Event apps may be consolidating

Posted by: Chris Aylott

Thursday, June 21st, 2012

The busy event app market may be thinning out. Techcrunch reports that the event management company Cvent has scooped up two app developers in the last ten days.

Cvent is making a dramatic investment in event app developers.

Cvent bought the Austin-based app developer Seed Labs last week, and announced the purchase of CrowdCompass on Tuesday. Both companies made customized event guides for iPhones and Android devices. We recently reviewed the Crowdcompass apps, calling them useful and accessible.

So far, there’s been no clear winner in the event app development market, and it makes sense that a larger event management company would try to bring that function in-house. Cvent seems determined to make a splash in the mobile market, and has highlighted both CrowdCompass and Seed Labs on its website. The page promises that Cvent can supply “mobile apps for events of all kinds.”

However, the acquisitions raise some questions. Will they continue? Should other app developers be looking for a big payday from a buyout? Could mobile apps replace web-based event management software?

What do you think?