Destination Cleveland Mobile App Now Available for Download in time for RNC
Organization Aims to Provide Enhanced Experience Convention Visitors and Beyond
CLEVELAND(July 16, 2016) - Destination Cleveland, the convention and visitors bureau of Greater Cleveland, launched its new mobile application today to provide an enhanced and interactive digital experience for visitors to Cleveland and Northeast Ohio during the Republican National Convention. The app can be found under the name Destination Cleveland in the App Store and on Google Play.
The new app features detailed information about the region’s visitor attractions; an event calendar filtered by event type and visitor interest(s); a map identifying restaurants, hospitality venues and attractions; articles from ThisisCleveland.com; tourism videos and access to Destination Cleveland’s social media channels along with the ThisisCLE.com blog.
“Our goal in building the app was twofold: We wanted to provide visitors with different media formats they can use to learn about attractions and events in Cleveland once they arrive, as well as provide an additional marketing service for future meeting planners in Cleveland,” said Colette Jones, vice president of marketing, Destination Cleveland. “The exciting element is that Destination Cleveland’s app, paired with industry-leading software and hardware, will eventually allow users to customize their trip based on their location, actions and interests.”
Innovative Technology
Beacon and proximity-based technology, such as geo-fencing, have also been incorporated into the application to enhance the leisure visitor experience. Beacons have been installed at several locations throughout the city which will prompt passersby with messaging to engage with the Cleveland brand via #ThisisCLE. In the future, the app will push messaging to a user’s mobile device about nearby locations in one’s immediate surroundings.
Also at a later date, Destination Cleveland is planning to provide enhanced technology through the app for those who are attending meetings and conventions in Cleveland. Customized schedule information and other pertinent event details will be housed in a meeting-specific section of the app and will still allow users to access the destination-related information.
Partners
The Cleveland mobile app is the result of collaboration between Destination Cleveland and leading digital experts from several innovative companies.
Local digital strategy experts, Mike Conley, vice president of digital for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Jason Therrien, president of thunder::tech, and his team guided the effort in tandem with Eventbase, the leading mobile technology platform for premium events, to create the app. Based in Vancouver, Eventbase was the app developer for several premier events including SXSW, Comic-Con International, Sundance Film Festival and the London and Vancouver Olympics. The Destination Cleveland app is the first app that Eventbase has created for a destination marketing organization.
Leading mobile engagement platform companies Gimbal and Urban Airship are providing the beacon and proximity-based technology. Gimbal, a location intelligence platform, provided beacons, hardware and integration support for the app while Urban Airship provided the mobile engagement platform to send location-targeted push notifications and rich in-app messages to users. In addition, inTouch, a Cleveland-based start-up software development company, is sharing its existing beacon network with Destination Cleveland.
“The collaboration and contributions of each of our app development partners were instrumental in our effort to create a tool that people will want to download and use regularly,” Jones continued. “Our goal is to continue developing this initial release in a way that will further integrate our online presence at ThisisCleveland.com into the app.”
To download the app, visit www.thisiscleveland.com/app.
To learn more about Destination Cleveland or to keep up-to-date on new developments and activities, please visit www.thisiscleveland.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland's convention and visitors bureau. This private non-profit organization's mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. Cleveland welcomes nearly 17 million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.
