Need your creative minds: ideas for a "technology" trip

meravm · 1st Dec 2011, 04:48 PM

Hey warriors.

Lately I have started my very own independent business, through which I am working with small to medium businesses, mainly in the tourism industry and offer them different packages of marketing solutions - based on IM, of course.
Yesterday I have been approached by a person who organizes trips, and she said she is interested in organizing a "technology trip"...
"Aha, and what does that mean?"
She explained that she had heard of these funny square codes, that one can scan and see a web page. So she wants to create a route, where every station on that route will have a QR Code, which will reveal an information page about that specific spot.
I told her that I will be more than happy to be involved in such a project.
I sent her some information about QR Codes, and we decided to continue our conversation next week.

I'd like to make it a really cool trip, which involves other mobile elements in addition or using QR Codes. I have a few raw ideas:
I was thinking of using Foursquare along with the QR Codes.
I thought of creating a riddle for every station and make it all like a "treasure hunt" game.

So here comes my question:
Do you have any other creative ideas for such a trip?
I would appreciate any type of idea, just remember we have pretty much zero budget, so everything should be limited to almost no expenses...

Thanks a lot in advance!
To everyone's success,
Merav.

Warrior Ben · 4th Dec 2011, 02:52 PM

Hi Merav,

I got your e-mail regarding this thread... I think this is actually a really good idea.

I would focus the QR Codes on different tourist attractions throughout the city. If there are certain parks or statues with history, then people can get more information about it.

One thing that would be a good thing to do is coordinate with local businesses. While it is good to have QR Codes dispensing information, the bottom line is that the tourism company and surrounding businesses want to make money from it.

If you could coordinate a partnership between the tourism company and local restaurants, then you could provide coupons or discounts to neighboring businesses around the tourist attraction.

You could charge local businesses to be included in the tour and split the money between the tourism business and yourself for putting it together.

Another thing that would be cool is to have an e-mail or SMS capture in the QR Codes so the tourism business can get the customer information and market to them in the future. While the window is small because of the nature of tourism, you could even create a website where people can purchase t-shirts or other souvenirs directly from their mobile phone and have them shipped to their address back home. This would allow the tourists to get souvenirs but not have to worry about packing them in their luggage for the trip home. I know this is often a problem for tourists-- they pack their bags full on trips and have limited room to carry things home.

I hope this helps gets your creative juices flowing. I think you are on the right track and there is definitely an opportunity here. It really comes down to taking action and just getting something going. Once you have the QR Code tour set up you can always add to it down the line.

-Ben

rlhurst · 4th Dec 2011, 07:03 PM

A town not too far from me has several murals painted on the side of buildings. I noticed a rack of flyers outside the Chamber of Commerce office and one was for a self guided walking tour to view the murals. I'm in the process of creating a mobile site to assist in the self tour... pictures of each mural, get directions script, an audio description of the mural from the artists who painted them. Plus, I will have a link to "the best places to eat in town". So, while they're out walking (or driving ) to each mural, and they get hungry, they can have access to the restaurant info as well. I already have a few restaurants signed up for that. I'm donating the mural site to the Mural Society, and plan on charging a small monthly fee for the restaurants that want to be listed on the mobile site. It's a slow process, but one that will benefit everyone eventually.

I was even told by the Chamber director that the town has a grant program for ideas/projects that get visitors to come/stay the night in town. So, I will look into that and see if I can't take advantage of the give away!

MoneyMagnetMagnate · 4th Dec 2011, 07:08 PM

A cool idea...A new way to take people on an Interactive tour -

Sort of "Geocaching" for tourists. The vendors are keys to the map. It can even be a competition or not...depending on the tour, or tourist.

meravm · 5th Dec 2011, 02:42 AM

Thanks a lot Ben for your detailed answer.
Yes, your ideas here are very helpful, especially in the area of the "indirect" services. I was focusing on the tourist attractions, while forgetting that there are other service providers around, that want and can provide value to the tourists and benefit from that...
I love the opportunity of the partnership between the tourism company and the local businesses. I believe such partnerships can bring a lot more opportunities in the future.
And I also want to thank you for reading my email and taking the time to write this post here.

Merav.

Originally Posted by Warrior Ben

One thing that would be a good thing to do is coordinate with local businesses. While it is good to have QR Codes dispensing information, the bottom line is that the tourism company and surrounding businesses want to make money from it.

If you could coordinate a partnership between the tourism company and local restaurants, then you could provide coupons or discounts to neighboring businesses around the tourist attraction.

You could charge local businesses to be included in the tour and split the money between the tourism business and yourself for putting it together.

Another thing that would be cool is to have an e-mail or SMS capture in the QR Codes so the tourism business can get the customer information and market to them in the future. While the window is small because of the nature of tourism, you could even create a website where people can purchase t-shirts or other souvenirs directly from their mobile phone and have them shipped to their address back home. This would allow the tourists to get souvenirs but not have to worry about packing them in their luggage for the trip home. I know this is often a problem for tourists-- they pack their bags full on trips and have limited room to carry things home.

I hope this helps gets your creative juices flowing. I think you are on the right track and there is definitely an opportunity here. It really comes down to taking action and just getting something going. Once you have the QR Code tour set up you can always add to it down the line.

-Ben

meravm · 5th Dec 2011, 02:44 AM

Cool idea: "click here to get a list of the best places to eat"... or: "scan this code for today's specials in the near by gift shops / hotels / restaurants" ... etc.

Thanks!
Merav.

