possible to apply a search filter while using the Networking Center in the Mobile App. The filters are connected to the registration fields that already exist within the app. 

Simply click the Networking Section, go to the Directory tab and select the filter icon. You can filter by details like industry, session or day. Apply your filters and the app will populate results with only the individuals who met your filter criteria.