Film Festival Mobile App Created for Newport Beach Film Festival

The debut of our film festival mobile app, for the Newport Beach Film Festival, was a roaring success. In addition to our app for NBFF, we also created a noteworthy app for the LA Film Fest, with industry experts taking notice. Both projects showcase our ability to provide sleek and effective apps for film festivals of any size.

Our mobile app development process— starting by establishing goals and strategy, then implementing design and development  and finishing with a launch plan —allows us to remain in sync with the client every step of the way. Our ability to coordinate with festivals is summarized best by our CEO Kelly Cutler, explaining, “We guide festivals with the technology, but they maintain creative control. Our goal is to make it easier for the festival directors to sell tickets, promote filmmakers and increase real-time communication.”

Our partner Gregg Schwenk, Festival Director of Newport Beach Film Festival had this to say about the app: “Kona Company provided the Newport Beach Film Festival with a turnkey mobile app for the 2015 Festival.  We were impressed with the technology, design and functionality of our app.  As a result of including mobile in our strategy, we saw an increase in ticket sales, attendance and communication at this year’s festival.  We look forward to a continued partnership with Kona Company for many years to come.”

Sundance and Cannes, two of the most successful film festivals in the world, have spearheaded the mobile app trend and therefore rely less on paper programs. The major benefit of a mobile app is providing festival attendees with regular and timely updates on scheduled screenings, previews, film information and venues, all in the palm of their hand. This gives festivals greater flexibility, increased attendance, better audience engagement, and a more rewarding overall experience. Additionally, it’s a cost-effective and hassle-free way to eliminate the wasted resources of paper program guides and increase social sharing within the film festival experience. Finally, an app can accommodate and communicate last minute film scheduling changes, whereas a paper program cannot.

Components of the turnkey festival app include calendars, film and venue information, news, ticketing integration, and social sharing (Twitter and Facebook feeds).Within the calendar function, the NBFF app offers users the opportunity to designate and favorite films of interest, allowing for ticket purchase within the app itself. This creates the ‘My Schedule’ and ‘My Favorites’, providing users a customized and personalized experience. With all the features and benefits available with apps, it’s likely that more festivals will shift to apps as mobile usage grows.

To capitalize on this mainstay trend, we can develop a fest app for your festival. In addition to standard features like an integrated ticketing platform, the possibilities of customization are boundless.

Learn more about our festival apps here and contact us to learn how Kona Company can deliver a strategic mobile app for your festival.