Originally Posted by rlhurst

A town not too far from me has several murals painted on the side of buildings. I noticed a rack of flyers outside the Chamber of Commerce office and one was for a self guided walking tour to view the murals. I'm in the process of creating a mobile site to assist in the self tour... pictures of each mural, get directions script, an audio description of the mural from the artists who painted them. Plus, I will have a link to "the best places to eat in town". So, while they're out walking (or driving ) to each mural, and they get hungry, they can have access to the restaurant info as well. I already have a few restaurants signed up for that. I'm donating the mural site to the Mural Society, and plan on charging a small monthly fee for the restaurants that want to be listed on the mobile site. It's a slow process, but one that will benefit everyone eventually.

I was even told by the Chamber director that the town has a grant program for ideas/projects that get visitors to come/stay the night in town. So, I will look into that and see if I can't take advantage of the give away!

meravm · 5th Dec 2011, 05:57 AM

"Geocaching" - nice... !

Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate

A cool idea...A new way to take people on an Interactive tour -

Sort of "Geocaching" for tourists. The vendors are keys to the map. It can even be a competition or not...depending on the tour, or tourist.

1st Dec 2011, 04:48 PM	#1
meravm Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2009 Location: Israel Posts: 72 Thanks: 17 Thanked 15 Times in 13 Posts	Need your creative minds: ideas for a "technology" trip Share on: Hey warriors. Lately I have started my very own independent business, through which I am working with small to medium businesses, mainly in the tourism industry and offer them different packages of marketing solutions - based on IM, of course. Yesterday I have been approached by a person who organizes trips, and she said she is interested in organizing a "technology trip"... "Aha, and what does that mean?" She explained that she had heard of these funny square codes, that one can scan and see a web page. So she wants to create a route, where every station on that route will have a QR Code, which will reveal an information page about that specific spot. I told her that I will be more than happy to be involved in such a project. I sent her some information about QR Codes, and we decided to continue our conversation next week. I'd like to make it a really cool trip, which involves other mobile elements in addition or using QR Codes. I have a few raw ideas: I was thinking of using Foursquare along with the QR Codes. I thought of creating a riddle for every station and make it all like a "treasure hunt" game. So here comes my question: Do you have any other creative ideas for such a trip? I would appreciate any type of idea, just remember we have pretty much zero budget, so everything should be limited to almost no expenses... Thanks a lot in advance! To everyone's success, Merav.
	Last edited on 1st Dec 2011 at 04:49 PM. Reason: typo

4th Dec 2011, 02:52 PM	#2
Warrior Ben WarriorBen.com War Room Member Join Date: 2010 Posts: 535 Thanks: 7 Thanked 558 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Need your creative minds: ideas for a "technology" trip Share on: Hi Merav, I got your e-mail regarding this thread... I think this is actually a really good idea. I would focus the QR Codes on different tourist attractions throughout the city. If there are certain parks or statues with history, then people can get more information about it. One thing that would be a good thing to do is coordinate with local businesses. While it is good to have QR Codes dispensing information, the bottom line is that the tourism company and surrounding businesses want to make money from it. If you could coordinate a partnership between the tourism company and local restaurants, then you could provide coupons or discounts to neighboring businesses around the tourist attraction. You could charge local businesses to be included in the tour and split the money between the tourism business and yourself for putting it together. Another thing that would be cool is to have an e-mail or SMS capture in the QR Codes so the tourism business can get the customer information and market to them in the future. While the window is small because of the nature of tourism, you could even create a website where people can purchase t-shirts or other souvenirs directly from their mobile phone and have them shipped to their address back home. This would allow the tourists to get souvenirs but not have to worry about packing them in their luggage for the trip home. I know this is often a problem for tourists-- they pack their bags full on trips and have limited room to carry things home. I hope this helps gets your creative juices flowing. I think you are on the right track and there is definitely an opportunity here. It really comes down to taking action and just getting something going. Once you have the QR Code tour set up you can always add to it down the line. -Ben
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4th Dec 2011, 07:03 PM	#3
rlhurst I Do Voice Over Work War Room Member Join Date: 2011 Location: Oregon Posts: 581 Thanks: 34 Thanked 129 Times in 96 Posts	Re: Need your creative minds: ideas for a "technology" trip Share on: A town not too far from me has several murals painted on the side of buildings. I noticed a rack of flyers outside the Chamber of Commerce office and one was for a self guided walking tour to view the murals. I'm in the process of creating a mobile site to assist in the self tour... pictures of each mural, get directions script, an audio description of the mural from the artists who painted them. Plus, I will have a link to "the best places to eat in town". So, while they're out walking (or driving ) to each mural, and they get hungry, they can have access to the restaurant info as well. I already have a few restaurants signed up for that. I'm donating the mural site to the Mural Society, and plan on charging a small monthly fee for the restaurants that want to be listed on the mobile site. It's a slow process, but one that will benefit everyone eventually. I was even told by the Chamber director that the town has a grant program for ideas/projects that get visitors to come/stay the night in town. So, I will look into that and see if I can't take advantage of the give away!
	I do voice over work... here's a SAMPLE

4th Dec 2011, 07:08 PM	#4
MoneyMagnetMagnate Stay Hungry-Stay Foolish War Room Member Join Date: 2010 Location: Location, Location... Posts: 564 Thanks: 464 Thanked 1,722 Times in 1,250 Posts	Re: Need your creative minds: ideas for a "technology" trip Share on: A cool idea...A new way to take people on an Interactive tour - Sort of "Geocaching" for tourists. The vendors are keys to the map. It can even be a competition or not...depending on the tour, or tourist.