The Ministry of Education is using text-messaging by qtags to deliver SEA results to parents & students, and to encourage registration for classes & additional testing. The program, created by imedia goes live in the Summer of 2009 and is the first of series of planned programs with the Ministry of Education in Trindad & Tobago and other locations in the Caribbean.
qtags text messaging works on a shared short-code 78247 and is operational throughout North America and the Caribbean.
GuestAssist is pleased to announce that the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League will be the first CFL team providing their unique fan texting service to fans at Percival Molson Stadium this coming season. The Alouettes join a growing list of teams and venues that are using GuestAssist to deliver an elevated game day experience for ticket holders. These include stadiums and arenas in the NCAA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and now the CFL.
"We are very pleased with our growth
in Canada with end users from the NHL, MLS and now CFL adopting GuestAssist.
GuestAssist allows guests to use their cell phones to text a venue
specific keyword into stadium operations, opening a discreet conversation.
Issues relating to security, medical and guest services can be qualified
quickly and the appropriate personnel can be dispatched to serve the
guest", said GuestAssist founder Jeremy Konko.
"Montreal Alouettes fans are passionate about their team and football. Ownership is committed to providing the best game day experience possible and believe that GuestAssist will help us deliver on that commitment. Our guests are our most valued asset and we believe the GuestAssist platform opens a new communication channel that will support and grow that valued relationship ", said Mark Weightman, VP, Operations and Events.
“GuestAssist gives large venues such
as stadiums, arenas and theme parks a proven tool for communicating
with customers and managing and responding to operational needs and
ticket holders’ requests,” Konko said. “Text messaging is the
ideal communications vehicle in loud stadiums and it allows for secure,
anonymous communication and real-time response.”
GuestAssist will also provide the Alouettes
with post-event reporting and analysis of guests’ concerns to help
the team’s front office improve staffing, fine-tune security procedures
and better understand fans’ common questions and further concerns.
Houston-based GuestAssist is a member of the Stadium Managers Association and the International Association of Assembly Managers.
About the Montreal Alouettes
A charter member of the Canadian Football
League, the Montreal Alouettes were founded in 1946 and have won five
Grey Cups. The East Division's most successful team over the last decade,
the Alouettes have won six division titles since 2000 and are the current
defending division champions. The Alouettes play their home games at
Montreal's Percival Molson Stadium. For more information, visit MontrealAlouettes.com.
About GuestAssist
GuestAssist is an enterprise feedback management platform that gives your customers easy access to you, and gives you a vehicle to engage them. It is text and web-based and allows stadiums, conferences, event managers and hoteliers to talk to their guests via text messages using their own mobile phones. GuestAssist is currently licensed for use at venues across North America, such as:
• Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
Houston, TX (PRWEB) April 2, 2009 -- Auburn University Athletics has selected GuestAssist - the industry-leading spectator communication system - for use at Jordan-Hare Stadium beginning this fall.
GuestAssist - a service of Houston-based qtags - provide instant two-way, text messaging-based communication between ticket holders and event staff, allowing for improved management of safety, security and guest services.
Auburn is the first NCAA school to implement GuestAssist, which is currently used by a number of major sports franchises and facilities throughout North America.
"On football Saturdays, Jordan-Hare Stadium becomes Alabama's fifth-largest city, with more than 87,000 fans in attendance," said Auburn Associate Athletic Director Jeff Steele. "Maintaining safety and security and providing responsive customer service to Tiger fans is a priority for the university, and GuestAssist will improve our ability to do that efficiently and effectively.
"We selected GuestAssist because of its proven track record in the National Football League and Major League Baseball, and we're proud to be the first college in the U.S. to offer the service."
GuestAssist provides a simple text message code that will permit Auburn fans to send questions, concerns or requests via their mobile phones to the command and control center at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The number will be communicated to fans via signage, public address announcements and other means.
A single staff member can handle and respond to incoming requests
through GuestAssist's customized software interface. The operator can
send reply messages directly to the fan's phone to answer questions or
obtain more information, and, if necessary, can quickly dispatch
safety/security, medical or guest services staff to the appropriate
location.
"GuestAssist gives large venues such as stadiums, arenas and theme
parks an additional layer of security to serve their operational needs
and the ticket holders' well being," said Jeremy Konko, founder of
GuestAssist. "Text messaging is the ideal communications vehicle in
loud stadiums like Jordan-Hare, and it allows for secure, anonymous
communication and real-time response."
GuestAssist will also provide Auburn with post-event reporting and analysis of guests' concerns to help the team's front office improve staffing, fine-tune security procedures and better understand fans' common questions and further concerns.
Houston-based GuestAssist is a member of the Stadium Managers Association and the International Association of Assembly Managers.
