Neil J. Kutchera
Port Everglades
The past decade has seen an unprecedented growth in the use of mobile technology. This growth has occurred on a global scale. With the advent of the smartphone, mobile communications merged with the Internet ushering in the next phase in personal computing. An underpinning of this new revolution is the concept of mobile apps, small programs designed to run directly on a smartphone or tablet. As a candidate in the PPM I began exploring business opportunities for mobile apps within the port industry by researching niches that would showcase the potential of this new technology. When I examined the market I discovered that mobile apps were consumer rather than business oriented. Therefore I would focus my efforts on developing a mobile solution for individual port users and customers. What information are port users seeking that would be well suited to an app? My employer, Port Everglades, is one of the busiest cruise homeports in the world with millions of guests passing through our cruise terminals every year. Most of these travelers have smartphones. They could all benefit by having easy access to information about the Port and their cruise. Port Everglades produces a printed cruise guide. It also has cruise related information available on its public website. Both are popular and demonstrate an existing need for cruise and tourist related resources. Could a mobile app be developed to compliment or improve upon a Port’s existing offerings for cruise travelers while providing new value to the Port? If so what would it look like? The answer is a mobile app called CruiseSchedule. It can be downloaded today from the App Store.
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