First Annual W2i Digital Communities Best Practices Awards

1. First Annual W2i Digital Communities Best Practices Awards ExperienceLA WiFi Project Lead: Gregory G. Curtin, Ph.D. Date: September 14, 2005 Organization: Civic Resource Group Country: USA Email: gregc@civicresource.com Web site: ExperienceLA.com

2. Background • Geographic: ExperienceLA WiFi at Pershing Square is in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles. • Economic: CRA/LA has multiple adopted redevelopment project areas that comprise the Downtown Region. The audience for ExperienceLA WiFi is downtown workers, residents, visitors and tourists. A new residential population is taking root. • Regulatory: CRA/LA derives its authority under State of California Redevelopment Law. Its 7 members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council. • Community: The pilot deployment is a partnership between CRA/LA and City of LA Dept. of Recreation and Parks, with support from LA DWP and the City’s Information Technology Agency. • IT Readiness: Downtown stakeholders were extremely interested in public broadband in outdoor spaces. Technology had been tested at the City of LA Marvin Braude Constituent Center.

3. Project History (1) • Community stakeholders in the mid-1990’s encouraged CRA/LA to spend funds to market cultural tourism within its project areas, rather than commissioning any more studies to understand structural impediments to cultural tourism. • CRA/LA in 1998 responded to a Call for Projects from the local transit agency and proposed to market LA cultural tourism and transit on the Internet. The project was not funded at this stage.

4. Project History (2) • Reworked proposal to bring on regional partners of Long Beach and Santa Monica, addressed some specific transportation issues like getting more people to use public transit to LAX and for conventioneers to not rent cars. Project funded with $284,000 in 2001 from LA Metro with an $80,000 match from the City of LA. Contract signed in August 2002.

5. Project History (3) • Civic Resource Group, a technology firm focused on the public sector, was selected through a competitive process to develop and manage a turnkey web solution that was flexible and scalable. • Civic Resource Group worked with five public agencies to design/develop the site over a 9-month period: CRA/LA; LA Cultural Affairs; City of LA Information Technology Agency; LA, Inc. The Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the University of Southern California

6. Project History (4) • ExperienceLA.com launched in July 2003 in conjunction with the opening of the Metro Gold Line which extended from Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles. Its initial momentum was undercut by a transit strike several months later, but momentum was regained in January 2004. • LA County Arts Commission partnered with the coalition and contributed $100,000 to develop an interactive online calendar and designate ExperienceLA.com as the “Official Cultural Calendar of LA County.”

7. Project History (5) • The ExperienceLA cultural calendar debuted before 6,000 travel professionals at the Los Angeles POW WOW in April 2004 as it cleared 20,000 unique monthly visitors and 150,000 page views. • CRA/LA issued an RFP for Public WiFi at Pershing Square that would incorporate ExperienceLA content; Verge Wireless was selected in November 2004.

8. Project History (6) • ExperienceLA WiFi at Pershing Square debuted in April 2005, coinciding with the release of Mayor Hahn’s proposed 5 Year Broadband WiFi Plan. • CRA/LA is currently considering the potential expansion of downtown LA public WiFi and is taking that into consideration as something that could be incorporated into a trolley project. • 43,000 unique monthly visitors and 238,000 page views for ExperienceLA in August 2005.

9. Mission statement: To use the Internet to promote and market cultural tourism and transit within a dozen redevelopment project areas of the City of Los Angeles, along with Long Beach, Santa Monica, Pasadena and the County of Los Angeles in general for economic development purposes. Mission

10. Improved Services to Citizens; and Local Community Economic Development The overall objective was to use the Internet as a cost effective way of encouraging tourists and residents to experience Los Angeles using public transit, with the goal of increased cultural tourism resulting in more local spending for the benefit of cultural institutions, restaurants, hotels, and other unique destinations. With public WiFi, the goal is to move such information onto mobile devices. Objectives

11. Possible Solutions • Sustaining business models are now being developed for: • ExperienceLA.com • ExperienceLA WiFi • Alternatives being considered: • Sponsorship and Advertising • Grants • Innovative cross marketing opportunities that can’t be disclosed yet.

