Daniel St George

Casestudies
Sizzle Reel

Daniel St George

Casestudies
Sizzle Reel

DSG

Casestudies

IBM Events

Seamless Digital-Physical Event Experience

Seamless Digital-Physical Event Experience

Seamless Digital-Physical Event Experience

The Challenge

Lost Agendas, Missed Connections

IBM hosts 100+ yearly events in 25+ countries for 1 million+ attendees—from global conferences to developer workshops. Yet, IBM and its guests faced a major challenge: disjointed event tools led to lost agendas, missed connections, and inefficiencies for everyone.

Pain Points

IBM & Organizer


  • Too Many Platforms, No Control: Used 12+ different tools for events, spiking costs and confusing teams. No standard way to manage workflows or data.

  • Flying Blind: No central system to track attendee behavior, popular sessions, or event success.

Pain Points

Attendees


  • Juggling Apps, Missing Moments: Switched between sign-up sites, apps, and paper schedules. 20% missed sessions due to confusing maps or mixed-up agendas.

  • Lost Contacts, Lost Chances: Business cards vanished. No way to message peers or share LinkedIn profiles during/after events.

  • Where’s the Nearest Coffee?: No real-time transit help, language support, or local tips (e.g., vegan options in Tokyo or prayer rooms in Dubai).

Began by mapping user needs, features, and pain points. This step helped us spot gaps in today’s event experiences and guided our research into real challenges for both attendees and organizers.

Began by mapping user needs, features, and pain points. This step helped us spot gaps in today’s event experiences and guided our research into real challenges for both attendees and organizers.

By analyzing existing event apps, we explored how users navigate digital experiences today. Key issues included onboarding confusion and the absence of real-time, location-based interactions.

By analyzing existing event apps, we explored how users navigate digital experiences today. Key issues included onboarding confusion and the absence of real-time, location-based interactions.

"We needed a single, reusable event platform that delivers a seamless, branded experience across every IBM event—while making it easier for attendees to navigate, engage, and connect.”

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IBM Stakeholder

The Approach

How can we design an event app that feels personal, engaging, and effortlessly adapts to any event—from a small 100-person hackathon to a sprawling 3000+ conference like IBM Think?

IBM needed a customizable event platform that empowers organizers to quickly develop tailored event apps. Our goal was to drive attendee engagement, boost event traffic, and foster seamless networking.

Discovery & Strategy

  • We began with deep user research through surveys, focus groups, and collaborative workshops to understand the real-world challenges faced by both organizers and attendees.

  • These insights informed the design of intuitive navigation, personalized agendas, and innovative networking features.

Iterative Prototyping & Validation

  • Rapid prototyping allowed us to test and refine onboarding flows, real-time engagement tools, and in-app networking functionalities.

  • Each iteration was guided by user feedback and product analytics to ensure a frictionless, engaging experience.

Collaborative Execution

  • Working closely with technical project managers, we blended research, iterative design, and data-driven insights—drawing inspiration from IBM Carbon’s clean, modern UI.

  • The result is a scalable solution that seamlessly bridges digital and physical event experiences, empowering organizers to deliver impactful, tailored experiences every time.

The Solution

A Connected Event App

A Connected Event App

Seamless Logistics & Onsite Experience

  • Kiosk Integration & Notifications – Beacon-based check-ins and staff tracking.

  • Push Notifications – Real-time updates, reminders, and personalized recommendations.

  • Multilingual Support – Ensuring accessibility for diverse audiences.

Enhanced Attendee Engagement

  • Gamification & Social Interaction – Leaderboards, achievements, and photo-sharing.

  • Networking Tools – NFC badge scanning and OCR-based text recognition for lead capture.

  • Live Polling & Q&A – Encouraging real-time participation in sessions.

Booth & Session Experience

  • AirPlay & Live Demos – Supporting in-session content sharing.

  • Personalized Agendas – AI-driven session recommendations based on user preferences.

Post-Event Insights & Analytics

  • Session Engagement Metrics – Tracking attendee participation and interaction.

  • Networking Follow-Ups – In-app messaging and contact sharing.

  • Detailed Event Reports – Helping organizers measure impact and ROI.

"Once synced, the app becomes an essential event companion, offering valuable features like Client Insights that enhance the overall experience."

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The Outcomes

Bringing It All Together

Bringing It All Together

We set out to build a platform that makes planning and running IBM events faster, cheaper, and smarter—without the hassle. Attendees should be fully immersed in connections and experiences, not fighting with an app.

The result? IBM Event has powered 700+ events over 8 years, earned a 4.2/5 App Store rating, and engaged millions. Less time organizing, more time experiencing. Smarter events, effortless connections.

Organizer-First

  • Unified: Replace multiple costly tools with one solution. Uploading a single file to auto-populate branding and content.

  • Streamlined: Automated APIs and dashboards reduce post‑event manual tasks.

Attendees-Focused

  • Connected: A clear sign‑up process with personalized agendas, smart badge scanning, and simple scheduling makes networking effortless.

  • Familiar: A feed‑style interface offers a natural, engaging experience that users can easily navigate and enjoy.

Data-Rich

  • Actionable: Real‑time surveys and analytics provide immediate feedback on engagement, uncovering key behavior trends.

  • Growth: Rich insights transform events into strategic assets, unlocking new sponsorship and revenue opportunities.