Another day, another pitch via email for me to use someone’s iPhone app but, this time I replied because it was an app that legitimately peaked my interest. For attendees of Ultra Music Festival, that piece of paper we get full of times and stage names is totally useless. Cool, Tiesto is playing here at 8PM. Where is that? Damn…I’ll just walk through a crowd of 50,000 people to find that stage. Great!
Ultra Music Festival hasn’t released an app this year and I’m not surprised. A small two person team has created a UMF Essential which is a iPhone app that helps you navigate the 3 day festival with ease! They will continue updating and shaping the awesomeness of this app until the final hours before the event and I was blown away at how awesome it is.
I couldn’t hide my skepticism when I got this letter. I honestly assumed it was one of those groups that creates custom iPhone apps for tons of events to make a buck using the same template and icon (with a slight color change). Nope, this is custom for Ultra and I’m gonna push hard that everyone download this application!
UNOFFICIAL APP FOR ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011
UMF Essential is your unofficial guide to all things UMF 2011. Plan your festival experience and create your ideal schedule. Expand your knowledge about your favorite DJs and live acts, and learn about new talent. Get blown away by 10+ hours of spectacular videos and rich content. Find your way around the stages and points of interest at Bicentennial Park. And keep the party going with our Ultra Week 2011 party guide. Never miss a beat with these features:
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– FULL LINE-UP
– ARTIST BIOS
– VISUAL PLANNER
– INTERACTIVE MAP
– ULTRA WEEK 2011 PARTY GUIDE
– SPECTACULAR PHOTOS / VIDEOS
– REVOLUTIONARY INTERFACE
– OFFLINE CAPABILITIES
——————————–* Comprehensive ARTIST BIOS and VIDEOS
Read in-depth bios and little known facts about your favorite DJs and live acts, get stunning photos, DJ Mag ranks, link to official artist websites, and watch mouthwatering videos; from official music videos, live performances, and mini-documentaries.
* Powerful VISUAL PLANNER makes scheduling easy
Never miss a beat with our advanced in-app Planner. You can schedule your events and reminders on almost every screen: through the line-up, using our unique visual Planner, and by artist to name a few.
* Interactive MAP lets you rule the Festival
The interactive zoomable/scrollable Map will guide you to your next event stage, or help you locate the nearest point of interest, including food stands, drink (and ID check), restrooms, medical stations, VIP section, and more.
* Your essential Ultra Week 2011 PARTY GUIDE
We’ve got your covered with the 100+ Ultra Week 2011 parties rocking Miami and featured in our Parties section. We’re constantly scouring the Internet to give you the most up to date list of parties at the touch of an icon.
* Spectacular VIDEOS will knock your socks off
In addition to the extensive set of artist videos, the app features 3 categories filled with the most stunning videos:
– Powerful videos that capture the essence of UMF
– Amazing sets and performances from UMF 2010
– Some wild videos from our user community* OFFLINE capabilities
All key features, including the Map will work without a network connection, important considering the 50,000+ of us who will be texting, tweeting, facebooking, and calling from Bicentennial Park.
* Don’t “leave the world behind”
You will be proud of yourself when you realize that you’ve done your share to help our little planet by not picking up the 2-3 schedules and assortment of party flyers. Your hotel cleaning staff will thank you as well.
* For a more detailed list of features, please visit http://www.umfessential.com/p/product.html
Enjoy the app, and enjoy ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL!
I think they actually added too much content to this app but, mostly the map and schedule are the most important aspects of this application. One issue that I had with previous “template” UMF applications of previous years is that they required an internet connection each time you opened the application.
“UMF Essential” is only $1.99 which is nothing compared to the $250 you paid to attend Ultra and another $800 in flights + hotels to be in Miami during the show. Heck, even the crappy hamburgers at Ultra are like $10…there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t install this iPhone app.
From an iTunes Review:
I am flying down to Miami for Ultra and wanted to make sure I made the most of my trip. This app has everything you need. The artist info is very detailed, the map is great, and the videos are AMAZING! I am looking forward to using the scheduling more at the event but I’m pretty stoked that I’ve already sorted through who I’m going to see!! The visual planner is also very well set up! Worth the 1.99!
It’s hard to contain my excitement for this application without anyone getting that weird suspicion that I was somehow paid. Nope, I give Melissa credit for finding my multiple blog posts about Ultra Music Festival over the last few months and very generously pinging me to ask if I wanted to try their app…and yes, I paid for my own copy.
Going to Ultra? Download UMF Essential for iPhone (iTunes link) & Main Site
