SCVNGR Blog

Sep

You Were Always On My Mind: A Last-Ditch Effort to Win You Back Through Sappy Country Song Lyrics

We admit. We at the SCVNGR Experiential Promotions team don’t make it easy for you to love us. Not returning phone calls. Forgetting anniversaries. Disappearing for months on end without a trace.

And yet, here you are. You just can’t quit us.

We’re happy to report that we indeed did not fall off the face of the earth. Quite the opposite, in fact. For the past few months, we’ve covered a massive amount of ground. Since September alone, our brigade of game builders and event executioners has traveled to 16 different cities, including a stop across the pond. There have been numerous proposals, suspenseful finishes, and of course an overwhelming amount of local community support and pride.

Our first-ever European Experiential Promotions event, Swarovski Discover Your Light, took place in London on Saturday, September 24. We had the pleasure of working with the iconic crystal and jewelry company to create a 42-challenge treasure hunt around central London. (Added bonus: an excuse to break out our bad Cockney accents.)

More than 500 teams of two were given gift bags to collect hidden Swarovski presents like bracelets and perfume ($1,000 gift value per person!). Top teams won vacations to the world’s fashion capitals (Paris, Florence, Barcelona, Istanbul) and exclusive tours of Swarvoski’s Crystal World in Austria. Take a glimpse of the Discover Your Light trailer (#eyecandy).

We reached another milestone with the Reeds Jenss Amazing Ring Race on September 17. Almost 1,500 people gathered at Eric Canal Harbor in Buffalo to compete for the chance to win a $15,000 Limited Edition ArtCarved Ring. It was our biggest jewelry event to date! The community also raised over $6,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Congratulations to the winning couple, Katarina Sullivan and John Haumesser! Check out the lucky lovebirds’ interview by clicking here: http://bit.ly/riva3u (courtesy of WIVB).

On the Home Race front, we’ve really enjoyed partnering with our real estate clients to create an even more interactive product-race experience. What makes these events especially unique is that the participants perform challenges in actual residential properties. The Ben Kinney’s Amazing Home Race in Bellingham, Washington was the perfect example of how these types of events can bring together a community for an afternoon of fun and friendly competition.

Now that we’re in the thick of Fall Events season, it will continue to be full speed ahead. This weekend we are heading to six different Diamond Dashes dispersed across cities from Lexington to Billings.

We will do our best to keep you updated through blog posts. But if you want to avoid going down another trail of broken promises and heartache, make sure to follow us on Twitter @SCVNGR_Events. In 140 characters or less, we don’t disappoint.

Yours faithfully,
XPro

P.S. We miss you already.

Where can you find us October 8th? Registration is still open!

Boise, ID
Spokane, WA
Chester County, PA
Valdosta, GA

Written by Courtney Scrib

Wednesday, September 28th by Jessica

Sep

So you wanna be a rock star?

Do you spend hours perfecting your air guitar skills in the mirror? Ever wish your Guitar Hero experience translated to music lessons? Have you seriously considered buying skintight leather pants at the thrift store?

You just might be a wannabe rock star.

Now, Positively Cleveland is giving you the chance to channel your inner rock star while exploring the birthplace of rock n roll. Play SCVNGR to discover the city’s new Rock + Roll Trek where you can complete fun challenges to earn points.

You can head to Melt Bar & Grilled where snapping a photo of your over-sized grilled cheese earns you 2 points. Or visit the renowned Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and bust out your best Gene Simmons face. Have a friend snap a pic for another 5 points.

It’s a rocking way to explore Cleveland this summer and you’ll find your hands strumming and your head banging in no time.

Visit http://www.scvngr.com/positivelycleveland to get started.

Wednesday, September 14th by Lars

Sep

Come Fly With Cathay Pacific

East meets west as Cathay Pacific opens the doors to Asian exploration for U.S. travelers.

The luxury airline, which already offers flights to over 60 Asian cities, is launching a nonstop flight from Chicago O’Hare to Hong Kong and SCVNGR players have the chance to take the trip for free.

Cathay Pacific’s custom SCVNGR challenges are now live at O’Hare airport and other well-known locations in the Chicago area. Windy City folks can earn points by completing fun challenges at landmarks like the Sears Tower and the Pier.

As you earn points, you can unlock rewards like a custom badge and a chance to win one of ten round-trip tickets to Hong Kong.

If you’re an aspiring Asia explorer outside of Chicago, you can still participate by completing Cathay Pacific challenges at other major airports nationwide such as those in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Challenges include:

“Reach For The Sky:” Get a pic of an interesting cloud & caption it with what you see.
“Paper Plane:” Fold a paper airplane while waiting for your flight & take a picture with your creation. Extra credit if you put the Cathay Pacific logo on it!

Who says waiting for flights can’t be fun? Visit scvngr.com/cathaypacific to get started.

Tuesday, September 6th by Lars

Sep

SCVNGR’s Stylin’ with Topshop

Beginning September 5, students can ring in the school year by playing Topshop on SCVNGR! Brilliant!

Playing is a doddle (US folks, that means easy): students can download the free SCVNGR app for iPhone and Android and immediately start playing at their favorite Topshop location. Completing fashion-forward challenges in store can unlock discounts and the chance to win a bloody awesome shopping spree!

Topshop, the most digitally engaged fashion brand on the UK’s High Street, is rolling out SCVNGR with the school year in the UK, Ireland, and the US to further enrich their customer’s experience by stitching their real life to their digital personalities. “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to engage our customers,” Mary Homer, Managing Director of Topshop, stated. “Following the popularity of SCVNGR in the US we wanted to offer our student customers the ability to interact with our brand, on and off-line in a more fun and engaging way.”

So next time you’re shopping with your friends from uni, don’t forget to pop into Topshop and play SCVNGR.

Monday, September 5th by Jessica

Aug

Back 2 School: Whose Side Are You On?

Ah, August. The part of the summer when days are warmer, the movies are weirder and the students are bored-er.

Soon school will be back in session. Love it or hate it, you can still make the most out of the dwindling days of summer. We all have our own special way of coping with the transition, whether it’s soaking up AC while enjoying a cinematic masterpiece like Shark Night: 3D or going to the mall to stock up on back-to-school clothes and supplies.

No matter how you choose to spend those precious last days, SCVNGR has you covered: we’ve built special Back 2 School challenges at places all over the country. For those of you who already have notebooks stacked and color coded, you can play at shopping malls while you raid the mechanical pencil aisle. If you’re more the type who wears board shorts in November, you can play at movie theaters while you and your friends keep the chillaxin’ in full force at a midday showing of Conan The Barbarian.

The challenges will also help you learn more about yourself (impressive, right?). Depending on where you play, you’ll unlock either the Summer Addict or First Day Fanatic badge. We’ll let you figure out where each one is, smartypants.

Wherever you choose to play, you’ll also be able to unlock chances to win an iPad 2, and that’s something everyone can appreciate.

To check out all the places to play, head to the Back 2 School profile page.

How are you prepping to go back to school? Give us a shout on Facebook or Twitter!

Friday, August 26th by Lars