Objectives:
- Drive more traffic to local businesses and events
- Connect the area through wayfinding, help people discover new places
- Tell stories and activate public art in a creative way
- Reach new audiences and engage with diverse communities (using bilingual capabilities)
- Save staff time, reduce engagement costs, and field common questions
- Gather new insights and make data-driven decisions and understand the downtown audience better
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Outcomes:
- First-of-its-kind initiative in the region, introducing an engaging and interactive layer to the heart of Downtown
- Expanded community reach, enhancing the downtown experience for more residents and visitors alike.
- Fresh opportunities to spotlight local businesses, promoting nearby shopping and dining options tailored to users’ questions and preferences.
- Valuable feedback and insights collected — for example, 62.1% of users are locals and 37.9% are visitors.
- Deeper understanding of downtown needs and interests, with top question categories including food & drink and events & nightlife.
- Building on early success, Downtown Bellingham plans to expand the program next year in partnership with the City and Port of Bellingham. Our continued presence will help welcome and inform visitors ahead of the anticipated surge during the FIFA World Cup games in Seattle.
Hello EA Outcomes:
Integrating AI-assisted conversations for residents and visitors to our area has not only been fun, impactful, and smart strategically, but has also provided us with insights into who, how, when, and where people enjoy their time Downtown. We’re very excited to continue to add new points of contact to surprise and delight people for the rest of this year and beyond!
Jenny Hagemann, Development and Communications Director