12. Possible Technology Applications • Expansion of ExperienceLA WiFi to a larger area of downtown Los Angeles to test other WiFi applications for public security, parking meters, etc. • Opportunity to innovate by recognizing where a person is at any given time within the reach of ExperienceLA WiFi. • Implementation of public kiosks throughout the downtown area with ExperienceLA information/services. • Mobile/WiFi mapping and itinerary solutions—real time downtown tours. • Distribution of inexpensive handheld devices to downtown visitors/residents to use to ExperienceLA.

13. Business Model • Community groups and cultural leaders participated fully in the initial design/development of the project. • The foundation of the project is a community of over 1,500 arts and cultural organizations that currently provide content for ExperienceLA.com and promote the site and its growing network of WiFi sites, cultural gateways, links, etc. • Targeted users: • Current: Downtown visitors, businesses, residents, tourists. • Future: Expansion of the same targeted audience. • Partnerships: ExperienceLA.com and WiFi is a partnership/coalition of public agencies, including CRA/LA, LA Metro, City of LA Cultural Affairs, LA Inc.—the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the LA County Arts Commission. • A number of key arts/cultural entities work in direct partnership as well (e.g., the Museums Marketing Roundtable; the LA Stage Alliance; various festivals; others). • Currently developing model to bring in private sector sponsors as partners.

14. Project Economics (1) • Cost structure: • $200,000 to develop ExperienceLA + $100,000 for online calendar • $50,000/year to operate and another $50,000/year for upgrades • $25,000 for ExperienceLA WiFi to launch • $20,000 for ExperienceLA WiFi to operate but can be leveraged for much larger area • Investment Sources/Funding • $284,000 from MTA of LA County (Metro) • $80,000 from City of LA Proposition C Funds • $190,000 from County of LA Arts Commission • $75,000 from CRA/LA for WiFi

15. Project Economics (2) • Revenue Source/ Return on Investment • Have thus far declined advertising revenue for ExperienceLA • Have sponsorship requests for ExperienceLA WiFi under consideration • Have submitted a grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts for $125,000 • Serves as a cultural Internet marketing arm for CRA/LA, County Arts Commission, City Cultural Affairs Department, and LA, Inc. The Convention and Visitors Bureau. • Documented increased attendance at festivals, museums, plays, concerts, etc. • Helping to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims

16. Applications • Current applications • Interactive calendar • Send to a friend features • Cell phone, PDA, wireless • Search • Future/ Potential applications • Mobile/WiFi mapping • Dynamic itinerary generator • Mobile reminders/alerts • Cultural tourism podcasting

17. Network Schematic • Technology, Systems Integration, Providers • Civic Resource Group provided turnkey solution including design, development, system integration • Custom development on standard commercial technology platform (MS SQL Database; ASP/ASP.Net; SQL Servers) • WiFi provided by Verge Wireless—competitive bid; Civic Resource Group integrated ExperienceLA content and applications • Site hosting provided by BroadSpire under CRG Management

18. Deployment • Timeline: • Sept. 2002: ExperienceLA project initiated • July 2003: ExperienceLA.com launched • April 2005: ExperienceLA WiFi at Pershing Square launched • Jan. 2006: Planned redesign/expansion of ExperienceLA.com • Future: Continued expansion/rollout of ExperienceLA WiFi Network • ExperienceLA WiFi Deployment specifics: • Pershing Square power configuration • Installation of WiFi hardware • Development of ExperienceLA WiFi gateway web page/content • Site testing • April 2005 launch: Press event, publicity, switch on • Sustainability and Scalability of the project • Project is designed for scalability: Template web page and content feeds; branding for expansion (ExperienceLA WiFi at ___); standardization of underlying content, technology platform, etc.; leveraging of other technology and marketing investments/mechanisms

19. Impact Analysis • Actual impact • Prompting residents and tourists to see new arts/cultural attractions throughout LA • Prompting residents and tourists to try public transit • Bringing together the LA cultural community • Heightened awareness of LA arts and culture • Impact compared to original goals • Impacts align with original goals

20. Lessons Learned & Next Steps • Lessons Learned—ExperienceLA WiFi • Work in public-private partnership model • Content critical: leverage other content sources • Build a scalable brand, approach • Allow for business innovation (revenues, sustainability) • Next Steps • Continue expansion of ExperienceLA WiFi at Pershing Square demonstration—full promotion • Rollout/launch next site of ExperienceLA WiFi Network (Hollywood/Highland, Van Nuys Civic Center, others) • Test, refine business model opportunities: e.g., advertising, sponsorships, cross-marketing