THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Phone app provides info on downtown Sydney.
The Port of Sydney is offering for download a phone app that provides information on downtown businesses and attractions for visitors.
Nicole MacAulay, acting manager of marketing and development with the port, said the app is in its second year and seems to have been well received. Working with a local company, they took the port’s traditional paper walking map and transferred all of the information contained on it to the mobile app.
It was primarily aimed at cruise ship passengers initially, but MacAulay said others should be able to find useful information through it as well.
“We worked through a couple of little kinks and feel like it’s going much better so far this year,” MacAulay said. “We’ll see at the end of October when we have the end of the cruise ship season, how everyone feels about the app at that point, because we have some heavy traffic coming.
“Although we did it for cruise, we know it’s reaching beyond our gates, for sure.”
Feedback from app users has been good, she said.
MacAulay didn’t have a figure available for the number of downloads to date, but said she will do an analysis of data at the end of the season.
Visitors are made aware of the app’s availability by various measures including dockside promotion by port staff and at the visitors information centre located inside the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion. Local hotels also share information about the app with guests. The free download is available for both Android and Apple devices.
Businesses are able to sign on for inclusion in the app for a relatively small fee per season. In exchange, the app shows their location and they can control the content they provide to it, such as pictures, special events, promotions or specials.
“They can put whatever information they want out there and connect it to their own websites,” MacAulay said. “The more businesses that we add on, the better it looks and the more interactive it can become. I think as businesses add on, we can grow its potential, too.”
MacAulay added the port intends to also continue to make the printed map available to visitors, for those who don’t use smart phones or are simply more inclined to use the physical guide.
More information about the app can be found at http://www.sydneyport.ca/sydney-waterfront-districtapp/.