Autumn Years Summer 2024

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

What’s Up with Apps By Luke Yeagley

S ummer for most of us is the season of doing. With the cold weather consistently gone for good, warm weather activities can commence. That being said, it is not always easy to find new things to do locally, especially when you might have been in the area for a while. Luckily, there are some good apps that will help you think outside the box for things to do in your neck of the woods. Some have been around for a while and have updated their tech nology to stay relevant while others are heating up in popularity recently because of their novel ideas and cutting edge technology. Also, there is a recent player in the AI app space that has been proven to provide great suggestions and is, most important, approachable and intuitive.

GROUPON

Groupon is one of the more legacy apps covered in this column, but it has been around for a while for good reason. Groupon solidified itself in the local deals app industry by providing users with insider discounts on group activi ties. It is perfect for a family or a group of friends looking for a weekend activity, something enjoyable or maybe even out of the ordinary. Groupon lets users search near them or in any other city they may be planning to visit. Its deals range from discounted spa days, to ones for indoor skiing or bowling. The app partners with local establish ments as well as global brands to offer restaurant and flight deals, among others. A disclaimer would be to always check the establishment’s website for comparative pricing and check the reviews of each deal to help establish credibility. Like any app, sometimes there are deals that are too good to be true, so please do research accordingly.

EVENTBRITE

Eventbrite is not that much different from ticket-selling apps like Ticket master. Users can search for events nearby or far away and read descrip tions for the event before buying a ticket. What sets it apart is its emphasis on the local community. Most of the events or activities on Eventbrite are local events created and posted by every day Eventbrite users. Users can post events and sell tickets while giving Eventbrite a cut of the proceeds. While Ticketmaster has a monopoly on mega-concerts and stadium-filling sports games, Eventbrite is an app for the local church hosting a fish fry, a school hosting a fundraiser, a local restaurant hosting a live music night, to name a few. The app not only makes it easy to create events and sell tickets but also to find niche events that interest you. In Washington D.C. for example, embassies host cultural nights and sell tickets on Eventbrite.

62 AUTUMN YEARS I SUMMER 2024