App Available to Enhance Winter Institute 12 Experience

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Booksellers, publishers, authors, and others attending Winter Institute 12 can now download the ABA Institutes app, available for iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Android devices. The free app is designed to enhance their overall experience at the event, which begins Friday, January 27, in Minneapolis.

Wi12 app screenshotThe ABA Institutes app, which was first introduced in June 2016 for the fourth ABC Children’s Institute (Ci4), has drawn praise from booksellers, according to Greg Galloway, director of ABA technology.

“We received a lot of feedback from people who said the app allowed them to make the most of their time and made the institute easier to navigate,” said Galloway.

Mobile device users can download the ABA Institutes app by clicking this link, where they will be directed to the App Store or Google Play, depending on their device. Those who still have the ABA Institutes app used at Ci4 should already see the Wi12 event in the app.

When the app is installed, the ABA logo will appear as the app icon. Inside the app, the Winter Institute logo will take users to more information about the January 27-30 program.

All Wi12 attendees will need to create new accounts to access the complete array of app features. The “Using This App” guide provides details about how to log in and more.

Through the app, users will be able to access the Winter Institute schedule along with full session descriptions and create their own personal agendas by adding individual events to their schedule. The app also allows users to message fellow attendees and share contact info; view the keynote and featured speakers, plus the complete list of attending authors; and explore a map of the hotel with session locations and a city map of Minneapolis.

“This will be the third time we’ve used the CrowdCompass platform but only the second time we have used our own dedicated app,” said Galloway. “The app helps us analyze bookseller feedback on institute programming as quickly as possible.

“It also helps with environmental concerns since we are trying to decrease our paper footprint by encouraging booksellers to fill out session evaluations on the app. We hope to eventually have a paperless evaluation process and a less paper-dependent institute.”

The app will also be used by ABA to disseminate late-breaking news or schedule changes, so users should allow for push notifications to get real-time alerts; changes will also be listed within the app. Reminders about the ABA Institutes app, as well as additional instructions for how to sign in and use the app, will be visible on signage throughout the hotel.

The minimum operating system requirement for using the app on Apple devices is iOS 8; for Android devices, 4.1. App content is also visible on a web version.

Questions about the app should be sent to Greg Galloway.