About GuestAssist
GuestAssist is an enterprise feedback management platform that gives
your customers easy access to you, and gives you a vehicle to engage
them. It is text and web-based and allows stadiums, conferences, event
managers and hoteliers to talk to their guests via text messages using
their own mobile phones. GuestAssist is currently licensed for use at
venues across North America, such as:
About qtags llc
qtags llc designs and provides mobility solutions that ENGAGE
customers, call them to ACTION and help them REMEMBER the message.
qtags offers program solutions to stadiums, arenas, conference centers,
government agencies and corporations throughout the United States,
Canada and the Caribbean. Learn more at www.GuestAssist.net.
From the Democrat & Chronicle - 10/31/08:
In an effort to make Ralph Wilson Stadium more fan friendly, the Bills will debut a text-messaging system Sunday when they host the New York Jets that will allow fans to report problems or emergencies in their sections via their cell phone.
The system, called GuestAssist, will allow fans to send text messages to stadium personnel who can then assist them with their problem, be it a health emergency or dealing with an unruly fan sitting next to them.
"We're always looking to do new things, and this just kind of made sense," said Andy Major, the Bills executive director of marketing
Startup Houston's Josh Tabin posts about REV -
free, green, transportation today in Going Green with REV Houston.
Josh writes -
Perhaps you were driving around the downtown Houston area recently
and came across a white and green electric vehicle transporting some
environmentally conscious passengers to their next business meeting. If
you see it again, waive hello to the guys from REV Houston
, Houston’s newest FREE and GREEN transportation service.
REV (or Ride Electric Vehicles) currently operates one vehicle in
the downtown-midtown area of Houston with plans to add a second vehicle
in the next few weeks (the second vehicle will be a 6 seater versus the
4 seater they currently have). The vehicles are GEM Vehicles from Chrysler and are 100% electric powered:
“GEM battery-electric vehicles are classified as low-speed vehicles, or neighborhood electric vehicles, and are street legal in nearly all 50 states on public roads posted at 35 mph or less. With a top speed of 25 mph, GEM cars have a range of up to 30 miles on a charge and are great for traveling around neighborhoods, city centers or job sites. GEM vehicles are battery-electric, operate on a 72-volt battery system and plug into a standard 110-volt outlet. What makes GEM vehicles so unique is that they can be recharged anytime, anywhere a 110-volt outlet is available and recharge in approximately six to eight hours.”
To request a ride simply call 1.877.Go.REV.Go or visit one of the company’s “REV Stops” for a code you can text to Qtags (another great Houston startup we profiled last year). The stops are as follows:
(REV1) (REV2) (REV3)The only cost for the ride is a gratuity. The company plans to subsidize their costs initially by selling advertising space on the vehicles.
“It was Opening Day 2007 for the Houston Astros,” states Erik Ibarra, co-founder of REV Houston. “I went for a ride on a pedi-cab and thought, ‘This guy would have it so much easier if he had a golf cart.’ I started looking into street legal electric vehicles for about a year and the concept blossomed from there.”
Ibarra also mentioned that the company plans to test additional markets within Houston for expansion, such as Rice Village, Washington Avenue and Westheimer in the future.
qtags is again sponsoring Pink Ribbons Project Tour de Pink fundraising cycling event.
To learn more about the ride, text PINK to 78247. 
For information, contact:
Kate Bizzell
Ph: 713.524.PINK (7465)
Cell: 713.582.0365
Fax: 713.524.7565
E-mail: Kate@pinkribbons.org
Tour de Pink 2008- September 7, 2008 Fourth Annual Bike Ride sponsored by Pink Ribbons Project
Pink Ribbons Project presents its Fourth Annual Tour de Pink fundraising bike ride on Sunday, September 7! Presented by Compass Bank, Tour de Pink 2008 starts and ends on the campus of Prairie View A&M University, near Hempstead, TX.
Online registration for Tour de Pink is $25, with a minimum $75 fundraising pledge. To
register, or for more information, go to www.tourdepink.org or call 713.524.PINK. All proceeds will
benefit Pink Ribbons Project, which helps provide funds for breast-cancer awareness, education,
screening and follow-up care for medically underserved women and all those touched by breast
cancer in the Greater Houston area.
This family-friendly event has 12-, 23-, 47-, 63- and 100-mile routes for cyclists of all levels,
plus the Pink Phantom "virtual rider" option for those who like to sleep in. On ride day, enjoy
beautiful Texas scenery, the fun of "Pink Pit Stops" along the way and a festival at the finish line with
food, prizes, and entertainment.
Pink Ribbons Project is partnering with Compass Bank as World Champions for the second year
as the lead sponsor for Tour de Pink. Other sponsors are as follows: Tour Champions include
Continental Airlines, Randalls, and Veltec Sports, inc./Sidi Shoes. Stage Winners include 90.1 KPFT,
River Oaks US Men's Clay Court Championship, Texas Monthly, and Vega Energy. Tete de la Course
sponsors include Bike Barn, DASANI, Mark A. Schusterman, MD, FACS, and Power Plumbing.
