Looking for a fun, fresh way to get people exploring your downtown? Want to help your local businesses thrive while collecting valuable data and building community spirit? Let us introduce you to your new favorite tool: Digital Event Passports.

What’s a Digital Event Passport?

A digital event passport is part loyalty card, part local guide, and all-around engagement tool. It’s a mobile-friendly experience that encourages people to check in at different businesses, landmarks, and activities around your district while earning digital “stamps” or points along the way.

You can use digital passports for just about any kind of event or promotion! Think dining weeks, sip & strolls, historical tours, shop local challenges, and more. Whether it’s grabbing a latte, browsing a boutique, or dancing at a street fair, each stop becomes part of the adventure.

Add in badges, prizes, and fun challenges, and you’ve got a powerful way to boost participation, drive traffic, and make your downtown buzz with energy.

Why Downtowns Love Passports

Digital event passports aren’t just trendy, they’re impactful. Here’s why downtowns and main streets across the country are jumping in:

Drive Foot Traffic

Encourage locals and tourists alike to get out and explore. A well-built passport directs people to spots they might not have visited otherwise, from hidden gems to mainstays.

Boost Economic Impact

More people walking into shops, restaurants, and attractions means more dollars spent locally. Digital passports are a powerful tool to support your small businesses and revitalize your district’s economy.

Collect First-Party Data

Every participant can opt-in to share their email or contact info, giving you valuable 1st party data to support future events, newsletters, or promotions.

Build Community Pride

There’s nothing like seeing your neighbors rally around a shared experience. Passports make it easy to show off what makes your town special, whether it's food, culture, history, or quirky landmarks.

Add Gamification

Badges, leaderboards, and prizes turn everyday exploration into a game. Whether it’s a “Chili Champ” badge or a discount after five stops, people love earning rewards for having fun.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Types of Event Passports

Not sure where to start? The beauty of digital event passports is that you can tailor them to fit any theme, vibe, or local celebration. Here are a few tried-and-true ideas that downtown districts love:

🍽 Dining Passports

Feature your favorite local restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and food trucks in one delicious experience. Whether it’s special discounts, secret menu items, or signature dishes, a dining passport gets people out trying new spots. Perfect for restaurant weeks, foodie challenges, or seasonal tasting events.

🍷 Sip & Stroll Events

Let your community wander and sip in style. Pair wine tastings, cocktail samples, or craft brews with retail browsing, live music, or art displays. Participants check in at each stop and earn rewards for exploring. It’s a great way to support both local makers and downtown shops.

🎨 Cultural & Historic Trails

Turn your district into an open-air museum. Feature public art, historical landmarks, cultural institutions, or walking tours. Include fun facts or storytelling along the way to make it educational and entertaining. These passports are perfect for heritage festivals, art walks, or tourism campaigns.

🛍 Shop Local Passes

Encourage people to support small businesses by creating a passport that rewards visits and purchases at local retailers. Include boutiques, bookstores, gift shops, and more. Offer discounts or prizes for completing a certain number of check-ins. It's a win-win: participants discover new favorites, and businesses get more foot traffic.

🎪 Street Fair Experiences

Make festivals and street fairs even more interactive. Use a passport to guide attendees to vendor booths, food trucks, live performances, or kids' zones. You can even include challenges like “visit 5 booths and earn a prize!”. This is great for encouraging exploration and keeping visitors engaged throughout the event.

Real-Life Example: Kalamazoo Chili Cook-Off Challenge

Downtown Kalamazoo took a beloved community tradition, their 20th Annual Chili Cook-Off, and turned up the heat with a digital passport challenge powered by Proxi. Gone were the paper maps and old-school voting slips. In their place? A fully mobile, interactive experience that made the event more engaging, measurable, and fun.

Participants used their phones to access a beautifully branded map featuring dozens of chili stops. Each location had a QR code attendees could scan to check in, earn points, and vote for their favorite chili contenders. The more spots they visited, the more rewards they unlocked - from milestone badges to entries for Downtown Dollars prizes.

The impact was deliciously clear:

• 400+ participants signed up
• Nearly 2,000 check-ins recorded
• Over 21,000 points earned through engagement
• 50+ photos uploaded by users at chili stops
• A boost in foot traffic to local businesses

Proxi’s platform made it easy for the Chamber to track engagement, gather user-generated content, and streamline voting for People's Choice and Judges' Awards. Organizers loved how simple it was to launch the challenge. Proxi’s affordable pricing, easy setup, and custom branding tools made it a no-brainer.

This spicy success story proves that with the right digital tool, even long-standing events can feel brand new!

💡 Want to be next? You can launch your own passport in under an hour!

Ready to Launch?

✨ Start your free 7-day trial now and build your event passport in under an hour.
💬 Prefer a helping hand? Book a demo and let our team help bring your vision to life.

Digital event passports are more than just fun, they’re a smart strategy to connect your community, promote local gems, and drive real results. So why wait? Your downtown adventure starts now.