Calgary Herald: Giddy up, cowboys: Stampede creates online scheduler

Those overwhelmed by everything the Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth has to offer will have an extra tool in their planning arsenal this year, as the Calgary Stampede rolls out its online scheduler.

"It's almost impossible to see everything in one day," said Stampede publicity manager Jennifer Booth. "We've found that if you plan your Stampede, you have an opportunity to see a little bit more."

"There are so many hidden gems," Booth said. "A lot of people do the exact same route every year. We really want to encourage people to try new things out and see some of the different exhibits and attractions that we have."

Users will be able to use the online tool to plan an itinerary, buy tickets to events such as the chuckwagon races or Grandstand Show and share plans with friends on Facebook. Several categories of activities are offered, with users also able to search by venue.

"We have more than 180 attractions and events daily on the Stampede grounds, so we really want to make it available to people to plan their Stampede online," said Booth. "If visitors want to do a kids' event, or a family event, or food and beverage, or agriculture -it narrows it down, and it also narrows it down to specific locations, and filters it down to exactly what sort of timelines they would be looking at to do specific activities."

The scheduler interfaces with the Stampede's Android and iPhone mobile phone apps and allows users to plan and buy tickets on-the-go -or even on the grounds.

Additionally, those still overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices can text message "NEXT" to 313131 to receive one of 40 custom-tailored activity suggestions.

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