EFP App, boosted by EuroPerio9, now has more than 8,000 users

The EFP App, the application for smartphones and tablets that provides news and information about the federation’s activities, now has 8,000 registered users – just four months after its launch.

The addition of the EuroPerio9 App – the special congress “app within an app”, widely used by participants at the Amsterdam congress in June – gave a huge boost to adoption of this new tool for keeping up to date with the EFP.

About 6,500 registrations to the EFP App took place during the four days of the congress. The EuroPerio9 section of the app included details of the programme, a chat facility, and the ability to vote or ask questions during certain sessions.

The very popularity of the app proved to be a bit of a problem, as with so many people trying to vote at the same time, there were occasional bottlenecks on the WiFi network at the RAI Amsterdam congress centre.

Marie Lechner, senior communication manager at Mondial Congress & Events (the EFP’s professional conference organiser), who was responsible for the EuroPerio9 App, said that “despite careful planning, we nevertheless had to face some difficulties related to the WiFi connection onsite – some participants were not able to download the app or use the interactive features.”

She added that “most users found it quite useful” and that the percentage of people who downloaded it – more than half of the congress’s 10,232 participants – “is a very good ratio compared to other medical congresses.”

The EuroPerio9 app will remain active for the next few weeks, but from September the material within it will be put in a section for past events, as attention will turn to preparing for the next important EFP meeting: the Perio Master Clinic in Hong Kong in March 2019.

The EFP will continue to provide regular alerts to users of the app to draw their attention to important news or information about forthcoming events.

The EFP App offers the latest news from the EFP, details of events, access to publications including Perio Insight and JCP Digest, information from the Perio & Caries and Oral Health & Pregnancy projects, and access to the EFP Alumni project.

“We are now planning to get into the second phase of the App, in which we will add some important tools to help users in their daily clinical practice,” said Filippo Graziani, EFP president-elect who has overseen the app’s development.