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Zionsville entrepreneur launches app to help planners coordinate safety
Entrepreneur Jim Martin jokes that the biggest competition for his new venture is OfficeMax-or really anywhere that sells binders and paper.
That's because he wants all event organizers and venue managers to throw out their folders stuffed with emergency instructions and upload all of that information to their phones. His app-Playbook-makes that information accessible anytime and anywhere.
"I don't think it's responsible to have it on a piece of paper these days," Martin said.
Martin launched his company Venue Intelligence in April 2014 out of the Zionsville co-working space zWorks. The following year, he introduced Playbook, which is designed to let event organizers electronically assemble a plethora of information, including emergency operations plans or event action plans like contact lists, schedules and maps.
It's geared to be useful in a wide range of circumstances from worst-case scenarios like active shooters to more common situations like bad weather.
With deadly attacks regularly in the headlines-Playbook went live the day AbLEeCf_ofarctebotxhe Paris terrorist attack last fall- AMudraeyrtin wants to help all event planners be better prepared. Most have already collected the information they need, but it's on paper, not readily accessible to everyone who needs it.
"Running around with a binder doesn't get it done," Martin said. "This is a living document."
The app got its first test run at the 2015 Big 10 Football Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium and since then has been used at such large events as the Indianapolis 500, the 2016 Women's Final Four and the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.
But it's also been used at smaller events including CruZionsville, an annual Porsche car show in Zionsville that raises money for the Alzheimer's Association, and Outrun the Sun, a race that raises money for skin cancer research.
Prices for users vary. A free starter kit is available for one venue with limited events....