HEPCon

Overview

HEPCon concentrates on delivering and navigating the event programme rather than covering every part of event management. Attendees can browse anonymously, keep a personal schedule and consult the agenda without an internet connection. That focus should suit content-heavy conferences; teams seeking a broad event operations suite should look elsewhere.

Organizers can import or sync programmes from Indico, EasyChair, ConfTool, Confex, OpenConf, EDAS, OpenReview and Microsoft CMT, or use CSV and Excel exports. Public Indico, EasyChair and ConfTool agendas can generate a private preview in about 30 seconds. Export-based setup is handled within 48 hours, so those teams need to allow more time.

Key features

The app stores the programme, abstracts and maps locally, making the complete agenda useful even when venue connectivity is poor. Full-text and semantic search help attendees find relevant sessions in a crowded programme, while LaTeX rendering is a practical addition for technical material. Parallel-session conflict detection helps organizers spot scheduling clashes, and change logs make programme revisions easier to follow.

Live updates, announcements and push notifications are included with Pro, rather than the free Core plan. HEPCon also supports interactive maps, sponsor visibility and messaging, although the published plan descriptions do not assign every feature to a particular tier. An organization-specific App Store and Google Play edition is an Enterprise add-on by arrangement, published alongside the event within the shared HEPCon app.

Infrastructure is hosted in Frankfurt, Germany, on Google Cloud’s europe-west3 region. Attendees may browse anonymously; institutional OIDC sign-in is available on request. HEPCon says it minimizes data collection and does not sell attendee data.

Pricing

HEPCon is freemium, with one-time paid pricing based on a fixed quote for programme complexity and no per-attendee fees. Organizers can evaluate the service using live conference data for as long as needed, with the go-live decision due one week before the event.

Core’s contribution ceiling makes it a poor fit once a programme grows beyond 49 contributions. Pro and Enterprise expand the contribution range and capabilities, but their starting prices are not guaranteed totals: each is quoted according to programme complexity. Formal quotes, VAT invoices, purchase orders and bank transfer support procurement; HEPCon says it usually replies within 24 hours.

Platforms

HEPCon is available on Android, iOS and the web, giving attendees mobile and browser access to the same event agenda.

Who it's for

Scientific, medical, engineering and professional-association organizers are the natural audience, particularly when their schedules contain many parallel sessions or technical abstracts. It is less compelling for teams that need an all-purpose event-management platform rather than a specialized conference programme.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Full programme, abstracts and maps work offline, which reduces dependence on venue connectivity.
• Pros: LaTeX rendering, semantic search and conflict detection address practical demands of technical, multi-track agendas.
• Pros: No per-attendee fees and a free tier make the contribution-based model attractive for smaller programmes and predictable to scope by programme size.
• Cons: Core is limited to programmes under 50 contributions, so a growing event may need a paid tier.
• Cons: Paid plans use fixed quotes based on programme complexity, which makes the listed starting prices an uncertain budget figure.
• Cons: Custom branded app publishing is an Enterprise add-on by arrangement, not a standard capability of the lower tiers.

Alternatives

Event Mobile App Software is the broader category to explore when comparing event-app options beyond a programme-focused service.

• Amego is worth considering for events with 50 attendees or fewer that want its free Spark plan, which includes 1,000 AI credits and unlimited attendees.
• Cvent is an alternative for organizers who want to license only the solutions they need; its registration product can be tried for free.
• Grip Onsite is another paid event-app option to compare.
• PheedLoop is an alternative with paid event-dashboard and registration options, including a Core Event Dashboard at 950.00 USD per month for 100–499 users.
• Webex Events Onsite may suit organizations with select Webex Suite Enterprise Agreements, as its Webex Events offering is available through those agreements.
• CrowdComms is another paid option for organizations comparing event apps.
• Navon Event Mobile App is another paid mobile event-app option.
• Eventbase is a paid alternative for teams focused on iOS and Android.

Verdict

Choose HEPCon for a technical or content-heavy conference where offline agenda access, dense programme search and contribution-based pricing matter more than broad event operations. Its specialist scheduling tools and no per-attendee fees are the strongest reasons to choose it; look elsewhere if you need a wider event-management suite or a predictable paid total before receiving a complexity-based quote.