Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is ushering in mobile sales by unveiling its first-ever mobile application, enabling users to purchase seat tickets, access exclusive offers to help plan their visits and apply filters for a circus-themed selfie.

The new Ringling Bros. app, which was released ahead of the world premiere of Out of This World, is now available for iOS users seeking to enhance their show-going experiences with a slew of mobile features. Consumers’ growing ease with using mobile ticketing platforms will likely translate to Ringling Bros. seeing an uptick in sales, especially among individuals prone to making last-minute plans.

“We developed this app primarily to extend the relationship with our fans,” said Sam Gomez, vice president of digital marketing at Feld Entertainment, the production leader behind Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. “We know that families are on-the-go and we want to make it as easy as possible to buy tickets and to experience wholesome family entertainment.”

Taming ticket-buying hassles
The new mobile app was designed to reimagine the Ringling Bros. brand by injecting technology-driven features to enhance both pre-show and post-show excitement. The complimentary app, which is currently available for iOS devices and anticipating a rollout to the Google Play Store soon, contains a bevy of interactive tools in addition to ticket-buying options.

Consumers considering a trip to the newest Ringling Bros. show, which debuts in Los Angeles on July 14, can leverage the app to purchase tickets. They may also access the deals and offers section to more effectively plan their visits and take advantage of any available discounts.

Individuals wanting to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to a Ringling Bros. show will likely find more convenience in being able to buy tickets directly from their mobile device, instead of having to visit a ticketing platform’s Web site or call the box office.

By enabling app users to buy tickets at any time, Ringling Bros. is well-poised to experience an increase in last-minute sales.

Consumers have also been looking to social media channels to gain inspiration regarding potential events to attend and buy tickets in close proximity to their friends’ seats.

With a growing number of consumers turning to mobile platforms to research local events and make plans with friends, event marketers are striking while the iron is hot and introducing new social ticketing solutions on Facebook (see story).

Presenting interactive features
Ringling Bros. app users will also be able to use the “Circus Selfie” feature to snap a photo of themselves before embellishing it with a themed filter. These selfies can then be shared on social media via the #RinglingBros hashtag.

Social media users who spot their friends uploading circus selfies may become inspired to consider attending a show as well.

“The feature of the all-new app we are most excited to share is the circus selfies,” Mr. Gomez said. “We see how much fun families have taking pictures at our show and with the circus selfies, they actually become part of the circus.”

Additional in-app tools include photo galleries and sneak peeks at new shows, exclusive content from circus stars and Ringling Bros. trivia questions.

Users can respond to the trivia questions to win points that will appear in the app’s leaderboard, promoting competitiveness among other fans.

Offering an engagement-heavy app may also be beneficial for parents who bring their children to a Ringling Bros. show and find themselves needing a distraction to occupy their kids prior to its start.

Millennial moms’ reliance on mobile has made it a must-have channel for any event marketer to leverage.

“We know that when moms hear about our shows on TV and radio, the first thing they do is search,” Mr. Gomez said. “Today, 70 percent of our Web site traffic comes from mobile devices.”