Patent Publication Number: US-2013254027-A1

Title: System and method for event experience analysis and correlation

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/470,286 filed Mar. 31, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates to a service that provides a unified assembly of hardware, software and management systems, tools and processes to enable venues to create new visitor experiences and extend those experiences beyond the boundaries of the venue&#39;s location over time and space. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Venues are organizations that create location- and/or time-based experiences or special events. Venues often intend for their experiences and events to meet one or more of the following objectives: (1) engage visitors deeply in the experience or event, (2) provide exposure for underwriters, sponsors, and advertisers, (3) drive marketing, revenue and other business objectives, and (4) understand how their efforts are working to improve future business decisions. Usually this management effort requires extensive coordination, especially when considering both onsite experiences (i.e., those that visitors attend at a given place and time) and online experiences (i.e., those that visitors can experience remotely, such as on the Internet). 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of the invention is designed around four types of users: an administrator  22 ; a client or venue owner  24  (venue owner); a sponsor, partner, advertiser, and/or content provider  26  (sponsor); and a consumer or visitor  28  (visitor). 
     From a business perspective, embodiments of the invention provide a marketing, promotional, educational, and research system that can be used across industries in numerous usage environments. From a consumer perspective, embodiments provide an interactive experience that takes place at a venue and online. 
     More specifically, while at a venue or event  30 , visitors  28  receive a barcode  34  on a card  37  (or downloaded to a mobile device  43 ). Throughout the venue, visitors  28  can scan their codes  34  at experience stations  36  they find at points of interest to them, such as exhibits, spaces, artists, etc. Scanning the code  34  creates a bookmark that identifies their interest in the location. Later, the visitor  28  can log into a personal website  38  that is created dynamically or “on-the-fly” to receive content based on the bookmarked locations. Additionally, a visitor  28  can download an application to his own mobile device  43  and use that device to scan codes posted throughout the venue  30 . The visitor  28  may then have mobile access to content like that on their personal website  38 . 
     Some embodiments of the invention described here include a distinct, integrated system that enables a venue  30  to extend and expand its onsite experiences to online experiences, while also addressing objectives such as those listed above. Embodiments of the invention engage visitors  28  at the venue  30 , provide sponsorship opportunities, drive business objectives, and provide tools to analyze business performance. 
     One embodiment of the current invention combines existing and customized hardware and software technologies including:
         Printed and Electronic Identification Codes  34     Barcode  34  generation software   Electronic Barcode readers  132  and software   Interactive Experience Stations  36  (aka, electronic kiosks)   Interactive experience software   Tablet PC computers  130  and mobile communication devices  43     Computer Networking and communications systems   Database, Web and e-commerce infrastructure   Sponsorship and advertising electronic purchase and placement system   Administration and management Portal software for clients, Sponsors  26 , and Administrator  22   s      Survey and behavioral data collection systems and software   Content management system   Data analysis software       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is an experience schematic according an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a chart of onsite experience processes according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a chart of visitor and sponsor portal processes according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a chart of administrator processes according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an online flowchart schematic according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an onsite process flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is an onsite flowchart schematic according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a barcode and card/mobile device creation flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  shows exemplar experience card images according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  shows an exemplar mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is an onsite interaction flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  shows an exemplar experience station according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a sponsor process flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  shows an exemplar venue owner, sponsor, network administrator portal according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a visitor portal schematic according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  shows an exemplar visitor portal according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 17  is a network administration schematic according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Architectural Foundations of the Invention 
     Table 1 lists online and hardware platforms, software and systems and the major function that each supports in the context of embodiments of the present invention. The table shown here is based on open source solutions and is prototypical of the components and systems that may be used, in that the invention can perform similar functions on a range operating systems and hardware form factors. The invention operates on, without limitation, Android, Linux, Microsoft and Apple platforms. The code  34  that drives the major functions is uniquely created to deliver the solution as described in the rest of this document. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 Online Platforms,  
                   
               
               
                 Software, and Systems 
                 Major Function 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 PHP 
                 As a front end server side scripting 
               
               
                 MYSQL 
                 As a database back end. 
               
