Akron Pulse
Mac and his friend Byron Delpinal have created and launched a new local events platform that is engineered and designed to be the most complete and user-friendly event resource in Summit County. Akron Pulse pulls data from more than 165 local calendars (with more added each week), analyzes and categorizes them, and compiles everything all in one free and user-friendly website: akronpulse.com.
During our 2017-2018 @PLAY Akron project, we interviewed thousands of residents and they often complained about the same thing: “I always hear about what’s going on after it happens.” Mac started doing some research and saw that on a daily basis, most local event platforms contained less than 25% of the events taking place. Akron Pulse changes that. It features 4x-100x more monthly local events than any other other platform, with no paid ads or promotions, giving everyone an equal opportunity to spread the word and discover cool things to do.
“After years of working on this idea, I mentioned it to a group of friends I hike with each month,” says Mac. “I thought it was a good example of a not-evil use of artificial intelligence. Byron agreed and thought it would make for a good learning experience. Several weeks later we had a working prototype and a month later it was online and in testing with a small group of friends and local leaders. We shared a preliminary introduction with key stakeholders in mid-July and sent out the press release a couple weeks later. The response has been wild.”
Akron Pulse is a one-stop-shop with virtually everything Akron & Summit County has to offer, all on one platform. Users can search for events by name, location, date, or category. Akron Pulse also has a planning feature, which allows users to select activities to share with friends and collaborate on itineraries and ideas – no passwords, cookies, or personal details needed.
Akron Pulse also saves local businesses, organizations, and non-profits precious time and money by elevating awareness and access to regional events without any extra effort. “We’re at a cultural crossroads where technology has supplanted traditional forms of media,” says Love. “You can follow and subscribe to everything online and you’ll still only get a fraction of a picture of what’s going on. For people with limited time and marketing budgets, it is very difficult and exhausting to spread news about upcoming events. With Akron Pulse, you just need to do it once.”
One of the most amazing things about this platform is that it is open source and transferrable to any community that may be facing a similar issue. Akron Pulsebrings people together and supports a more connected, engaged, and empowered community. “We may have our finger on the pulse,” says Mac, “but our sights are squarely set on living in a thriving, happier, and more fulfilling community.”
