????設(shè)想一下，你正在為周五晚上安排點(diǎn)活動(dòng)。你仔細(xì)研究本地的活動(dòng)列表，在谷歌（Google）上搜個(gè)不停，到處向朋友們打聽，只為了尋找本地眼下最有意思的活動(dòng)。然而，等你終于找到了，門票很可能已經(jīng)賣光了。

????因此，不如干脆登錄Applauze。這款集查找活動(dòng)和購(gòu)票功能于一身的手機(jī)應(yīng)用程序既簡(jiǎn)單又好用。今年三月在iTunes應(yīng)用程序商店發(fā)布的Applauze與餐廳點(diǎn)評(píng)網(wǎng)站Yelp以及演唱會(huì)信息通知及推薦類應(yīng)用Bandsintown類似，為36座城市的用戶羅列出當(dāng)?shù)氐母黝惢顒?dòng)，包括音樂、體育類活動(dòng)、電影以及免費(fèi)的社區(qū)活動(dòng)。

????Applauze是現(xiàn)年35歲的基蘭?貝魯比最新的智慧結(jié)晶，已經(jīng)與美國(guó)和加拿大的500多家票務(wù)經(jīng)紀(jì)公司進(jìn)行過(guò)合作。貝魯比是位于加州山景城的移動(dòng)應(yīng)用新創(chuàng)企業(yè)955 Dreams的創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官。955 Dreams已從500 Startups、m8 Capital、Kapor Capital、Felicis Ventures以及CrunchFund等公司籌到了420萬(wàn)美元的種子資金。Applauze打算向用戶提供“找到活動(dòng)的最簡(jiǎn)單、最棒的方式”。

????和競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手不同的是，貝魯比認(rèn)為Applauze是一款“門票轉(zhuǎn)售軟件”。955 Dreams本身并不擁有門票一級(jí)代理權(quán)，它選擇與門票分銷商合作轉(zhuǎn)售門票。后者的銷售網(wǎng)絡(luò)遍布美國(guó)和加拿大，很希望找到愿意出高價(jià)購(gòu)買門票的消費(fèi)者。貝魯比說(shuō)：“這是完全的市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)。我們需要合適的工具去搭建購(gòu)買者和銷售者之間的橋梁，讓市場(chǎng)的需求和供給最終決定門票價(jià)格。”

????雖然面臨著Ticketmaster、Ticketfly和StubHub等老牌門票銷售軟件的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，但Applauze憑借優(yōu)雅友好的用戶界面脫穎而出。Applauze會(huì)在屏幕上顯示熱門活動(dòng)的標(biāo)題，用戶只需滑到自己感興趣的活動(dòng)，輕輕點(diǎn)擊，活動(dòng)頁(yè)面就會(huì)展開，顯示出活動(dòng)描述、路線、花費(fèi)和其它相關(guān)信息。頁(yè)面上還出現(xiàn)購(gòu)票提示；如果是免費(fèi)活動(dòng)，會(huì)有立即回復(fù)的選項(xiàng)；用戶還能通過(guò)Facebook邀請(qǐng)好友。Applauze還集成了聊天功能，用戶可以隨時(shí)咨詢客服問(wèn)題。貝魯比解釋道，所有這一切都是為了把Applauze打造成以用戶為中心的購(gòu)票軟件。貝魯比稱：“大家時(shí)間都有限。我們必須尊重使用我們軟件的用戶，不要用垃圾軟件愚弄用戶。”

????Applauze還承諾不會(huì)收取隱藏費(fèi)用，而這種費(fèi)用對(duì)于別的門票銷售網(wǎng)站很常見。Applauze顯示的門票價(jià)格就是用戶最終的購(gòu)買價(jià)（舉例來(lái)說(shuō)，門票手續(xù)費(fèi)通常是票價(jià)的3-10%。Applauze的價(jià)格直接包含了手續(xù)費(fèi)，而不是在用戶付款時(shí)再突然蹦出來(lái)。）所以，Applauze上的門票看起來(lái)會(huì)貴一些，但貝魯比表示，最終售價(jià)和其它競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手相差無(wú)幾。貝魯比承認(rèn)，消費(fèi)者需要時(shí)間去適應(yīng)Applauze的定價(jià)策略，不過(guò)他相信這種誠(chéng)實(shí)的銷售方式最終會(huì)贏得客戶芳心。

