Blues fest keeps digital tabs on fans

KITCHENER — Organizers of the Kitchener Blues Festival are using the latest in mobile technology to see what people like about the four-day event that attracts an estimated 85,000 music fans to the downtown.

Festivalgoers can download a contest to their smartphones called Find The Thrill at www.findthethrill.com. As they walk around the downtown, information about their location and what they are doing will be collected by LoyaltyMatch Inc. and The Look Company.

Festival organizers retained the two firms to gather and analyze the information and refine the festival’s brand.

The aim is to help the festival and its sponsors identify what is working, what people prefer, what products they buy and what restaurants they go to.

“All of those things that help the festival say to the sponsors: ‘It is worthwhile to be involved,’” said Bill Warelis, vice-president of corporate communications and marketing for Kitchener-based LoyaltyMatch.

Five kiosks will be set up near the stage and elsewhere displaying a contest-entry code. The codes will change hourly. Festivalgoers can enter the codes into their smartphones. They will qualify for prizes, and provide valuable data about their movements around the festival.

“We certainly think we are applying it in a new way,” said Warelis of the location-tracking data that will be collected.

“This is something, especially for festivals. It is very difficult for them to collect data on the music fans who come, and how that benefits both fans and sponsors.”

LoyaltyMatch uses a cloud-based, gamification platform to measure loyalty and engagement. Its clients include well-known music venues across the United States, including The 9:30 Club in Washington D.C., the outdoor concert venue in Columbia, Md., called Merriweather Post Pavilion, the Lincoln Theatre in Washington D.C., the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Ore., the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Complete Ticketing Solutions.

“We have carved out a bit of a niche in terms of music venues and festivals, particularly in the U.S.,” said Warelis.

The Kitchener Blues Festival is outdoors with multiple stages, so that makes it more interesting for LoyaltyMatch.

“People are moving around, that makes it more difficult,” said Warelis. “They have to engage in a certain way, and in this case it’s the contest.”

The Look Company, based in Barrie, specializes in branding services for professional sporting events and retailers.