Page 113 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2016

app in preparation for attending, they can share what they are going to do at the festival on their social media pro les (for example, to nd out if any of their friends and contacts are going) or can directly allow the app to discover matches of this kind.And lastly, an increasingly essential aspect is for apps to be available from both the App Store- iTunes (for iOS, that is, Apple smartphones) and from Google Play for other devices (equipped with the Android operating system) and visible among the links displayed on the festival’s website.The use of native mobile applications is furthermore growing. According to ComScore9, total time spent on mobile apps as channels for information and various interaction interfaces (social media, services...) surpassed the useof desktop Internet (on desktop and laptop computers) in 2014, in parallel with the use of mobile Internet platforms in general (including ordinary Internet browsing).The Cáceres Classical Theatre Festival, despite not having an independent website of its own, has focused strongly on developing its own app in collaboration with the Consorcio Gran Teatro, based on the Agenda Cáceres app developed by the city’s council.content while the festival is running, informing users of what is on and forthcoming activities), Agenda (initially displaying the days the festival runs so that users can choose what they want to explore rather than displaying the whole festival at once), Categorías (referring to the various sections of the festival, such as Ambientación de Calle or the o cial section), Ubicaciones (providing information about the various locations where the action takes place; whena user clicks on them they display the events scheduled for those venues during the festival, as well as linking up to Google Maps) and Favoritos (users can mark as favourites using a small heart-shaped button the activities they nd most interesting so as not to lose sight of them)The International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia also has its own app. Like other festivals, it releases an app for each edition (the rst was in 2014) rather than updating the same one, as it should also be borne in mind that people stop using the app after the festival ends (and apps take up memory space on mobiles).The app provides information on Proyecciones (screenings), which is distinguished from Películas ( lms), which can be found in another section, and on the various Localizaciones (locations) where these and other activities take place. When one of the three is clicked on, it is easyto go from one to another when browsing. Information on side events such as exhibitions can also be found in a separate section, Actividades paralelas.It is interesting to note the possibility of purchasing tickets through another of theapp’s functions, as well as through the screen displaying speci c activities. Users can tag activities as favourites and then use the function Mi agenda, which facilitates visitors’ experiences. There is also a Noticias function where users can nd news and updates, which are also posted on the festival’s website throughout the course of the festival.It is a simple app that is quick to load (this isan important feature, as every smartphone has di erent graphics and memory load capabilities). It has ve sections: Ahora (providing real-timeAC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2016113Focus: Use of New Digital Technologies at Cultural Festivals