               
                 Apache 
                 A Web server running on Linux  
               
               
                   
                 or windows 
               
               
                 J query 
                 For client side scripting 
               
               
                 PHP Mailer 
                 For communication over e-mails 
               
               
                 Easy PDF or FPDF 
                 For exporting reports to PDF 
               
               
                 Google Analytics 
                 For tracking the user&#39;s behaviors on line 
               
               
                 Google API 
                 For pulling the analytics data from  
               
               
                   
                 Google to our DB 
               
               
                 Google Charts or  
                 For showing the charts 
               
               
                 J Query Charts 
                   
               
               
                 CMS Made simple or  
                 CMS tools in PHP for designing  
               
               
                 Drupal or Joomla! 
                 dashboards and ad package templates 
               
               
                 Flow player or  
                 For embedding the videos in portal 
               
               
                 You tube Player 
                   
               
               
                 QR code 34 
                 For generating 2D barcode34 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Experience Station 36 and 
                   
               
               
                 Platforms, Software and Systems 
                 Major Function 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Experience station 36 
                 A Tablet pc 130 or other mobile  
               
               
                   
                 device 43PC/Net Book running  
               
               
                   
                 on Android, iOS, or other platform. 
               
               
                 Android SDK 
                 Develop android application for  
               
               
                   
                 scanning, synchronization etc. 
               
               
                 Internal Scanning device or  
                 For scanning the barcode 34 
               
               
                 camera or External Scanner 
                   
               
               
