The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and KAI Consulting Group have partnered with support from the City of Arcadia to launch a new initiative this month called Visit Arcadia that includes an exciting new app for cell phones and tablets, a companion web site, and cutting-edge technology for one-touch access from locations featuring the Visit Arcadia logo.
The new Visit Arcadia app is available at the Google PlayStore for Android phones and tablets and at iTunes for iPhones and iPads. The web site is www.VisitArcadiaCalifornia.com, which is linked at web sites of the Breeders’ Cup, along with the Chamber’s video “Arcadia’s Got It All, the City of Arcadia, and the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, and ArcadiasBest.com, among others.
The app displays photo tiles of bright and easily recognizable images of the many great places to “Eat, Play, Stay” and Shop in Arcadia. Users are able to quickly search local restaurants by cuisine and distance, for example. One tap reveals a brief summary of the listing, as well as a locator map, directions, contact information, as well as user ratings and comments. Users may also submit their own ratings and reviews with a quick click.
A section called “48-hours in Arcadia” offers helpful suggestions to travelers in town for a short visit who want to make the most efficient and enjoyable use of their time.
Distinctive purple Visit Arcadia decals are being placed in windows and other locations around highly-trafficked locations in Arcadia, beginning with hotels and on Breeders’ Cup shuttle buses. Each logo is embedded with state-of-the-art computer chip technology that allows users with Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled smart phones to simply touch their phone to the decal to get the Visit Arcadia web site to pop up. NFC is nearly-ubiquitous on recent Android devices. For those without NFC technology, the more familiar QR code stamp is also included on the logo for a similarly simple connection.
Decals posted around town in hotels, restaurants, City Hall, and on shuttle buses.
For a city of only 57,000 people, Arcadia is a uniquely strong draw for out-of-town visitors to Santa Anita Park and the adjacent Los Angeles County Arboretum and L.A. County Arboretum; the Angeles National Forest and headquarters (recently designated a National Monument by President Obama); the nation’s largest annual high school track meet, the Arcadia Invitational; Southern California’s largest marching band parade competition attracting more than 40 schools to the annual Festival of Bands; and L.A. County’s Arcadia Park and its Santa Anita Golf Course and lawn bowling center, which attracts national and international tournaments.
“There is clearly a need for access to visitor information through technology being used by today’s travelers,” said Arcadia Chamber of Commerce CEO Scott Hettrick. “We are pleased to offer this service to benefit visitors as well as our local businesses and organizations.”
The launch comes one week before opening day of the 2014 edition of The Breeders’ Cup global championships being staged at Santa Anita Park Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, which is expected to once again draw more than 90,000 attendees over the two-day event.
“Santa Anita Park has been an Arcadia destination for Thoroughbred racing fans for many years,” said Pete Siberell, Director of Special Projects at Santa Anita Park. “I think Visit Arcadia now will help expose visitors to the wide array of attractions that this great city has. It’s a winner!”
Glenn Oyoung, founder of KAI Consulting Group and an Ambassador of the Arcadia Chamber, is responsible for the design and oversight of the implementation of the technology and content.
“We’re excited to help drive attention to Arcadia businesses and show visitors what this city has to offer,” said Oyoung.
KAI intends to expand and leverage this partnership with the Arcadia Chamber to create and link companion “Visit” sites and apps for other cities in the San Gabriel Valley to create a single recognizable brand for all visitors to the Valley.
In the coming weeks, additional features will be added to the Visit Arcadia app and web site to allow businesses to place expanded listings, videos, and upcoming events on the site and app.
