CHEP 2018 conference app — real-time Indico updates for 575 computing specialists in Sofia

The 23rd International Conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP 2018) took place at Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria, from 9 to 13 July 2018, welcoming approximately 575 participants from laboratories and universities worldwide. CHEP is the premier conference for software, computing infrastructure, and data management in particle and nuclear physics.

The programme was structured around 8 scientific tracks covering online computing, offline computing, distributed computing, data management, networking, software development, and more. With 550 contributions, 188 of them posters, the schedule was dense and highly parallel, making on-site navigation a genuine challenge.

The Challenge: Keeping Pace with a Fast-Moving Computing Programme

CHEP sessions frequently feature live software demonstrations and spontaneous discussions that cause time overruns or slot swaps. The Indico-based timetable was the single source of truth, but the volume of last-minute changes made it difficult for attendees to rely solely on periodic PDF updates or the Indico web interface.

How HEPCon Helped

HEPCon automatically imported the full CHEP 2018 Indico timetable, preserving all 8 tracks and their hierarchical session structure. When organisers adjusted time slots in Indico, the changes propagated to the mobile app within minutes.

Push notifications alerted attendees to room changes, session delays, and newly announced social events. The progressive web app ensured the agenda loaded instantly even during peak-usage periods when venue Wi-Fi was congested.

Outcome

Organisers reported a noticeable reduction in repetitive email announcements about schedule changes, as push notifications handled this automatically. Attendees navigated automatically between parallel tracks throughout the week, spending less time searching for rooms and more time engaging with content.