Director Sportif sponsors include ABI Digital Solutions, Hines, Houston Chronicle, OSO Promotions,
Sodexho, and Ty Songs. Pro Level sponsors include Accenture, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Bridgeway
Management, Carrizo Oil and Gas, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Franklin, Cardwell & Jones LLP, King and
Spalding LLP, Kirksey, Lavaud Staffing Solutions, Martha Turner, Max Lang Belts & Buckles, The
Methodist Hospital, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center/ Children's Cancer
Hospital, OFI, qtags, Dr. Edgardo Rivera & Mr. Donald Rumer-Rivera, and Vinson & Elkins LLP.
Domestique sponsors include Bud Light/ Silver Eagle Distributing LP and Strasburger & Price LLP.
Bike Shop sponsors include Bicycle World and Fitness, REI, and West End Bicycles.
About Pink Ribbons Project: Pink Ribbons Project, in motion against breast cancer, is administered by
Pink Ribbons Project, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization. Pink Ribbons Project is dedicated to
raising awareness and educating about breast cancer through its programming, and to providing
mammograms to underinsured women in the greater Houston area.
Pink Ribbons Project Mission: Using the arts, Pink Ribbons Project saves lives and improves the quality of
life for those touched by breast cancer.
For publication-ready logos for Pink Ribbons Project, contact us at info@pinkribbons.org, or call
713.524.PINK (7465).
--
Domain Name Wire attended the 5th Annual Rice Alliance IT and Web 2.0 forum and writes -
qtags is a service that lets you text a phrase to a text number and get information back. For example, you might see a sign at a store that’s hiring and text ‘jobs’ to a 5 digit number. You’d then get a message back with more information as well as a bookmark in your qtags account so you can follow up about the job.
qtags’ elevator pitch at the conference was excellent and included a good use of the .mobi domain. The presenter asked the audience to text ‘rice’ to 78247. Within seconds, the audience received a text message back with a link to the company’s details. The link was to m.qtags.mobi/rice. This is a .mobi site that includes the company’s pitch to investors:
I thought this was clever and a good use of .mobi.
qtags' clients are integrating .mobi's into text-messaging programs more frequently. As an increasing number of mobile phones are web-capable, it is a way to connect to more information, easily and quickly. Other examples of 'good uses' of .mobi include a program by Archstone Clinton in Manhattan (text 'rent' to 78247) and Accenture in campus-recruiting programs in Canada and US (text 'contribute' to 78247).
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting with Josh Tabin from Startup.com. He is working to help Houston-based start-ups connect with investors and to create a networking context appropriate for the 4th largest city in the U.S.
It's rare to find someone in the
advertising industry that appreciates the value of turning your customers into
raving fans. Allison Gower is such a person. "I came up with the idea soon after
becoming a mother. I found that I consistently saw ads that were interesting to
me but could not keep track or recall the important information about that ad
when my day settled down. My thought was that if I could find a way to work
with advertisers to develop a platform for bookmarking those ads, it would
provide advertisers with a more concrete way to measure campaign ROI and make
ad placement more effective," says Gower.
Allison Gower is no stranger to startups. In
1998, she founded The Platform Group Gallery, a Houston based manufacturer of
promotional packaging. Just make a cursory review of their website and you can
feel the how the customer experience permeates every section of their site.
Now, Gower has taken that same approach that has made The Platform Gallery one
of Houston's fastest growing companies (they were #77 on the 2007 Houston Business
Journal's Fast 100 list) to her newest startup, qtags.
The service is built using short-codes
that allow users to send "quick tags" using their text messaging
service to effectively bookmark an advertisement they see that display varying
qtag words. This will then store the advertisement's info in the users inbox
for review at some later, and more convenient time. An example of this can be
seen through the image below featuring a campaign in Boston for Lucida Healthcare Group.
According to a 2006 study by the
Shosteck Group, an international telecommunications consultancy providing
comprehensive strategic market, competitive, and technology analyses for a
broad range of clients in the global cellular and telecoms markets for over 23
years, "mobile advertising is a huge opportunity with the potential to
generate in excess of $10 billion in annual revenues by 2010." I
personally have seen reports that have this market ranging anywhere from $1
billion and up. Why else do you think Google and Apple is so focused on the upcoming
700 MHz auction?
Although qtag's model is similar to that of
another recently featured startup, WHAMtext, the models target different niche segments within
the mobile advertising space. Both are based here in Houston but interestingly
enough, are not seeing much traction in the Houston markets.
"Most of our business today is coming
from major markets outside of Houston, like Boston and Chicago. I think that
Houston is slowly developing a stronger presence in advertising, but we still
have a ways to go," said Gower.