                 SQL Lite 
                 For local database on Android. 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     System Overview 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the example embodiment is designed around four types of users: an administrator  22  (administrator); a client or venue owner  24  (venue owner); a sponsor, partner, advertiser, and/or content provider  26  (sponsor)  26 ; and a consumer or visitor  28  (visitor). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 7 , the venue owner  24  creates barcodes  34  or other machine-readable identifiers that can be printed on cards  37  or made available electronically (as in a download to a mobile device  43 ) or in other forms to visitors  28 . Example machine-readable identifiers include one- or two-dimensional barcodes, radio frequency identifier (“RFID”) tags, or the like.  FIG. 9  shows an exemplar card  37 , which may serve as a personal but anonymous identifier that flexibly contains an array of content in addition to the barcode  34 . Card or downloaded content may include advertisements, sponsor  26  logos, images, or other information provided by sponsors  26  or the venue owner  24 . 
     As used herein, an “experience” includes something personally encountered, undergone or lived through. An experience station  36  is a device or posted scan code that a visitor  28  interacts with at a given time and place. By interacting with the experience station  36 , the visitor  28  may identify an interest in something they have encountered, undergone or lived through. Experience stations  36  add to the venue or event experience by providing direct interaction with content at that place and time. The visitor  28  may scan the codes  34  in whatever form (printed or electronic) at experience stations  36  throughout the venue. Scanning a code in this manner creates a bookmark for that experience station  36 . Data are collected to identify the location of the bookmark including, for example, information in the bar code  34 , experience station, GPS or other location-identifying coordinates and interactive input. Other data may also be collected at this time as it relates to any device (e.g., mobile phone or other handheld devices) that may be used in the process for scanning and bookmarking. Data may also be generated at the experience station  36  via touch screen or other input devices. Later, at a different time and place, the visitor may use the code  34  and a URL they received to navigate to a homepage on the Internet. Once there, the bookmarks are preferably used to automatically create a customized homepage so that the visitor  28  may receive more content related to experience stations  36  at which they scanned their code  34 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the information scanned at experience stations  36  is preferably sent to a web server  42 . The visitors  28  who scanned their codes  34  at an experience station, or who downloaded software to their own mobile device  43  to scan a code, may later register their card  37  and/or sign in with their downloaded code at a portal  38  where they receive information and experiences related to their visit to the venue as well as advertising and sponsor  26  offers. 
     Venue owners  24  preferably manage the onsite experiences and sponsor  26  offerings. Sponsors  26  may purchase advertising packages and upload their own content to the venue, advertising, research and management server  44 . 
     The administrator  22  preferably has privileges to manage the entire system. A data and analytics server  46  provides reports to the client venue owner  24 &#39;s portal  32 , the partner sponsor  26  portal  40 , and the administrator  22  portal  41 . 
     System and Processes 
     As noted above, in the preferred embodiment there are four entities (e.g., people, organizations) that interact within the system: network administrators  22 , venue owners  24 , sponsors  26  and visitors  28 . These systems have three operational domains: network administration, onsite experience and online experience. The following sections describe the preferred role and experience of each entity within the context of each domain, as appropriate. It will be appreciated that the role and experience of each entity may vary depending upon the particular application of the techniques described herein. 
     Operational Domain 1: Network Administration 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the network administrator  22  is the user on the top most layer of the network  20  that runs the system. The administrator  22  creates, manages and supports the entire network  20  operation. The administrator  22  has all rights to create, edit and delete. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in the preferred embodiment the administrator  22  manages six processes in the network administration domain through the network  20  of hosted servers, including systems management  114 , hardware monitoring and management  116 , business management  118 , data collection and analytics  120 , a research fielding system  122 , and an analytics and reporting system  124 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the network administrator  22  preferably connects to a network  20  of hosted servers using a network administration dashboard  41 , which in this embodiment is a web application on a hosted/dedicated web server  42  preferably running on the Linux platform. Other server types and platforms may be used. Network  20  of hosted servers also contains a venue  30  management, advertising, research and management server  44  and a data analytics management server  46 , all or any of which may run PHP and use MySQL databases or similar software to perform this function. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 17 , a dashboard  41  is preferably used to manage the network administrator&#39;s  22  administrative controls and processes based on software that is hosted on the network  20  as related to the management processes found in  FIG. 4 . Again, the dashboard  41  connects to the network  20  of hosted computers, which is a set of hosted/dedicated web servers preferably running on Linux platform for web applications. From the dashboard  41 , the network  20  manager can perform a wide variety of functions, for example, access the latest activities  140 , manage logs maintained by the system  142 , create and edit sites and content  144 , create templates for ads and the site  146 , track analytics across the system  148 , track experience stations  150 , manage venue  30  approvals, manage venues  152 , and receive and send feedback across the system  154 . 
     The network administrator&#39;s system just described provides software to control numerous administrative functions and management processes including, without limitation:
         System Management Operations   Log in to any account   Track and manage error logs   Send messages to any venue owner  24  or sponsor  26     Manage systems that host venue  30 /sponsor  26 /visitor  28  experiences   Add/edit/delete/monitor/manage hardware inventor   Manage and monitor a venue  30 /sponsor  26 /visitor  28  message center   Receive and reply to feedback/complaints   Provide and manage tools to generate barcodes  34     Provide and manage portal analytic tools for venue owner  24  and sponsor  26     Provide and manage experience station  36  analytic tools for venue owner  24  and sponsor  26     Provide and manage sponsor  26  advertising sales and management system   Provide and manage visitor  28  experience management system   Provide and manage all database functions on the network  20     Collect data about all users on the network  20     Conduct multivariate statistical analyses of network  20  data   Develop and run reports on system operations and user behaviors   Venues  30     Add/edit/manage/delete/approve visitors  28  and sponsors  26     Monitor and manage experience stations  36     Monitor and manage onsite operational hardware   Add/edit/delete/manage/approve content   Add/edit/manage/delete/monitor current and upcoming scheduled venue events   Provide venue content management system (CMS) for venue  30     Sponsors  26     Add/edit/delete/manage Ad packages availability and purchased status   Add/edit/delete All ad packages and their contents   Quick analytics/reports of advertising and sponsorship data   Provide sponsor  26  CMS for ad packages   Visitors  28     Add/edit/delete/manage   Manage visitors  28  and their approvals       

     By way of example, analytics available throughout the network  20  may include, without limitation:
         User behavior tracking visits of visitors  28     Graphs/charts for comparing ad performance   Items bookmarked by visitors  28     Traffic details, month/day/week wise, etc.       

