Convention and visitors bureaus around the country have gone app-happy, with plenty of new and recent apps available to help make visiting and event planning easier than ever.
Here’s a roundup of some of the top apps available for planners to consider when going mobile, from Clearwater to Colorado Springs.
Visit Baltimore
Visit Baltimore recently created a new app, Baltimore InSite, that aims to give planners easy access to everything Charm City has to offer.
“Baltimore InSite captures downtown Baltimore and nearby neighborhoods street-by-street and building-by-building,” says Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore. “With its easy-to-use set of icons, meeting professionals can explore the Baltimore Convention Center floor-by-floor, see how many hotels would be needed to assemble a room block, find the perfect venue and learn more about restaurants and private dining facilities.”
The new app not only lists substantial attractions, but summarizes their meeting space offerings and/or private dining possibilities as well, and also lists such key city details as transportation routes. Noonan says that Visit Baltimore spent more than a year perfecting the app, and calls it “the perfect tool for meeting professionals.”
Visit Fairfax
Visit Fairfax, the official DMO for Fairfax County, Va., created an app available for Apple and Android devices that was hailed as New & Noteworthy by Apple upon its launch. The app is designed to inform visitors about the region’s singular attractions, help them navigate public transpo, and much more.
“Since its launch, hundreds of thousands of consumers have downloaded it to quickly find information about Fairfax County attractions, hotels and restaurants,” says Alison Morris, destination marketing specialist for Visit Fairfax. “It offers many interactive features such as mapping technology, consumer reviews through Yelp!, an updated event calendar, and special offers from area businesses. It really is like a tour guide in your pocket and is an ideal tool for planners who are looking for a way to enhance their group’s experience in Fairfax County.” PageBreak
Visit KC
“The Visit KC mobile app was launched in June 2012, and since then we’ve received incredible feedback from convention groups and their attendees,” says Derek Klaus, senior communications manager for Visit KC (Mo.). “More than 13,000 travelers have downloaded the free app through the iPhone and Android marketplaces. Whether you’re looking for a nearby place to eat or just something to do between meetings, the geo-location and calendar features are definitely the most popular.”
Klaus adds that Visit KC has just released a free iPad app as well, which came out this past summer.
Visit Clearwater
Clearwater, Fla.’s destination mobile app was launched last spring and is now available for free download in both Android and iPhone formats.
“Featuring a map of attractions, a photo gallery and information tabs, the app is a quick and highly informative tool for new visitors to the destination,” says Joelle Castelli, public communications director for the city of Clearwater. “Meeting planners will be able to quickly access knowledge of the destination and get an overall feel for the sparkling locale. Tabs on activities, beaches, events, shopping options, sightseeing excursions and water sports easily identify the area’s highlights and can’t-miss activities. A final fascinating feature is a favorites tab so users will be able to bookmark their most appealing activities, keeping track of what they want to do while in the destination.”
Newport Beach & Company
In sunny Newport Beach, Calif., a Mobile Concierge app is now available that packs in plenty of info—and interactivity— for planners.
“We developed this app to enable the visitor, meeting planner and meeting attendee to have a ‘mobile concierge’ in the palm of their hand,” says Erin Ramsauer, public relations and communications manager for Newport Beach & Company.
“This ‘one-stop’ app detects your current GPS location and provides a virtual guide for the visitor to find nearby attractions, hotels, shops, restaurants and more,” she adds. “Featuring a user-friendly interface, the app also provides real-time weather, local event information and an interactive map—turning your phone into your own personal concierge service.”
Using the exclusive Virtual Location feature, attendees can also explore different areas of Newport Beach by selecting any point of interest on the map to visualize what is around them. The app also includes a Favorites section, where points of interest, businesses and promotions may be conveniently saved and shared with friends. PageBreak
Visit South Walton
Visiting South Walton, Fla., is like a day at the beach, with the new Visit South Walton Perfect Beach app.
“The new iPhone and Android app was produced by Visit South Walton and is a useful tool for meeting planners and attendees alike,” says Director of Marketing and Communications Jon Ervin. “The highly visual app is user-friendly and provides an advertisement-free experience to help users explore South Walton’s 16 unique beach neighborhoods. Information on South Walton accommodations, dining, events, entertainment, shopping and popular activities, as well as beach conditions and weather, are available at their fingertips.”
Ervin adds that the app even boasts a Sunset Calculator feature, a great resource for event planners looking to capture that ideal time to watch the sun sink into the horizon, and that nature lovers and adventure seekers will like the Ecosploring feature, which maps out activities beyond the beach, highlighting the destination’s state parks and hiking, as well as biking trails.
Colorado Springs CVB
Colorado Springs, Colo.’s mobile app—known as Colorado Springs Travel Info—has been around since 2011, and allows planners and attendees to peruse the many attractions, dining spots, local art performances and much more.
Some of its special features include maps pinpointing your current locale and desired destination, complete with turn-by-turn directions; a comprehensive calendar of local events; search capability; and the chance to directly share Colorado Springs info on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Among the attractions highlighted on the app are destination must-sees such as Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods Park, the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Visit Knoxville
Visit Knoxville released Knoxville, Tenn.’s first app late last year, which puts hundreds of attractions, events, accommodations and restaurants at your fingertips, available for free at the iTunes App Store for iPhone users, as well as for Google-based phones, such as Droids.
“The Visit Knoxville App is a great resource to meeting planners,” says Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville. “The app gives convention attendees listings of hotels, restaurants, attractions, festivals and much more. Another great feature the Visit Knoxville app offers is an updated calendar of events, which allows visitors to know what exciting activities are going on in town.” PageBreak
Visit Frisco
Visit Frisco (Texas) was seemingly one of the first CVBs to enter the app arena, coming onboard in 2010, and has recently seen numerous meeting planners begin to take advantage of the tool.
“We have had great success in getting our local residents and leisure visitors to download our apps, and now more meeting planners are starting to use it as a resource during their conventions in order to provide local dining and entertainment options to their delegates,” says Marla Roe, executive director for the Frisco CVB.
Visit Douglasville
Visit Douglasville, in the Peach State, released a mobile app about a year ago that has been handy to both planners and leisure visitors, according to the CVB’s tourism director, Randi Miles.
“It has been a great asset to our visitors and also the community as a whole,” she says. “Anyone in the area searching for lodging, dining or things to do is able to find everything in one spot by downloading the app. We also have an Event Facilities tab in the app that allows for planners to view the different venue options in Douglasville.”
Visit Fort Worth
Texas’ Fort Worth CVB (FWCVB) launched its new meetings website, MeetinFortWorth.com, earlier this year, and along with the site came an iPad app meeting planner tool designed specifically for destination education site visits.
“It’s important that we offer innovation to our meeting planner clients by making the planning and marketing process seamless for them,” says Bob Jameson, president and CEO of the FWCVB. “MeetinFortWorth.com and our iPad app help us take our message to potential customers, wherever they are. Our customized service, in person and online, leaves a lasting impression.”
Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out the CVB profiles in this issue’s customized destination sections, with key updates and info on CVBs throughout the country.
