Why Developers Are Getting Into the App Business

Developer Howard Hughes Corp. has partnered with Venuetize to create the Summerlin app, which will be a tool for its eponymous masterplanned community in Las Vegas. The Summerlin masterplanned community features single-family homes, 150 condos and the home ballpark for the Las Vegas Aviators. The app will allow residents will be able to buy ballgame tickets, find parking and connect to rideshare, shop and explore local businesses and navigate food and drink offerings.

“With the opening of Las Vegas Ballpark, we have unique customer service opportunities to enhance the guest experience,” says Danielle Bisterfeldt, VP of marketing for Summerlin, tells GlobeSt.com. “This provides a place for Aviator fans to link to their tickets, possible promotional offers, Aviator stats, venue maps, promotional nights and special event schedules. The ballpark will be hosting at least 30 additional special events so this is an easy way for people to stay connected.”

Experience has become the cornerstone of real estate this cycle, penetrating every asset class. This app is an extension of that trend. “The app provides a user-friendly tool to communicate with our fans,” says Bisterfeldt. “It creates user-friendly functionality like purchasing mobile tickets, venue maps, full list of food and beverage options, and also provides us with the flexibility to enhance services as we move along.”

While the Summerlin app is focused on the ballpark and serving fans, the app is an example of real estate companies partnering with technology, and it could become a growing trend. “The Howard Hughes Corp. is a leading  real estate developer driven by creativity and a sharp focus on creating a sense of discovery for our customers,” says Bisterfeldt. “This tool allows our guests to explore past the bricks and mortar of the physical building. This is a community  touch point, and it  has the potential to be very specialized.”

Finding a tech company can be a challenge for real estate companies. Howard Hughes found that Venuetize was an ideal fit in terms of company culture. “Venuetize has many of the same core values as The Howard Hughes Corp., which made for a seamless partnership,” says Bisterfeldt. “The team at Venuetize is passionate about collaboration. So together, we worked as one team to execute a common goal. Venuetize is an industry leader, and the company has worked with a multitude of different corporations to develop brilliant solutions to ease communication between venues and guests.  Their experience provided a guiding light, allowed us to execute quickly on our plan and helped us to better understand what will be successful without a trial and error process.”