Local Explorers, a leading creator of mobile loyalty apps for the hospitality and tourism industry, has expanded its reach once again through its partnership with the Missouri Craft Spirits Guild to build the guild’s Missouri Spirits Expedition app. The app, a digital upgrade to the paper maps originally used for the guild’s popular Missouri Spirits Expedition trail, lets users find and learn about the guild’s 41 distilleries, map their own personal tours of distilleries of their choice, and earn badges and other prizes by using the app to check in to participating distilleries.
The Missouri Spirits Expedition celebrates not only the state’s diverse range of craft spirits producers, but the state’s rich history, according to Brandon Eckhart of the Missouri Craft Spirits Guild. “It launched on May 14, 2019, 215 years to the day that Lewis and Clark started their expedition,” Eckhart explained. “It started at the same place at the same hour that Lewis and Clark started their expedition out West.”
The guild designed the trail to offer participants a sense of fun and adventure. “We named it the Expedition because there’s an adventure that goes along with it,” Eckhart said. “We offer rewards along the way. And because we’re the Show Me State, we want to be sure to show people a good time when they visit the distillers.” He emphasized that the trail offers much more than just the state’s celebrated bourbon—participants can also visit distilleries specializing in rum, gin, cognac, and other unique craft spirits.
Among the prizes are a $10 gift certificate for visiting 10 distilleries, and for those who visit all 41, a special bottle of blended Missouri bourbon. “The distilleries got together and blended a special barrel that they then aged. A bottle from that is the reward for visiting all 41 distilleries,” Eckhart said
He added that several people have already earned their bottles. And the quest to complete the trail has engendered a lot of friendly competition. “There’s a lot of gamesmanship for the people that come on the expedition to see every site across the state.”
Eckhart added that entrusting Local Explorers to build the app was an easy choice. “We talked to other guilds across the country that used their platform, and we felt that without question, it was the right choice for us,” he said. “Their platform had everything we were looking for in an app.”
Eckhart also praised the Local Explorers team for its support during the development process. “They’ve been fantastic,” he said. “They’ve listened to everything that we’ve asked for. They’ve spent more than enough time, been more than generous with their time, and being sure that we understood the app even before we went to vote with our membership as a whole.”
He added that the app will allow the guild to offer even more fun incentives to Expedition participants. “We’re now also going to be able to offer some badges and some awards that we weren’t able to do before. Local Explorers is actually helping us plan that out. We’re thinking that maybe we are going to have a same day tripper award, and some across the state awards, and things like that.”
The guild plans to make the “app launch” itself a memorable and fun event. “The goal is to launch the app in early summer, as May 15, is the 220th anniversary of the start of Lewis and Clark’s expedition,” Eckhart said. “We’ve got plans to be in multiple local news outlets, and to have different timed press releases in print throughout the state. “
In addition, Eckhart sees the app as a way to promote other areas of Missouri tourism. “We’re actually talking to the tourism board right now about opportunities to pair up with them and incorporate the app into some of their promotions for the State of Missouri as a whole,” he said.
“At Local Explorers, we’re all about encouraging people to get out and discover the communities around them, whether as tourists or locals,” said Susan Erickson of Local Explorers. “So, it’s only appropriate for us to partner with the Missouri Craft Spirits Guild to help honor their state’s history of exploration by encouraging a new generation of adventure lovers. We can’t wait to see our app help these explorers discover great craft spirits they might never have found otherwise.”
Local Explorers apps by software designers Daruma Tech are designed to help communities better connect with visitors and local consumers by making it easy for them to discover and patronize local businesses and attractions. Each app is custom branded for the community it serves, and the Local Explorers team offers ongoing, proactive support, from development to training to regular maintenance and updates.
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