Bandwango

Bandwango is a technology company that helps destinations, tourism offices and community organizations showcase local businesses through mobile passes. Restaurants, breweries, shops, attractions and public art can be packaged into themed passes that visitors open on their phones without downloading an app. Passes guide people around a community, offer discounts and track check-ins, and organizers can use them to send follow-up marketing emails that encourage repeat visits, aiming to get visitors beyond the same famous places search engines recommend.

A key selling point is data. Unlike paper passes and static online guides, Bandwango records live visitor interactions that organizations can use to show merchants and stakeholders the economic impact of their programs. Pass holders can earn points by checking in at locations via GPS and redeem them for rewards, and passes can be sold on an organization’s own website or shared through flyers and QR codes. Example uses include public art trails, neighborhood discount passes and wine trails.

What to Know

• The platform is used by more than 40,000 local businesses.
• The company’s stated goal is to drive 10 million local business interactions.
• Bandwango is a member of the Salem Chamber of Commerce.