Mobile phone app adds to 2013 festival experience

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, December 17, 2012

Mobile phone app adds to 2013 festival experience

A mobile phone app, developed by Hawke’s Bay firm Social Kiwi, will enhance the visitor experience of those attending the 10th annual Blues, Brews and BBQs event in Hastings next year.

The “Blues Brews app” is expected to be launched within a week, ahead of the festival event which will be held at the Waikoko Gardens at the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds in Hastings, on January 19, 2013.

Visitors will be able to download the app to view a complete programme of the festival and a range of other options.

It will include a site map of the layout of the Waikoko Gardens venue, as well as where the food and drink stations will be set up and a list of produce those stations will provide.

There will also be a full list of all of the performers attending the festival, a timetable to show when they will be on stage.

Social Kiwi is based in Hastings and its managing director Joshua Woodham said the company had developed about 12 similar apps for businesses around New Zealand but this was the first to support an event.

“The organizers of the festival have sent through all of the information on the event and the app is almost ready to go.

“Updating the app with any changes to the festival programme can be done within five minutes. And in fact we will be sending out live updates, or push notifications, on the day to promote specials on offer at the festival.

“For example, if there is a food station which wants to offer a 10 per cent discount over a 20 minute period, we’re able to send a text message to everyone who has the phone app to let them know.”

Hawke’s Bay tele-communications company, NOW, will also be working at the festival, providing free Wi-Fi access at Waikoko Gardens on the day of the big event.

“We hope this will encourage as many people as possible to use the app.”

The Blues Brews app is being developed by the Social Kiwi’s separate entity, snAPP, which is a joint venture with Hawke’s Bay’s Attn! Marketing director Damon Harvey.

Mr Woodham said the app would be used as a blueprint for others Social Kiwi has been asked to develop for event organizers around New Zealand.

“This will be the foundation we can build on. Blues, Brews and BBQs will also have access to the app next year and be able to build further on its features, so we’re not starting from scratch.”

Festival organizer Kevin Murphy said it was exciting to be able to offer a unique phone app at the event for the first time.

“From my point of view, in terms of organsing the event, having all of the festival information uploaded to a phone app and available to people will be a big advantage.

“More and more people are using mobile technology in this fashion and it seems to be the way to go.”

The mobile app will be launched alongside a Facebook promotion to encourage people to download it using a QR code.

Mr Murphy said the promotion will include a chance for one person and five friends to win a limousine ride to the festival event.

The lucky winners will get The Black Rose Limo VIP ride to the festival accompanied by the famous, in New Zealand, Tui Girls.

To enter the promotion, people will be asked if they want to register in a draw and then they will need to upload any photos they have of past festival beer handles they may have collected by attending previous Blues, Brews and BBQs events over the past decade.

Mr Murphy said the winner will be drawn at a function on Thursday, January 10, 2013.

To download the Blue Brews app, people can use the QR code which will appear soon on the website www.bluesbrews.co.nz and Facebook page @ Blues Brews & BBQ Festival Hawkes Bay.

The Blues Brews app will also appear in the app stores of mobile phone providers.
ends

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