Open Day - new app for your phone

The University of Adelaide has become the first university in the State to develop a free smartphone app for its Open Day.

Open Day is on Sunday 21 August. The app (short for 'application') will make it easier for smartphone users to find out about Open Day events and activities, plan their day, find their way around campus, and directly interact with the event itself.

"The latest figures show that 46% of Australian mobile phone owners now have a smartphone. The growth of smartphone usage - and the willingness of smartphone users to adopt new apps, and interact with social media and websites - means we have a real opportunity to connect with people in new ways," said the University's Digital Media Strategist, Mal Chia.

"Today you can get an app for almost anything - from helping you to gaze at the stars, to keeping track of your exercise. Mobile apps are also a natural way for events to engage with their audiences.

"This year, for the first time ever, we have released an app for iPhone and Android phones to enhance the Open Day experience. With so much to see and do at Open Day, an app is the perfect way to help visitors get the most out of their day," Mr Chia said.

The University's Open Day app enables users to:

• Browse the Open Day program and bookmark events in a personalised Open Day planner;
  
• Use an interactive map to help navigate their way around campus;
  
• Share photos and videos of the day;
  
• View photos and videos from past Open Days;
  
• Follow Open Day (#opendayua) on Twitter for updates on what's happening.

"Our Open Day app has been developed based on what most of our visitors need from Open Day, so we hope it will be a useful experience for anyone trying it out for the first time this year," Mr Chia said.

Story by David Ellis

The University of Adelaide's Open Day app is available to download for free now in iPhone and Android phone App Stores. To find out more about Open Day, you can also go to: adelaide.edu.au/openday