Canberra’s popular Sunday markets, the Old Bus Depot Markets, are one of the first Canberra attractions to jump on board the Pokemon Go craze, employing ‘lure modules’ to attract many and rare Pokemons to the markets’ precinct this Sunday 17 July.
“Pokemon Go is extremely popular all over the world right now. We thought we’d have a bit of fun with it and have a Pokemon Go Lure Party to lure more of the pocket monsters to the Markets this weekend,” said Old Bus Depot Markets’ Director, Anthony Niravong.
“Pokemon Go is a fun game and a great way to get kids out walking and keep them active, while enjoying being in the outdoors and seeing some of Canberra’s best attractions,” he said.
The recent Pokemon Go craze has sent countless players hiking around cities all over the world to battle the Pokemon monsters on their smartphones. The game uses technology that superimposes a digital facade on the real world. And businesses like the Markets have cottoned on, paying for special ‘lure modules’ to increase the chances that rare Pokemons will turn up nearby, attracting more players.
“This Sunday we’ll employ lure modules, special modifiers to a ‘Pokestop’, to attract people to the Markets’ precinct. It’s a fun family activity to head out to the markets and hunt for those Pokemon,” Anthony continued.
Anthony went on to explain that the lure modules will be activated every half an hour between 10 and 4pm on Sunday, and given that they last about half an hour per boost, there’s sure to be heavy Pokemon activity for the entire day.
As a bit of extra fun, he invites people to come to the markets and catch the Pokemon, upload and share their photos via their social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) with the hashtag, #PokemonGOBDM, for the chance to win prizes.
“It’s all about innovation. Showing the changing face of our Markets, keeping up with the times and engaging with, and making the markets more relevant to, the younger generation.
“Retail businesses and markets like ours are going to have to leverage virtual and augmented reality to stay competitive and relevant in the coming years,” Anthony concluded.
#PokemonGOBDM is the first of its kind for an individual Canberra attraction and will run alongside other themed events this weekend including the Pokemon Go Canberra Walk around Canberra’s CBD, and the Poke Party Bus touring around town.
Visitors are invited to #PokemonGOBDM from 10am until 4pm this Sunday 17 July, and entry is free. For more information on the #PokemonGOBDM competition and how you can win prizes visit the Market’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/718310141642518/
