With smartphone consumption on the rise, phone applications (apps) are still hotter than ever. And more and more food industry companies are taking advantage, as well as the food industry trade shows and conventions. United Fresh 2011—an expo for every segment of the produce industry—just took place May 2-5.
And to capture its audience beforehand, the expo sent an email blast encouraging attendees to download the United Fresh App for their mobile devices (also viewable on any internet-capable device). With this app, attendees were able to view an electronic version of the event schedule, and break it down into specific market segments, such as grower-shipper, wholesaler-distributor, fresh-cut processor or retail-foodservice.
While this app offered attendees convenience on-the-go at the show, an interesting feature about this app is that, even after the show, the app is still functional, allowing people to stay connected with United Fresh year-round. The app offers member alerts, news updates, United Fresh events and programming bulletins, as well as other new features to help extend the value of United Fresh membership. United Fresh has done a great job at capturing its audience with an initial benefit, and then making the most of that captured audience by offering information that will keep them around and up-to-date on its future endeavors.