     Additional reports may be added as needed. These reports may include prompt values to allow the report to be pulled for a variety of date ranges and to control data returned to specific areas such as by genre, if needed. These reports may include venue-based data limits. The network administrator  22  may see all data for any reports. 
     Operational Domain 2: Onsite Experience 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  describe the activities and systems that the venue owner  24  uses in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The venue owner  24  uses a portal  48  to control the following system functions: barcode  34  management  60 , barcode  34  field definition  62 , barcode  34  distribution definition  64 , barcode  34  creation  66 , barcode  34  distribution  68 , and mobile barcode  34  distribution  70 . The venue owner  24  also creates and manages various forms of content using a content management system  50 . Content types that the venue Owner  24  manages include engagement content  52 , partner or sponsor  26  content  54 , revenue-related content  56 , and interactive experience content  58 . 
     The venue owner  24  also controls the onsite hardware  72 , which preferably consists of a networked set of experience stations  36  and a control center  39 . The experience stations  36  preferably use WiFi or wired (or other comparable technology) connections to connect to the control center  39 . The control center  39  is connected to the through the venue&#39;s internal systems (or via wireless connect, for example, 3G/4G) to the Internet and ultimately to the network of hosted servers  20 . The venue owner  24  uses this system to define the onsite hardware configuration  74 , install hardware  76 , define hardware use  78 , and manage and maintain the hardware  80 . 
     As an alternative or addition, the venue owner  24  may choose to enable visitors  28  to download mobile device experience station software preferably from the hosted servers to their personal mobile device  43  connected to a mobile network. The software effectively turns personal mobile devices into experience stations  36 . Thereafter, the visitor  28  may scan codes  34  at locations throughout the venue  30 . Upon scanning, the mobile device  43  may receive direct or indirect access to, without limitation, informative content, Internet URLs, and downloadable and non-downloadable interactive experiences. 
     In a preferred embodiment, referring to  FIG. 1  and the flowchart shown in  FIG. 6 , the venue owner  24  first logs into a venue owner portal  32  using a web browser. The venue portal  32  is the single point of interaction for the venue owner  24  where they can set up and manage the onsite and online experiences for the visitor  28  and the Sponsors  26 . The portal is hosted on the network  20  of hosted computers via the Internet. 
     Stepwise, the venue owner  24  defines venues  30  where experience stations  36  are to be placed, and specifies the number of experience stations required to configure the experience. As with all specifications, the network administrator  22  has the authority to approve or reject any configurations as appropriate. 
     After creating venues  30 , the client selects the format of card  37  and barcode  34  fields from a set of design templates for cards  37  or mobile devices  43  that are made available by the network administrator  22 .  FIG. 9  shows an exemplar of the card  37  and barcode  34 .  FIG. 10  shows an exemplar code  34  on a mobile device  43 . 
     After selecting the format of the cards  37  or mobile devices  43 , the venue owner  24  then creates ad packages and decides the pricing for sponsors  26 . The sponsor  26  packages include placement of advertising or other information on the visitor portal  38 , cards  37  and experience stations  36  in any possible combination of those options so that the sponsor  26  can purchase it according to pricing and different options available on the sponsor portal  40 . 
     No specific hardware is required for venue owners  24  to use the online system. The portal  32  and all management activities may operate through any common browser including, without limitation, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc. 
     The preferred venue owner  24 &#39;s portal provides numerous administrative functions and management processes including, without limitation:
         Add/edit/delete venues  30  in which they place experience stations  36     Add/edit/delete/approve ad packages sold to sponsors  26     Send messages to their sponsors  26  and visitors  28     Run system reports   Manage bar codes  34     Install and manage experience stations  36     Communicate with the administrator  22 .   Management their account   Create and manage current and upcoming scheduled events.   Create quick analytics/reports.   Make hardware requests of the network administrator  22     Installation of experience station at for own venue.   Management of their own account       

