Third Annual Buy Michigan Now Fest Goes Mobile
The Third Annual Buy Michigan Now Festival is going mobile.
As a way to allow visitors at the annual festival to navigate easier through the three-day festival August 5-7 in downtown Northville, MouseTrap Group LLC of Royal Oak has created an interactive mobile app exclusively for the Buy Michigan Now Festival.
The technology of the Buy Michigan Now Festival mobile app is green … no paper flyers are needed and it's immediate and informative as it is designed to provide guests with a virtual walking map of attractions and vendors, downtown Northville shopping and dining establishments and an up-to-date schedule of events throughout the weekend. The new mobile app will also allow guests to use a check-in feature that will allow them to participate in merchant-sponsored contests. Guests can also receive text reminders about when their favorite band or event is happening at the festival and the app connects directly to the Buy Michigan Now Facebook and Twitter pages.
"It is not only just an enhanced experience for the festival guests," says Gregory Nasto, CEO of Mouse Trap. "It also engages the vendors and sponsors in ways that have never been done before."
Added Buy Michigan Now founder Lisa Diggs: "Most people are starting to share their in person experiences with friends online in fun and unique ways these days, and we love the new opportunities that opens up to create a bigger experience for our guests, while promoting Michigan businesses. We're very excited to be working with the creative team at Mousetrap to make the most of the new technology available to us all."
The family-friendly Buy Michigan Now Festival which will showcase various Michigan entertainers, businesses, products, and educational opportunities is once again made possible through the sponsorship support of Michigan businesses and other organizations. In addition to teaming up again with Downtown Northville to host the upbeat celebration of Michigan, other major sponsors of this year's festival include Coffee Beanery, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Hiller's Markets and Tom Holzer Ford.
"The Buy Michigan Now Festival is a little different from a lot of other summer events," Diggs said. "It's a fest with a cause. In addition to providing great food, entertainment, and fun, we are dedicated to helping Michigan businesses grow. It's going to be companies like these, each adding one or two more jobs that brings our economy back on track, and we want to help them do it."
The free weekend celebration focuses attention on Michigan-based businesses and locally produced merchandise to help stimulate the economy. More than 50 scheduled vendors -- whose companies are based all around the state -- have been announced so far and the list continues to grow daily.
Main and Center streets in central Northville will be closed to allow for pedestrian traffic. Local Northville merchants will host a sidewalk sale, while Michigan vendors set up shop under tents in the streets. The event also features live entertainment in Town Square and a kids' zone dedicated to family fun.
The Buy Michigan Now Festival is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7.
Vendor or sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 3rd Annual Buy Michigan Now Festival. Interested businesses should contact Buy Michigan Now at (248) 390-0974 or info@BuyMichiganNow.com. A full list of events for the weekend will be announced soon at www.buymichigannowfest.com.
Launched in 2007 by Lisa Diggs, Buy Michigan Now is a statewide initiative to inform, educate and encourage organizations and consumers, to refuel Michigan's economy by purchasing products and services made in Michigan and from Michigan-based companies.
