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INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Going to an NRECA conference? There’s an app for that—or there soon will be.

Vern Dosch of NISC talks to conference attendees about the CEO Close-Up app. (Photo By: Michael W. Kahn)

The association has partnered with the National Information Solutions Cooperative to develop smartphone apps for several of its annual events. The first debuted here Jan. 23 at CEO Close-Up.

“The goal of this app is to put together a piece of software that gives you everything you need to know as you navigate your way through this conference,” said Vern Dosch, NISC president and CEO.

Available for Apple and Android devices, the free app has several features, including a personal calendar. When a user clicks on a session or learning lab, it’s added to the calendar, building a customized schedule.

Conference centers can be easy to get lost in, but the app will help you. The room is listed for every session, and if you click it, a map appears.

Liked the presentation a speaker gave? Want the slides? No problem.

“If the speaker has a handout—a PDF, a white paper, a Power Point—it can be accessed via the app. At the bottom left hand corner there’s a handout,” Dosch explained. Click on it and the presentation is yours.

If you like particular speakers at a session, you can click on their names to see if they are participating in other sessions.

Even at the end of the day, the app is helpful when you’re in a new town.

“If you click on the ‘Local Information’ link at the bottom, it’s going to go on to a site that looks at all of the local eating places,” Dosch said. “If you click on one, it will give you a map of where it’s located, an idea of approximately how expensive it is, and, probably the most important part, it provides reviews.”

NISC plans to develop apps for other NRECA events, including the annual meeting and Connect.

To download the app, search for “CEO Close-Up” in iTunes or the Android Market.

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Tags: CEO Close-Up, National Information Solutions Cooperative, R&D