Providers of smart technology to cruise ships, BlooLoc will be exhibiting at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo in Miami this June. Through its smart onboard services – including mobile-based wayfinding, navigation, and location-based passenger notifications and messages – BlooLoc is able to provide superior customer experience and engagement. Ahead of its exhibit, we spoke with Dirk Callaerts, CEO of BlooLoc.
Can you tell us about BlooLoc and its journey so far since being founded back in 2014?
BlooLoc started as a technology company with a solution to locate people or assets in indoor environments, based on either tracking smartphones, tablets or active trackers. The technology can be applied in multiple vertical markets, such as retail, healthcare, airports, casinos, holiday resorts, shopping malls, cruise ships, and so on. BlooLoc now approaches these markets with solutions to “smarten your location”.
What inspired you to venture into the cruise industry?
A cruise ship is one of the greatest locations for BlooLoc’s smart solutions; it gathers hotel infrastructure, shops, casinos, entertainment podia and more, but it can also face safety challenges, in case of evacuation, incident handling, and staff localization.
Can you tell us about a project that was particularly interesting or exciting?
In a large supermarket, we implemented an app on the smartphone with two main features. On the one hand, product finding and navigation to the right aisle where the product is located, and on the other hand promotion notifications to the customer when he or she is close to the specific promoted product. Such applications can also give a new dimension to the customer experience on cruise trips.
Are there any key opportunities or challenges your company faces at present?
The challenge for BlooLoc is to get in contact with the right departments. For example, the cruise operator’s IT, customer experience, and marketing to demonstrate the potential of our smart solutions. Furthermore, to find partner companies currently supplying WiFi infrastructure or IoT solutions to the marine market.
Thanks for speaking with us today. Finally, who are you looking to meet and what do you hope to achieve at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo 2019?
We hope to demonstrate our navigation and tracking solution in the exhibit hall to as many potential interested companies as possible.