Ever lose your friends at a crowded concert and found it difficult to relocate them? Or told your friend about an awesome gig the night before only to realise she was there too and neither of you knew?
Apparently the folks down at Australian event ticketing behemoth Ticketek have run into this problem, as in addition to updating their smartphone apps for iPhone and iPod touch with a ton of new features, they’ve also invented something they’re calling ‘Friend Spotter’.
Established in 1979, Ticketek is the leading ticketing partner to the sports and live entertainment industry in Australia and New Zealand, selling over 18 million tickets to more than 13,000 events each year.
Launched today in Australia and New Zealand, the new Ticketek App for iPhone and iPod touch offers a simpler platform to browse events, purchase tickets and share event experiences with friends, the latest addition to Ticketek’s mobile suite which already includes a fully-optimised mobile site and mobile tickets which support Apple’s Passbook.
Some of the other new featured include a What’s On guide, which uses location services to display a calendar of events happening nearby and is integrated with Ticketek’s mCommerce platform so you can purchase tickets to any event on the go and have your mobile tickets automatically added to your personal Ticket Wallet within the app.
“This app is about making ticketing more streamlined and convenient for our customers, while providing the tools to enhance their event experience,” said Cameron Hoy, Managing Director, Ticketek Australia.
“We are seeing a rapid shift in the way customers purchase tickets, with close to 30% of our digital traffic coming through the mobile platform. Mobile is the future in this industry, and our new app extends our existing market-leading mobile platform to create a more engaged experience for fans.”
But it is the unique social sharing feature Friend Spotter that has been developed exclusively for the Ticketek App which is sure to turn more than a few heads and probably raise a few concerns amongst privacy advocates.
According to Ticketek, the Friend Spotter feature uses “state-of-the-art augmented reality technology” that will allow Facebook friends locate each other instantly in a crowd using their iPhone camera viewfinder.
“In a world-first, our new social sharing feature Friend Spotter uses cutting edge technology to link fans socially at an event,” adds Hoy. “We see our iPhone app as an opportunity to take the event experience beyond the ticket, and provide a real-time means for fans to connect with friends and share their event experiences.”
So you know that creepy ex you avoid every time you seem them at a concert? You should probably delete them off Facebook before you install this app.
Still, if you like the idea of Facebook friends interrupting you while you’re trying to watch a show, the Ticketek App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.
