AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SceneTap announced today that the company will participate in the fourth annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Accelerator competition as a finalist in the social media category. The company will demonstrate its technology, concept and vision in front of a live audience at the Accelerator, which is the headline event of the SXSW Startup Village. For the first time ever, the event will be streamed live on the Internet for viewers all over the world.
SceneTap is unique in that it installs facial detection software and hardware to automatically and anonymously collect real-time information on the number of people in a venue as well as the gender and age of every person entering that place. This information provides venue operators with invaluable information on who their customers are in addition to foot traffic patterns, which then allows for streamlined staffing, inventory and general operations of their business.
“Where we really took things to the next level was figuring out a way to take this information and present it to the customers of these venues, thus transforming SceneTap into a social media platform and inherent marketing tool to generate leads and drive traffic to the venue,” said Cole Harper, CEO of SceneTap. “We’ve created a free website and mobile applications on the iPhone and Android devices so that users can check out their favorite places before heading there.”
While no images are transmitted, recorded or viewable, the video-based software and automation allow SceneTap to collect information in an industry that has never seen such analytics. The dual-value proposition to operators and users creates a positive feedback loop that continues to grow the network. Its initial focus has been on social venues, such as bars and lounges, due to the viral demand from consumers.
SceneTap is on track to support thousands of venues across 20 markets by the end of 2012, and has already begun franchising abroad. SXSW will be the perfect stage to showcase the technology. Current Web giants such as Twitter and foursquare made their name at the event in years past.
“This will be the first time many users will get to experience SceneTap firsthand,” Harper said. “We just rolled out notifications, which essentially allows you to have your favorite venue ‘text you’ when certain conditions occur. For instance, a user wants to know when a place becomes half full. We automate this process.”
SceneTap will be one of eight companies to present at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin on Monday, March 12. The top three finalists advance to the next day, where winners are announced at 6 p.m. CST.
To explore all that SceneTap has to offer, visit www.scenetap.com or download the free app. A full list of finalists is available on the SXSW Accelerator website.