SCVNGR in BellinghamAn entrepreneurial college project

Bellingham, WAJune 4th, 2011

Bellingham SCVNGR Project

University Experience

Going to college was the best decision I’ve ever made, it exposed me to new ideas in an environment that nurtured learning and growth. I certainly needed this experience: prior to it, I was immature and lacking in many of the skills necessary to succeed in life. This academic environment provided me with a foundation of knowledge upon which I can build the rest of my life.

A major in psychology gave me exactly what I wanted - the ability and tools to study and understand people and how we think, behave, and interact with one another. However, in addition to my passion for psychology, I’m also passionate about business and technology, and these passions lacked a place in my psychology major. Fortunately, I found outside sources that could provide me with experience in these fields, even while I was taking classes.

Bellingham SCVNGR Project

Business and TechDowntown Bellingham PartnershipMy first taste of dealing with businesses on a more personal level. This partnership knew all the local businesses and their owners, and due to the tight-knit community, business was personal. We put on events that enriched the community and gave local businesses a chance to shine. I worked on their sponsorship packages and created contracts for our event sponsors. What I learned: - How to manage business relationships - How to plan events - How to present options to elicit the desired response

BIG Idea LabThe local entrepreneur hangout spot. Idea riffs, lean startup sessions, speakers, and more. Have a BIG idea? Submit it here and maybe you’ll find some financial backing. I worked with entrepreneurs from a project

management standpoint; helping them streamline their efforts to be more efficient and effective (lean methodology). What I learned: - How to create a business plan - How to help others organize their thoughts/ideas - How manage a project with efficiency in mind

Bellingham SCVNGR Project

SCVNGRThrough my research into game theory as well as companies that use game mechanics in the real world, I discovered SCVNGR. I spoke with Jeff Kirchick (their Universities Specialist) about their platform and he taught me the ins and outs of how it works. I immediately saw the psychological underpinnings in the technology and wanted to experiment with SCVNGR in my town. Jeff helped me use SCVNGR to explore how technology and psychology could work together for everyone’s benefit and I ended up using it to enrich my community (see http://bellingham.komonews.com/news/community-spirit/so-you-think-you-know-bellingham-now-you-can-test-your-skills/648059). A variety of organizations even asked me to help them with their marketing, community outreach, event promotions, etc. using SCVNGR: Sustainable Connections (local non-profit), Downtown Bellingham Partnership (local non-profit), The Woods Coffee (local coffee chain), Disidual Clothing (local student-run clothing company), Relay for Life of WWU (put on by the American Cancer Society), and more. What I learned: - How to create business relationships - How to create relationships between businesses and their customers - How to engage a community through technology - How to create interactive activities that allow businesses to engage their customers, while still providing real value - How to work with businesses to create a marketing plan that makes sense for their specific business

Bellingham SCVNGR Project

Sum UpI learned way more from my project with SCVNGR than I did in all the internships I had ever done - I was exposed to all sorts of “behind the scenes” processes that I never knew existed (e.g., business development, strategic planning, social media coordinating). Even my business and marketing major friends ended up benefiting from this experience: they had studied a lot of what I did on a conceptual level, but had never put much of it into use, and certainly not with a new technology that has as much promise as SCVNGR. My university gave me a foundation of knowledge, but SCVNGR took that foundation and put it into action!

Bellingham SCVNGR Project

SKI TO SEA SCVNGR HUNTby Blessing’s Salon Spa an Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa

Find Bham Scavenger on Facebook for more infoMay 29, 2011

The hunt begins at 9am and ends at 5pm

What is SCVNGR?SCVNGR is a game, playing is simple: go places. do challenges. earn points!

100% FREE to play

receive riddles and answer them through text-messaging on your cellphone

text the keyword “blessings” to 728647 to begin

download the free app for iPhone/Android to play that way

first winner gets a $45 Gift Certificate toward a Salon or Spa service and there are five $10 off coupons for Salon or Spa services and five $5 off

coupons for Aveda products!

2011

Awesome feedback from a SCVNGR fan

Rewards from The Woods Coffee SCVNGR hunt

Rewards from the Disidual Clothing SCVNGR hunt

A flyer for a Ski to Sea SCVNGR hunt by a local salon

A flyer for a local business event SCVNGR hunt

A flyer for the Woods Coffee SCVNGR hunt