Creative Ways to Use Bandwango's Newest Features This Fall and Winter

As the leaves begin to change, so do the possibilities for your destination. As Bandwango continues to launch new ways to build experiences for your visitors, there are some new pass features you may not know about. With everything from Bingo cards to quizzes, there are more ways than ever to keep visitors exploring more in your area. 

While the new features offered by Bandwango can be used at any time throughout the year, the transition into the holiday season opens up some new opportunities to be creative. If you’re looking for out-of-the-box ways to promote your fall festivals, or maybe trying to think up festive ideas for your Christmas tourism campaign, consider using some of the new tools that are available. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

Use the Quiz Feature to Create an Interactive Pumpkin Patch Passport 

Discover Gilbert, Arizona is proof that quizzes work. They used this feature last year to create The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt, and the results speak for themselves. They had over 1,000 sign-ups and over 5,800 check-ins, even though it only lasted for about a month. As visitors explored pumpkin displays during the Harvest in the Heritage District Fall Celebration, they moved throughout the city while staying engaged in the digital quiz-style experience. Discover Gilbert, Arizona did a great job of finding the perfect prize for their pass, too – a limited edition pumpkin plushie. Those that went to all of the locations on the pass were also entered into a grand prize drawing. 

Perhaps you don’t have an artist that has created public art around town. Just ask local businesses to decorate their own pumpkins for their establishments. Visitors can stop at each spot and answer questions at each location in order to earn points. This is a chance for visitors to learn more about your area and be encouraged to visit more places. Don’t worry too much about them knowing the answers to the questions, though. On The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt, almost 40% of the passholders didn’t get the answer correct on the first try – and that’s ok. You have the ability to customize the pass and give participants multiple attempts to get the correct answer. 

Build a Boo Bingo Card

Bingo is having a moment right now, and according to CasinoCenter.com, the game is attracting a new generation of players. In order to create a way for destinations to embrace the resurgence in popularity, Bandwango rolled out a new Bingo feature this year. West Virginia is using it as a way to turn scenic swings into a gamified travel experience with their new SWINGO pass. However, this fun new feature can be used as a way to create short-term, seasonal passes as well. 

With Halloween just around the corner, you can create your own Boo Bingo game for your visitors. First, you’ll build your board. You can choose a 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5 grid. You’ll then fill those squares with a series of Halloween festivities that can include parties, spooky places, and trunk-or-treat events. Each passholder gets their own randomly shuffled card and will be able to win prizes as they visit enough spots to get a Bingo. You can also award a special prize for a full-board blackout. 

Incorporate Video Into Your Christmas Check-In Challenge

We all love Christmas movies, and if you’re lucky enough to have had one filmed in your area, you make the most of that opportunity. Destination Door County created the Door County Christmas Movie Trail that had over 3,000 sign-ups last year. The pass included 16 locations that were featured in the movie, A Cherry Pie Christmas. They also utilized another of Banwango’s cool features – video. Passholders could view the trailer for the movie as they checked in at each location where filming took place. A check in at each stop earned them points that could be used toward prizes such as an exclusive movie-themed coffee mug. Participants could also win coffee from Door County Coffee. There were also five grand prizes – movie posters autographed by the stars of the movie. 

If you haven’t had a Christmas movie filmed in your destination, you can still create another Christmas-themed check-in challenge. For example, Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island has created a Holiday Light Pass that encourages visitors to check in at multiple light festivals throughout their region. 

Host a Sip to the Season Showdown and Let Your Local Restaurants Have a Friendly Competition 

Sweater weather was made for warm and cozy drinks. Seasonal drinks like hot apple cider, pumpkin lattes, peppermint hot chocolate, and eggnog-inspired creations have become a staple of fall and winter menus. Consider creating a pass that highlights the fall and winter flavors in your area, making it easy for passholders to know where to find them all. 
Even better, add in-pass voting to the experience and create a friendly competition among your participating restaurants, coffee shops, and/or bars. When the feature is built into the pass, visitors can vote for their favorite from their mobile device. Explore Cabarrus uses in-pass voting for Cabarrus Burger Madness, but this can easily be added into a holiday-themed experience as well. 

Reward Visitors With an End-of-Year Grand Prize Drawing 

Looking for a way to encourage visitors to complete multiple passes before the end of the year? Add an extra incentive. The Self-Serve Progress Tracker lets visitors see exactly how close they are to qualifying for a grand prize. Just add Bandwango’s latest feature to your channel and then choose what passes count toward the grand prize. 

As participants engage with the selected passes, they will see their progress toward eligibility for the grand prize drawing, displayed either as a fraction or percentage – your choice. It’s easy to build into your channel, and seeing their progress gives them an additional nudge to visit more locations. Use Bandwango’s text messaging service to communicate with them and let them know about this added incentive. 

Use the Mobile Pass Favorites Feature to Help Visitors Create a List of Their Favorite Spots in Your Area

No matter what type of engaging experience you’re creating for your visitors this fall and winter, there’s one new tool that we suggest incorporating into it – the new Mobile Pass Favorites Feature. When visitors are using your digital passes to explore your area, it’s easy to look at your reporting data to see how many spots they’re checking out. They are often visiting a large number of locations, but along the way, they are undoubtedly finding some that they have a particular fondness for. Those are spots they will likely want to visit again, and you can make it easy for them to remember their favorites. 

One of Bandwango’s newest developments is the Mobile Pass Favorites feature. This new tool gives passholders a chance to select their favorite spots with one click. They can then filter by the locations with a heart to see their short list of favorites. Visitors can quickly find the places they loved most, making return visits more likely and driving additional business to your local partners. This puts visitors in control of helping curate their experience, and could increase the chances of repeat visitation to businesses they enjoyed. 

Fall and winter are closer than you think, and now is the perfect time to start planning seasonal experiences that inspire exploration and support local businesses. Whether you're thinking ahead to fall passes that turn seasonal travel into real economic impact, or Christmas-themed passes that highlight what makes your destination special during the most magical time of the year, Bandwango’s newest features make it easier than ever to create engaging experiences your visitors will remember. We encourage you to set up a free consultation with our team to discuss customized fall and winter experiences for your destination.

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