SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Visit Springfield is launching the Springfield Horseshoe Sandwich Trail Thursday.
The program aims to heighten the awareness of the local food scene in Springfield and the long-standing tradition of the “shoe” in town.
The trail is a free program that all visitors and locals can sign up for.
Twenty-four local businesses are included at launch, and many more are expected to join.
The passport showcases the best of the Springfield area in a mobile-friendly way.
“As the destination marketing organization for Springfield we are always looking for fun and unique ways to engage, entertain and delight our visitors! The Springfield Horseshoe Trail speaks to the idea of a phygital experience. Phygital is the concept of using technology to bridge the digital world with the physical world with the purpose of providing a unique interactive experiences for the user. This Trail will do just that, as folks travel around the city in search of these unique Horseshoes," said Amy Beadle, Marketing Manager
Discussions of the passport began in early 2023 and led to Visit Springfield reaching out to a well-known technology company in the travel space, Bandwango.
Using this technology, Visit Springfield began working with local businesses to get their offerings loaded into the new Springfield Horseshoe Sandwich Trail program.
“I love the saying “a rising tide raises all boats,” and that is how I look at local business collaborations. Springfield is a great community with a lot to offer our residents and our visitors. When we work together to showcase something like the Springfield classic horseshoe, everybody wins! And if you don’t know what a horseshoe is, or haven’t tried all the varieties, jump on the Horseshoe Trail,” said Brent Schwoerer, Owner/Founder/Brewmaster, Engrained Brewing Company
Once launched, visitors and locals will be able to visit a dedicated mobile trail landing page where they can sign-up for the pass by providing their name, e-mail address and mobile phone number. A link is then sent to their mobile phone, which opens up the trail site and directs the user to add the button icon to their home screen, where they can access it any time.
Once they are ready to redeem their pass, they check in through GPS and start earning points for their visits. Points can be collected or redeemed for unique logo trail prizes.
Restaurants wanting to be a part of the pass can contact Visit Springfield for more information on how to participate.
The pass is expected to be the first in a series of experience passes coming in the next two years.
Learn more and see pass details HERE.
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