     Barcode  34  and Card  37  Creation Process 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the onsite experience preferably utilizes barcodes  34  to anonymously identify visitors  28 .  FIG. 8  shows the process by which venue owners  24  create codes  34  and cards  37  (or mobile device  43  configurations). 
     In the preferred embodiment, the barcodes  34  that a venue  30  creates are based on templates provided by the network administrator  22  to the venue owner  24  on their venue owner portal  32 . A tool for barcode  34  creation contains basic information related barcodes  34 . The network administrator  22  defines the basic fields for the barcode  34 . Some of them can be changed by venue owner  24 , but in the preferred embodiment specific fields that are created by network administrator  22  are compulsory for all. Venue owners  24  can edit/add new fields in barcode  34 , this may be a one-time process or whenever required. 
     The system allows clients to print the cards  37  in advance as a batch job with each code  34  and card  37  containing a unique identifying code. This process is built into the venue portal  32  and the card  37  orders are processed by the network administrator  22  and sent to an outside vendor. Alternatively, the venue owner  24  may choose to produce the cards  37  themselves or through their own vendors. Also, the venue owner  24  may choose to provide the code  34  through an electronic download for visitors  28  so that they can get a scan code  34  on a mobile device  43  to use instead of a card  37 . These electronically-delivered barcodes  34  are from the same database as the printed barcodes  34 . 
     By way of example, the fields captured in the barcode  34  include, without limitation:
         Card  37  ID   Event ID   Venue  30  ID   Card  37  Field ID   Created by   Updated by   Created date time   Updated date time       

     Experience Station  36  Configuration by Venue Owners  24  and Use by Visitors  28   
     The experience station  36  is the central element of the onsite experience.  FIG. 11  shows the preferred process by which these stations are created and used.  FIG. 12  is an exemplar showing that the experience station  36  ( FIG. 1 ) may be comprised of two components: a tablet pc  130  or other mobile device and scanner device, such as a barcode reader  132  that can preferably read 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional barcodes  34  used for the experience station  36 . Any number of form factors may be used for this purpose (mobile devices, desktop computers, etc.). Moreover, the barcode reader  132  may be replaced with a camera that is either built into the tablet pc  130  or other mobile device  43  or is a separate input device (including, without limitation, mobile telephones or other wireless devices). The tablet pc  130  or other mobile device  43  links to a barcode reader  132 . The tablet pc  130  or other mobile device  43  may have the capability to, without limitation, drive external devices (video, audio, USB, etc.) and to use external input devices (key pads, keyboards, etc.). 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the venue owner portal  32  connects to systems that provide the core tools creating and managing the visitor  28  and sponsor  26  experiences. 
       FIG. 11  shows the process by which the experience station  36  is preferably set up and used. In practice, whenever the visitor  28  comes with a barcode  34  and holds the card  37  or mobile device  43  containing an electronic scan code in front of scanning device  132 , the scanning device  132  reads the data written inside the code  34  and records it in local database on the control station  39  first, and then the data are sent to the network computers  20 , which depends upon the availability of connectivity. If there is no static connectivity, then venue owner  24  can push the data to a web server manually whenever the connectivity is available. Alternatively, the control station  39  can automatically send information when connection is available. In the preferred embodiment, every experience station will send the experience station ID, venue ID, card ID, GPS location (if available) at the time of scanning the card  37 . 
     Alternatively, the experience station  36  can be augmented or replaced by a mobile device owned by the visitor  28 . In this scenario, the mobile phone owner acquires an application (usually through download) that runs on their personal mobile device  43  This application can, without limitation, provide an electronic code to the visitor&#39;s device, and/or enable their device to become the experience station from which visitors can scan codes posted at the venue. 
     Each experience station  36  or personal mobile device  43  may be identified by a set of data fields including, without limitation:
         Experience station  36  ID   Experience station  36  name   Station type   Experience description   Created by   Updated by   Created date time   Updated date time       

