Looking for a fresh, fun way to bring people downtown, drive dollars to local businesses, and show off your community’s best spots? Say hello to Digital Event Passport Challenges — your new go-to tool for turning visits into economic impact and growing valuable first-party data.

At Proxi, we believe that exploring your community should be easy, exciting, and rewarding — for both visitors and businesses. That’s why our Digital Passport Challenges are designed to drive vendor sales, spark user-generated content (UGC), and deliver real-time engagement data you can actually use.

Why Digital Passes Are a Big Deal for Festivals and Events

Forget paper punch cards and scattered maps — digital passports transform how festivals and events engage their attendees.

Here’s what makes them so valuable:

• Encourage Exploration: Guide attendees to local shops, restaurants, booths, parks, and hidden gems they might not discover on their own.
• Boost Local Spending: With incentives, prizes, and bragging rights on the line, participants are more likely to check in, shop around, and spend locally.
• Support Local Vendors: Drive foot traffic and sales by connecting attendees directly to the businesses and vendors that make your community unique.
• Foster Community Engagement: Build friendly competition and a sense of connection with leaderboards, check-ins, photo uploads, and point-based challenges.
• Drive User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage participants to snap selfies, tag your event, and share their adventures — giving you fresh content for social media and future marketing.
• Collect Actionable, First-Party Data: See who’s participating, where they’re going, and which spots are most popular. Capture emails and preferences to fuel future campaigns and planning.
• Combat Seasonality: Launch digital passport experiences for seasonal events, local trails, and year-round activities to keep your audience engaged beyond festival day.

It’s community pride, gamified. And it works.

What Makes Proxi Event Passport Challenges Awesome

Our Passport Challenges aren’t just digital versions of what you’ve seen before — they’re built to be easy, engaging, and tailored to your town.

Launch in Under an Hour:

No complicated setup or months-long onboarding here. Build, brand, and launch your pass challenge in 45 minutes or less with our self-serve platform.

Fully Customizable:

Make it yours with your colors, logos, and categories. Add your favorite local spots, merchants, landmarks, and hidden gems — updating in seconds.

Points. Rewards. Repeat:

Assign points for check-ins and offer rewards to keep people engaged. Think free coffee, discounts, swag, or exclusive experiences.

Real-Time Impact Tracking:

See exactly how your challenge is performing with live participation data, check-ins, and conversion metrics.

‍No-Code, No Hassle:

Our drag-and-drop builder makes it easy for anyone to create a professional, white-labeled digital pass — no developers required.

More engagement. More revenue. More local love.

Case in Point: Downtown Kalamazoo Chili Challenge

Need proof? Let’s talk about how one downtown turned up the heat. Earlier this year, Downtown Kalamazoo took their beloved 20th Annual Chili Cook-Off digital with Proxi — and it was a game-changer.

Instead of relying on paper maps and scattered voting booths, attendees pulled out their phones, scanned a QR code, and dove into a spicy, interactive passport challenge.

Here’s what they cooked up:

• Attendees checked in at chili stops via QR codes
• Gamified points system encouraged folks to visit more spots (and snap selfies)
• Voting and prize entries happened digitally — no paper ballots needed
• Rewards and milestones like “One Chili Down” and “Perfect 10” made the day extra fun

And the results?
🔥 400 participants registered
🔥 1,952 total check-ins
🔥 21,879 points earned
🔥 Significant increase in local business foot traffic

Plus — user-generated content exploded with 50+ chili-loving selfies uploaded by attendees.

Why did they love it? It was affordable, easy to set up, and measurably impactful. Event organizers reported a clear boost in participation, better logistics, and valuable data they could use to make next year even better.

Ready to Launch Your Passport Challenge?

Why wait? Proxi Passport Challenges are the easiest way to bring people in, keep revenue local, and track your event’s success.

🎉 Start your 7-day free trial today and see how easy it is to build your own digital pass
📅 Or book a demo with our friendly team — we’d love to show you around.

Let’s make your community the most exciting stop on everyone’s map!