When the United States and Canada shut down their borders in early March the immediate impact on the tourism industry was clear. As vacations were cancelled and refunds were processed, the tourism industry took a hard look at what recovery would feel like. Traveler sentiments were disheartening at times, and it felt like the quarantine would never end.
However, during all of this, many visionary clients reached out to Bandwango at various stages of their recovery. From the initial days that were spent brainstorming ways to help restaurants stay afloat to later shifts of annual events into virtual spaces, Bandwango has been powering tourism solutions throughout various stages of recovery.
“The flexibility of our technology has been a key factor in crafting solutions that saw DMOs, Chambers of Commerce and Associations through quarantine. Now, those same solutions are transitioning their destinations into the new normal.
Proving economic impact became a necessity for so many organizations beginning in March, and I’m really proud of the role Bandwango plays in that conversation. Our biggest strength lies in proving that our clients are an essential part of stimulating local economies and keeping local businesses running.
This was such a difficult time for so many people, and I’ve been really impressed with the creativity, hard work and focus of our clients and the Bandwango team. With the challenges that COVID-19 has presented to the travel and tourism industry, watching our clients persevere and introduce into market innovative programs has really highlighted the strength of the tourism industry. I’m really proud to have Bandwango be a part of it.”
-Mo Parikh, CEO, Bandwango
We’re reaching a critical point in recovery where many DMOs are looking towards new budget cycles, working with smaller teams and trying to guess what the new normal will look like. While no one can guess what will happen next year or even next month, Bandwango wanted to take a step back and celebrate our clients and their accomplishments during this incredibly hard time.
Overall Statistics
From May 1 to September 1, Bandwango signed 50 new clients
With those clients came 1,140 new merchants into the Bandwango network
From May 1 to September 1, Bandwango launched 59 new passes
Client initiatives launched from May 1 to September 1 drove 45,702 sign-ups
Those initiatives also accounted for 1,024 passes sold
Client initiatives that launched from May 1 to September 1 generated $63,502 in transactional revenue
May Launches
Spotlight
Heart of Willamette Winery Passport
The Heart of Willamette Winery Passport has been a paper initiative in years past, but this year Heart of Willamette Winery Association teamed up with Visit Corvallis to launch the tasting pass on Bandwango’s mobile platform. The association’s annual fundraiser entered the market at an interesting time. During COVID-19 their goals were to exceed last year’s sales and support wineries during this difficult time. They accomplished both!
- 183 passports sold
- 551 redemptions
- $5,490 generated in revenue
The association has been so impressed with the ease of use and sales that they’ve extended the life of the 2020 passport until December. They’ve also decided to launch a second season of the passport which will begin in 2021!
June Launches
Spotlight
Iowa State Park Passport
Bandwango’s first state tourism client, Travel Iowa, contracted the platform in March 2020 as a solution for celebrating the 100th anniversary of their state park system, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The Iowa State Park Passport showcases more than 60 state parks and incentivizes locals and visitors to get outdoors with friends and family.
- 13,094 sign-ups
- 23,295 check-ins
- 8,462 marketing opt-ins
“In a very short period of time, Bandwango has completely elevated all that is possible for Travel Iowa and the level of value we deliver to our partners.” – Amy Zeigler, Digital Marketing Manager, Travel Iowa
Read the full case study here
- Visit Sebring’s Friends & Family Pass
- Travel Iowa Gift Card Marketplace
- Visit Lake Charles Local Savings Pass
- Visit Charleston’s Team Charleston Savings Pass
- Greater Grand Lake’s Wapakoneta Shop Small Crawl
- Discover Clermont’s Pizza Trail
- Cheyenne’s Daddy of the Malt Pass
- New Braunfels’ Live Local Savings Pass
- Great Rivers & Routes’ Walk With Lincoln Tour
- Norfolk Virginia Beach’s At Last Savings Pass
- Corpus Christi’s See You Soon CC Pass
- Ottawa Tourism’s #MyOttawa Pass
July Launches
Spotlight
Fraser, Colorado’s Mountain Mural Walk
Fraser, Colorado’s Mountain Mural Festival couldn’t take place this year like it normally would, but that didn’t mean it had to be cancelled altogether… Bandwango powered their digital solution, the Fraser Mountain Mural Walk, which featured a guide to the 20 murals along the walk with check-ins along the route.
- 20 murals
- 443 sign-ups
- 3,538 check-ins at murals along the walk
- 415 votes captured for most popular murals
“The Fraser Mountain Mural Festival was a huge success the previous year and we wanted to continue the event and provide the community with a fun safe event and a sense of normalcy during COVID-019,” Sarah Wieck said. “By adjusting the layout of the event, spreading it out throughout town, and using Bandwango to engage the event-goers, it proved to be an even bigger success than 2019. The businesses all had record sales and the participants loved the gamification aspect of the event.”
- Visit Colorado Springs 2020 Crafts & Drafts Pass
- Visit KC’s Savings Pass
- Cheyenne Legendary Pass
- Waterloo’s WAGRAW Pass
- Richmond’s Discovery Pass
- Springfield’s Ozarks Tap Tour
- Galveston’s Views, Brews & Tails Patio Pass
- Winter Park’s Hungry Hikers & Savings Pass
- Lake County’s Restaurant Rally
- #BurlON Fun Pass
- Longmont’s 2020 Crazy Good Craft Pass
- Experience Columbus Coffee Trail
- Experience Columbus’s Short North Arts District Trail
- Louisiana Northshore’s Tammany Taste of Summer Pass
August Launches
Spotlight
Experience Grand Rapids Restaurant Week
Grand Rapids Restaurant Week switched gears this year with a digital passport powered by Bandwango. Diners could use the pass to check in at participating restaurants for dine in or carry out, but the real kicker was that diners would receive a return visit coupon at every restaurant they checked into!
- 59 participating restaurants
- 2,300 digital passport sign-ups
- 1,083 check-ins
- 121 free foodie prizes earned
Best of all, the client surveyed passholders at the end of the week to determine how they felt about the pass. 94% of people surveyed enjoyed using the new Restaurant Week GR Digital Pass and 99% of people planned to return to use their digital passport.
These statistics were also shared here
- Stafford County Savings Pass
- Great Rivers & Routes’ Rivers, Routes & Refreshments Pass
- Visit Hampton’s Sea to Stars Pass
- Visit KC’s Season 4 Tap Tour
- Tourism Calgary’s Love YYC Pass
- Discover The Palm Beaches Ale Trail
- Huntsville’s Show Your Badge Pass
- Visit Allen’s Shop Local Play Pass
- Explore Edmonton Brew Pass
- Discover Long Island’s Downtown Deals Pass
- Butler County’s Extra Sweet Savings Pass
- North Alabama’s Wine Trail
- Amarillo Panhandle Savings Pass
- Winter Park Roam & Ride Pass
- Colorado Springs’ Peak of Safety Pass
- Newport Beach Dine Pass
- LA <3 Campaign
- North Alabama’s Waterfall Trail
A huge congratulations goes to our clients who have worked so hard these past few months. If you’re a DMO inspired by these passes, reach out and schedule a demo. We’re excited to keep aiding local economies through this tough time and showing that DMOs are an integral part of all communities.
Let's Make Travel Better
Bandwango empowers destinations to uniquely appeal to various visitor types with engaging experiences via the convenience of their mobile phone. This, in turn, gives destination marketers a wide array of data to analyze redemption and usage data, spot trends, track leads and prove economic impact.
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