equ appointed to build customer app for World’s largest arts festival, Edinburgh Fringe

Edinburgh Fringe (August 4 – 28), the World’s largest arts festival, has appointed Perth digital agency, equ, (formerly Equilibrium), to develop its customer app to enhance the experience for the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the internationally renowned event annually.

The app will include many navigational features supporting audiences in exploring the wealth of performances available at the festival. Users will be able to view and search full programme listings, book tickets on the go and use a ‘nearby now’ function to find shows starting soon, which are close to their location.

In addition, users will have the option to enable notifications for when their next show is about to start and will also benefit from a ‘Shake to Search’ function which will provide them with a personalised show suggestion simply by shaking their phone.

The decision by Edinburgh Fringe to appoint equ to this critically important project was not taken lightly with extensive due diligence into the product, team, technical experience and agency stability and culture undertaken for nearly six months before a final decision was reached.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Developing an app required to support the scale and complexity of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes a significant period of time and resources, and we’re delighted to share the exciting features which will be launched within the app for this year’s festival.

“We recognise the app is a key tool for Fringe artists, with many audiences using it to explore new ideas and performances they may not have yet experienced, and the “nearby now” functionality is particularly useful for performers who offer free shows within the programme.”

The equ appointment comes off the back of the success of Perth’s own FRINGE WORLD app, which has proved to be a valuable tool to reach new audiences and support artists to sell more show tickets.

The equ team are now down to business addressing the many significant design and technical challenges arising from the sheer size of the Edinburgh festival program, and integration of their many complex data sources.

Due to be launched at the end of July this year, the app will be the first stage in a multi-year commitment that will establish a roadmap for further development, enhancement, and optimisation.

equ’s Managing Director, Warren Gibbs, said: “The project provides an exciting opportunity to establish the ‘go to’ platform for festivals and events around the world.

“As an event, Fringe has probably done more to place Edinburgh on the global stage and the forefront of world-class cities than anything else, and is the place that many of the world’s highest profile performers have introduced material and been ‘discovered’ on an international stage.

“We are thrilled by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the ongoing success of the world’s largest arts festival, and will be looking to create a platform that will add significant value for all stakeholders including artists, venues and customers.”