     Operational Domain 3: Online Experience 
     Venue Owner  24  Creating the Visitor  28  Online Experience 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the venue owner  24  creates and manages the online experiences for visitors  28  and sponsors  26  using their venue owner portal  32 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , there are a number of processes that the venue owner  24  manages.  FIG. 14  shows a sample screen  136  of the control portals for the venue owner  24 , sponsor  26 , and the network administrator  22 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the preferred processes and actions that the venue owner  24  manages through the visitor portal  38 . The venue owner  24  creates a home page  90 , and populates the site with engagement content  90  related to the onsite experience at the venue  30 . In addition the venue owner  24  specifies the parameters and use of revenue and business development content  94  that the venue  30  can use to generate revenue for itself. The venue owner  24  configures the capabilities for the partner and sponsor content  96 . The venue owner  24  also preferably defines and creates users settings such as the visitor  28 &#39;s initial use experience  84 , login process  86 , and the opportunity for visitors  28  to share personal profile and other information  88 . 
     Visitor  28  Online Experience 
     Visitors  28  who scan their barcode  34  or use their personal mobile devices  43  as code readers at venue  30  create a virtual set of bookmarks of their experience. This set of bookmarks may initially held onsite in the control station  39 , after which the data are replicated on a server on the network  20  or alternative processing or storage location. Alternatively, they may be directly sent to the database servers  20  directly from experience stations  36  and personal mobile devices  43 . At this point, the visitor  28 &#39;s experience is in transition from one based at the experience location to one based online. 
     Later, visitors  28  can sign-in to a visitor  28  portal (e.g., website) that creates a custom homepage for each visitor  28  based on their personal, anonymous bookmark data captured at the venue  30 . From here visitors  28  can re-connect, re-visit, and again engage with and experience the venue  30  and its sponsors  26 .  FIG. 15  contains a high-level schematic of the visitor portal  38 .  FIG. 16  contains a conceptual image of the visitor portal  38 . This experience may take place on any computing device that is connected to the Internet. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the visitor  28 &#39;s online experience preferably starts with registering on the visitor portal  38  by using a URL that they receive when they obtain their barcode  34 . They use their barcode  34  that was given to them on a card  37  or device  43  at the Venue  30  to create a login. They may then be asked to provide information at the discretion of the venue owner  24 . The visitor  28  can reach the website from anywhere in world and register on the visitor portal  38 , for example by following some simple steps using information related to their barcode  34  by following instructions printed on their card  37  as shown in the image in  FIG. 9 . Preferably, except for card number from the barcode  34  on the card  37 , everything on the registration form that the venue owner  24  uses may be customized to enable the visitor  28  to create a unique log in on the site, provide personal information, or take other preauthorized action. 
     After successful log in a user will be presented with a home page and portal  38 ; an exemplar image is shown in  FIG. 16 . The portal is the continuation of the onsite experience at the venue  30 . The purpose is to reconnect the visitor  28  to the experience, and provide content and offers that are germane. 
     Once on the visitor portal  38 , visitors  28  may engage in processes that may include, without limitation:
         Registration   Account management   Aggregate cards  37  from multiple venues  30  or people   Password reset   See information (images, other content) that relates to the experience stations  36  that were scanned at the venue  30 .   Access links related to the sponsors  26     Browse and access site content   Can go to venue virtually through online experiences   Share links on different social networking sites, or invite friends to a venue  30 &#39;s site.   Receive updated information on venue events or sponsor  26  offers   Sponsor  26  online experience       

     Sponsor  26  Online Experience 
     The flowchart in  FIG. 13  shows a preferred sponsor  26  process. The sponsor  26  process starts with searching the available ad packages for them and venue details. Sponsors  26  may be able to select offers from one or more venues  30 , depending on the venue  30 &#39;s decision to participate in an open offering. Sponsors  26  may use the sponsor portal  40  to register and login and then review details of sponsorship opportunities from the venues  30 . The sponsor  26  can select and purchase an ad package through the sponsor portal  40 . Later, they can use the same portal to upload content, monitor, and manage their advertising and sponsorship information. The purchase system uses PayPal or a similar payment service as back end billing/invoicing/payment system. 
     The sponsor portal  40  just described provides numerous administrative functions and management processes including, without limitation:
         Add/edit/delete ad purchased packages   Add/modify/delete ad contents of own subject to approval by venue owner  24     Run analytic reports   Account management   Exchange messages with venue owner  24 .       

