Wellington’s regional economic development agency Grow Wellington is using innovative local mobile technology in its latest campaign to attract technology workers to the region.
Using an app developed by mobile platform developer STQRY, it has created a Wellington experience to catch the attention of job seekers at the South by Southwest trade show and job market in Texas from March 13 to 18.
South by Southwest is a tech extravaganza of conferences, film, music and interactive festivals in Austin, Texas. More than 70,000 people from over 70 countries attended last year’s trade show.
Grow Wellington is part of the New Zealand contingent at South by Southwest, spearheaded by New Zealand Immigration.
Grow Wellington Chief Executive Gerard Quinn says visitors to the stand have been encouraged to download the free STQRY app and use it to view an example of augmented reality – 3D content which brings static real world objects to virtual life.
Quinn says the app is an appealing way to showcase the leading edge technology being developed by Wellington technology companies. “The app also contains information to help potential migrants discover Wellington as a high tech, creative and well-connected capital, with a fantastic lifestyle,” he says.
STQRY co-founder Ezel Kokcu says the company hopes the app will capture the interest of potential new employees. “It’s an opportunity to interest tech specialists in unique technology which companies like ourselves are developing, like indoor mapping engines for real time apps.”
STQRY’s technology, which uses smartphones to automatically provide information, data, audio and images, is being used at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the US. The company has more than 500 clients globally and has an office with six staff in Seattle. Its main development team of 17 is based in Wellington.
The South by Southwest event is one of several international trade shows and job fairs Grow Wellington is attending in 2015 to promote job, business and investment opportunities in Wellington.