????Band of the Day的490萬(wàn)用戶也將成為Applauze發(fā)展的一大助力。Band of the Day是955 Dreams公司開發(fā)的一款每日尋找樂隊(duì)的應(yīng)用，該應(yīng)用于2011年在iTunes年度應(yīng)用的評(píng)選中獲得亞軍（僅次于圖片分享應(yīng)用Instagram）。貝魯比預(yù)期，Band of the Day的成功將延續(xù)到他在活動(dòng)和票務(wù)市場(chǎng)的新作Applauze中。他說(shuō)：“我們?cè)谠S多唱片公司和藝術(shù)家中已經(jīng)頗有名氣，我們是這個(gè)社區(qū)的一部分。”貝魯比計(jì)劃Applauze未來(lái)提供后臺(tái)通行證以及無(wú)需排隊(duì)等特殊待遇。（同時(shí)，他還計(jì)劃繼續(xù)強(qiáng)化這款應(yīng)用的探索和計(jì)劃功能。）

????貝魯比期望Applauze成為一個(gè)社區(qū)平臺(tái)，而955 Dreams成為一個(gè)生活方式和娛樂品牌。然而，他最大的野心還是在技術(shù)本身。貝魯比開發(fā)的Applauze完全只針對(duì)移動(dòng)平臺(tái)，因?yàn)樗J(rèn)為移動(dòng)平臺(tái)對(duì)于年輕人互動(dòng)的方式至關(guān)重要，還因?yàn)樗J(rèn)為應(yīng)用開發(fā)能改變?nèi)藗兩畹姆绞健！白鳛檐浖_發(fā)專業(yè)人士，手機(jī)是我們使技術(shù)再次充滿人性的大好機(jī)會(huì)。”（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：項(xiàng)航

????Picture yourself trying to make plans for Friday night. You pore over local listings, Google endlessly, and consult friends, all to find the most interesting things happening around town that -- when finally found -- are probably already sold out.

????Enter Applauze, an event-finding and ticket-purchasing mobile app that is as useful as it is easy to use. Similar to Yelp for restaurants, and Bandsintown for concerts, Applauze -- released this past March in the iTunes App Store -- gives users in 36 cities a list of options from across the event spectrum, from music, to sports, theater, and free community events.

????The app, which works with a network of more than 500 ticket brokers in the U.S. and Canada is the latest brainchild of 35 year-old Kiran Bellubbi, the CEO and founder of 955 Dreams, a mobile app startup in Mountain View, Calif., that has raised $4.2 million in seed funding from firms like 500 Startups, m8 Capital, Kapor Capital, Felicis Ventures, and CrunchFund. Applauze sets out to provide customers with "the simplest and most beautiful way to find events."

????Bellubbi considers his new app a "secondary ticket market play," differentiating it from its competitors. Although 955 Dreams doesn't own the primary ticketing rights to events at venues worldwide, the team resells tickets provided to them by brokers with whom they have networked in the U.S. and Canada, scouting for the best deals for their customers. "In a true market place," Bellubbi says, "we need to build adequate tools to facilitate a dialogue between the buyers and sellers and let supply and demand determine what the fair price of the product is."

????However, Applauze's elegant, user-friendly interface is what most separates its service from that of longtime competitors in the ticket industry such as Ticketmaster, Ticketfly, and StubHub. Users simply scroll through a list of event titles, tap, and the tile expands and displays a description, directions to the event, costs, and other pertinent details. There's the option to purchase tickets, RSVP to free events or to invite friends via Facebook. The app also features a built-in chat engine that allows users to talk to customer support in real time. Bellubbi explains this was all part of his vision to make a customer-friendly ticketing app: "People have limited time," Bellubbi says. "They should be respected for using your product -- don't insult them with crappy software."

????The app also promises to protect customers from hidden fees and charges that are common at ticket-booking sites. The price listed is what you actually pay for the ticket (i.e service charges, which result in a 3-10% markup, are included in the ticket price, rather than popping up when it's time to pay.) This means tickets at Applauze appear more expensive than those at competing sites, but according to Bellubbi, they ultimately cost?the same amount. Though Bellubbi acknowledges it will take some time to habituate customers to the pricing strategy, he believes users will appreciate the honest salesmanship in the long run.

????Applauze will also be helped along by the 4.9 million users of Band of the Day, a daily band-finding app developed by 955 Dreams that in 2011 earned runner-up status (behind Instagram) for the iTunes App of the Year. Bellubbi expects that success will carry over to his work in the events and ticketing market: "We've developed a big reputation with a lot of labels and artists," he says. "We're a part of that community." Among his future plans for Applauze is to offer perks like backstage passes and line-skipping privileges. (He also plans to continue to enhance the app's discovery and planning functions.)

????Bellubbi envisions Applauze becoming a community platform and 955 Dreams becoming a lifestyle and entertainment brand. Yet his biggest ambitions relate to the technology itself. Bellubbi developed Applauze to be mobile-only because he saw the platform as central to the way young people interact, but also because he sees app development as a way to transform how people live. "Mobile is our opportunity as software professionals to make technology human again."