     Components 
     In a preferred embodiment, the system components may include the following: 
     FIG. 1 Experience Schematic 
     
         
         
           
               20  Network of Hosted Servers 
               22  Network Administrator 
               24  Client, Venue Owner Administrator 
               26  Sponsor, Partner, Advertiser, Content Provider Administrator 
               28  Consumer, Visitor 
               30  Venues 
               32  Client, Venue Owner Portal 
               34  Barcode 
               36  Venue Experience Station 
               37  Experience Card 
               38  Consumer, Visitor Portal 
               39  Control Station 
               40  Sponsor Portal 
               41  Network Administrator Dashboard 
               42  Web Server 
               44  Venue, Advertising, Research, Management Server 
               46  Data, Analytics Management Server 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 2 Online Process Management Chart 
     
         
         
           
               48  Venue Owner Self Service Portal 
               50  Content Management 
               52  Engagement Management 
               54  Partner or Sponsor Content 
               56  Revenue-Related Content 
               58  Interactive Experience Content 
               60  Barcode Management 
               62  Define Barcode Fields 
               64  Define Barcode Distribution 
               66  Create Barcodes 
               68  Distribute Barcodes 
               70  Mobile Barcode Distribution 
               72  Hardware 
               74  Define onsite Hardware Configuration 
               76  Install Hardware 
               78  Hardware Use 
               80  Hardware Management and Maintenance 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 3 End User and Sponsor Portals 
     
         
         
           
               82  End-User Portal 
               84  Initial Use 
               86  Login 
               88  Personal Portrait and Data 
               90  Home Page Management 
               92  Engagement Content 
               94  Revenue and Business Development Content 
               96  Partner and Sponsor Content 
               98  Data and Analytics Content 
               100  Sponsor Portal 
               102  Engagement Reporting 
               104  Revenue and Business Development Reporting 
               106  Partner and Sponsor Reporting 
               108  Data and Analytics Reporting 
               110  Advertising Purchasing 
               112  Advertising Management 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 4 Administrator Major Components and Processes 
     
         
         
           
               114  Systems Management 
               116  Hardware Monitoring and Management 
               118  Business Management 
               120  Data Collection and Analytics 
               122  Fielding System 
               124  Analytics and Reporting System 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 5 Online Flowchart Schematic 
     
         
         
           
               22  Network Administrator 
               24  Venue Owner 
               26  Sponsor 
               28  Visitor 
               32  Venue Owner Portal 
               38  Visitor Portal/Web Site 
               40  Sponsor Portal 
               41  Network Administrator Portal 
               42  Web Server 
               44  Venue, Advertising, Research, Management Server 
               46  Data, Analytics, Management Server 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 7 Onsite Flow Schematic 
     
         
         
           
               24  Client, Venue Owner Administrator 
               28  Consumer, Visitor 
               34  Barcode 
               36  Experience Card 
               37  Venue Experience Station 
               40  Sponsor, Partner, Advertiser, Content Provider Administrator Portal 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 9 Experience Card Image 
     
         
         
           
               126  Experience Card Front 
               128  Experience Card Back 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 10 Mobile Device Image 
     
         
         
           
               43  Mobile Device 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 12 Experience Station 
     
         
         
           
               130  Interactive Tablet PC 
               132  Barcode Reader 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 14 Network Manager, Venue Owner, Sponsor Portals 
     
         
         
           
               136  Management Portal 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 16 Visitor Portal 
     
         
         
           
               134  Visitor Portal 
           
         
       
    
     FIG. 17 Administrator Schematic 
     
         
         
           
               138  Dashboard 
               140  Latest Activities in System 
               142  Logs maintained by the System 
               144  Create and Edit Sites and Content 
               146  Create Templates for ads and the site 
               148  Track Analytics across the system 
               150  Track Experience Stations 
               152  Approvals for clients, venues 
               154  Feedback handling 
           
