A purpose-built event app turns a trade function — a dinner, a lunch or a one-day workshop — from a fixed agenda into something guests take part in. They can see who the hosts are before they arrive, book one-to-one catch-ups, and get drawn into live moments like a prize draw. We have built exactly this, and the features that earn their place are more practical than flashy.

What an event app adds to a trade function

The point of a trade dinner or workshop is connection — the right buyers meeting the right hosts, with enough structure that the day actually delivers. An app helps with the structure so the room can focus on the conversations: who is here, who to meet, what is happening next, and a few shared moments that lift the energy. Done well, it assists the host and stays out of the guest's way.

The features that earn their place

  • See who the hosts are. A guest and host directory so attendees know who they are meeting before they sit down. Profiles can be imported straight from the RepBud CRM, so the people already in your pipeline carry across without re-keying.
  • Pre-booked catch-ups, on a timer. Guests book one-to-one meetings in advance, and an on-screen countdown timer keeps each conversation to time — speed-networking that runs itself, ideal for a one-day workshop or a structured trade lunch.
  • A live prize wheel with push. A draw on the big screen, with push notifications firing to the prize winners and the prize-givers at the same moment — so the right people know to come to the stage without a host reading names off a list.
  • Push for the running order. Gentle nudges for the next session, a table change or a keynote starting, sent to the right guests at the right time rather than shouted across the room.

Where it fits

This suits a trade dinner, a hosted lunch or a one-day workshop — anywhere a group of buyers and hosts share a room for a few hours and the day benefits from light structure. Guests see who is hosting, book their catch-ups, and the shared moments — the draw, the timed sessions — give the event rhythm. It scales down to an intimate dinner and up to a full conference programme alongside our trade-show tools.

What we have built

We built the web and mobile apps for The Annual Africa Tourism Evening — the host directory, the pre-booked catch-ups with the on-screen timer, and the live prize wheel that pushed notifications to winners and prize-givers as the draw happened. The profile import from the RepBud CRM meant the people the organisers already knew came through ready to go. It is the clearest example of what a trade event app can do when it is built by people who understand both the technology and the room.

How to think about it

Pick the few features that make your function run better — usually the directory, the timed catch-ups and one or two shared moments — and leave the rest. The goal is a smoother day and more of the right conversations, not an app for its own sake. If you have a dinner, lunch or workshop coming up, tell us about it and we will tell you honestly what is worth building.