The business applications for Foursquare seem to be increasing. As more people join, the more attention the platform is getting from businesses. Albeit Saskatchewan is a little behind the “checkin” train but that doesn’t mean some businesses are trying Foursquare on for size. Just today I found this on Twitter. 
Coda Clothing may not explode with business but I went and bought a shirt to get in the draw, will you?
I believe those who could benefit the most from Foursquare are events like Mosaic. In a three day span, thousands of people will be traveling to and from nineteen different pavilions. Like the Haggis at the Scottish pavilion? Leave a tip for everyone else who checks in there. Want to know which pavilion your friends are at? Or better yet, which pavilion is the most popular? Check Foursquare.
For the Mosaic organizers, create special badges for those who checkin to ten, fifteen and all nineteen different pavilions. Offer a prize to people who checkin at all nineteen pavilions. The pavilions themselves could have a swarm badge where if over fifty people checkin, all food is 50% off for an hour, just as an example but you get my gist.
Why would Mosaic do this? Where is the economic return? How about all the story’s and tidbits of information that people will write about on Twitter and Foursquare. I’m sure the organizing committee would be interested in the feedback left online about how Mosaic 2010 was. Capture and share the positive messaging, and deal with the negative upfront. All the positive comments that were made online now become your messaging towards tourists thinking about visiting Regina. It’s the authentic online story being told that is going to attract people to come in future years.
It seems like a very cost effective method of spreading the word about Mosaic and garnering feedback on how to improve this long standing tradition we host every year in Regina. What do you think? Would it work? Would you checkin somewhere to get a discount? Heck, I sure would!