         
       
    
     One embodiment includes a process for providing online experiences based on onsite visitor experiences. The process includes providing a visitor identifier to a visitor to a venue; associating a location identifier with each of multiple points of interest in the venue; receiving an indication that the visitor has expressed interest in one of the multiple points of interest, the received indication including the visitor identifier; and after the visitor has left the venue, providing the visitor with online content related to the one point of interest. 
     Another embodiment provides a system that includes hardware (e.g., a processor, memory) configured to execute a module configured to provide any of the above-described processes. 
     Another embodiment provides a computer-readable medium that includes contents (e.g., instructions) that are configured, when executed by a processor, to perform any of the above-described methods. 
     In an example embodiment, the described techniques may be implemented using standard programming techniques. For example, the components or modules may be implemented as “native” executables running on a CPU or other processor, along with one or more static or dynamic libraries. In other embodiments, modules may be implemented as instructions processed by a virtual machine that executes as a program on a CPU. In general, a range of programming languages known in the art may be employed for implementing such example embodiments, including representative implementations of various programming language paradigms, including but not limited to, object-oriented (e.g., Java, C++, C#, Visual Basic.NET, Smalltalk, and the like), functional (e.g., ML, Lisp, Scheme, and the like), procedural (e.g., C, Pascal, Ada, Modula, and the like), scripting (e.g., Perl, Ruby, Python, JavaScript, VBScript, and the like), and declarative (e.g., SQL, Prolog, and the like). 
     The embodiments described above may also use either well-known or proprietary synchronous or asynchronous client-server computing techniques. Also, the various components may be implemented using more monolithic programming techniques, for example, as an executable running on a single CPU computer system, or alternatively decomposed using a variety of structuring techniques known in the art, including but not limited to, multiprogramming, multithreading, client-server, or peer-to-peer, running on one or more computer systems each having one or more CPUs. Some embodiments may execute concurrently and asynchronously, and communicate using message passing techniques. Equivalent synchronous embodiments are also supported. Also, other functions could be implemented and/or performed by each component/module, and in different orders, and by different components/modules, yet still achieve the described functions. 
     Different configurations and locations of programs and data are contemplated for use with techniques of described herein. A variety of distributed computing techniques are appropriate for implementing the components of the illustrated embodiments in a distributed manner including but not limited to TCP/IP sockets, RPC, RMI, HTTP, Web Services (XML-RPC, JAX-RPC, SOAP, and the like). Other variations are possible. Also, other functionality could be provided by each component/module, or existing functionality could be distributed amongst the components/modules in different ways, yet still achieve the functions described herein. 
     Furthermore, in certain embodiments, some or all of the described components may be implemented or provided in other manners, such as at least partially in firmware and/or hardware, including, but not limited to one or more application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”), standard integrated circuits, controllers executing appropriate instructions, and including microcontrollers and/or embedded controllers, field-programmable gate arrays (“FPGAs”), complex programmable logic devices (“CPLDs”), and the like. Some or all of the system components and/or data structures may also be stored as contents (e.g., as executable or other machine-readable software instructions or structured data) on a computer-readable medium (e.g., as a hard disk; a memory; a computer network or cellular wireless network or other data transmission medium; or a portable media article to be read by an appropriate drive or via an appropriate connection, such as a DVD or flash memory device) so as to enable or configure the computer-readable medium and/or one or more associated computing systems or devices to execute or otherwise use or provide the contents to perform at least some of the described techniques. Some or all of the system components and data structures may also be stored as data signals (e.g., by being encoded as part of a carrier wave or included as part of an analog or digital propagated signal) on a variety of computer-readable transmission mediums, which are then transmitted, including across wireless-based and wired/cable-based mediums, and may take a variety of forms (e.g., as part of a single or multiplexed analog signal, or as multiple discrete digital packets or frames). Such computer program products may also take other forms in other embodiments. Accordingly, embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced with other computer system configurations. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.