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South by Southwest?s big beacon play emphasizes meaningful networking

South by Southwest?s mobile application is taking beacon technology to a new level by leveraging more than 1,000 Gimbal proximity beacons with Apple iBeacon technology to deliver hyper-local networking opportunities for attendees at the set of conferences and festivals.

The app also has a social networking feature to let those going to the annual March event in Austin, TX know when they are near people with similar interests. The initiative, one of the largest-ever uses of beacons for festivals, points to the potential in the low-cost, low-energy transmitters which are quickly becoming a mainstay of mobile marketing. 

?Networking is such an important aspect of SXSW, but it does not come naturally to everyone,? said Jeff Sinclair, co-founder of Eventbase. ?We are trying to deliver that nirvana use case where you walk in to a room and instantly know who everyone is and who you might want to talk to.  

?If we can send attendees home with even one new connection or experience they wouldn?t have had otherwise, then we?ve done our job,? he said.

Checking in
SXSW and Eventbase are working closely with Gimbal, RightRound, and Urban Airship to pioneer the technology at scale.

Delivering a nirvana use case for networkers.

When a visitor walks into an SXSW venue and opts-in to participate, the app will prompt him or her to check in to see who is at the venue at that moment.

?Most of the iBeacon implementations you read about are from retailers, who promise to give you a special offer for checking in at their store,? Mr. Sinclair said. 

?We?ve stayed away from spam messages and tried to focus on using iBeacon technology to improve an attendee?s experience and remove the friction from common event activities like collecting your badge, session participation and networking.?  

During the Music Festival, Around Me will prompt users to jump directly to the venue page and see what artists are currently showcased - helpful as the visitor moves from venue to venue.

Besides Around Me, which lets visitors tap beacon technology to network with nearby attendees, find venues and see who is performing nearby, the new app will include Attendee Matching, which uses tags in an attendee's profile to make matches with fellow attendees and amplify the benefits of the social networking tool.

Another app feature is Session Live, which lets participants see who is in a session with them and join a discussion.

Other features of the app allow guests to connect with Facebook friends at SXSW, visually explore what is on at SXSW, browse the entire event list category, view sessions by day and find venues by list or map.

Latest technology
SXSW has always strived to integrate the latest technologies into the fabric of the event, from high-density Wi-Fi to radio frequency identification and live video streaming. This year?s iBeacon program is another case of using cutting edge technology to bring people together.

Continuing the SXSW theme of discovery.

?SXSW has always been about discovery - new bands, new films, new technology but also about discovering and connecting people,? said Scott Wilcox, director of technology for SXSW. ?The goal of the iBeacon program is to enhance the festival experience by allowing attendees to network with others nearby, quickly find out which showcasing artists are on stage, and more.?

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York