Lightbulb moment creates bright future for event technology.

Lightbulb moments happen when you least expect them.

For Kevin Patroni and Tim Watson, it was over a few celebratory drinks at a birthday party, when they decided to create an app   online platform that lists all the things to do in the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region.

Let’s Do Something has created an online community for small business, not-for profit groups and community organisations to list their events, workshops and services.

“The idea came about at my 40th birthday, where we wanted to make it easy for the community to find something to do – and so Let’s Do Something was created,” Kevin said.

“We got the ball rolling straight away we didn’t muck about; we knew it was a good idea and didn’t want to sit on it.

“I think there are a million great ideas out there – so we turned this good idea into a reality,” Tim said.

For the duo, currently Let’s Do Something is their side hustle, they both work in the mining industry. Tim has management experience in the mining industry and Kevin has a robust IT background with previously owning The Laptop Man Australia.

Everything fell into place for them, but still have dreams to make this app globally competitive in the next 12 months.

How the platform works is simple, all you have to do is fill in the search tab, what you are looking for, the region, choose a category and a date and then click search.

The Let’s Do Something platform since its inception in March 2019 has started to take off with many local businesses and communities adopting the technology and using it to their advantage, with more than 20,000 page views per month. 

“That was the most important thing to make it look like an app and be very user friendly,” Kevin said.

The platform also has a strong following on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin and as far as Perth.

“We are focusing on here in Mackay first, I am born and bred Mackay and we want it to be born here and go Australia wide, we want it to be known that it has come from Mackay that would be cool.,” Kevin said.

The Let’s Do Something app has centralised and helped the community to find events on in the region but has given businesses another avenue to list what they have on offer and finding new customers.

“The platform is like when you go to a food court or a buffet, what do you do?  You walk up and down it and visually choose what you want and that is what I am attracted to so, sometimes you don’t know what you want and gives you the freedom of choice. 

“Businesses love it because they can advertise everything all in the one place that is easy to find.

“The dream is to be an Australian wide platform that is consistent, whichever city you are in, you can filter down from the location and search what it you feel like doing and see what is on,” Kevin said.

The COVID 19 pandemic has changed our lives and how we do business, it is about how to reinvent and pivot to that change and Let’s Do Something is a platform that can give small businesses and community groups more exposure.

Kevin said now that everyone now knows how to use QR codes, this is the next technology that they will be using for their clients on all marketing collateral and posters.

“I was in the airport coming back from the Gold Coast and I thought how cool it would be to have signs with QR codes. While there is about 30 people waiting for a cab you can scan the code and find out what is on while you are in the region visiting.

“It is completely live; we have invested from the ground up with the technology.

“You can upload in under 3 minutes, Kevin said.

Kevin and Tim agree that Let’s Do Something is a great app for the Tourism industry and small business to adapt and use to their advantage to give tourists and locals more reasons to book extra nights, if they knew what events and activities were available.

“It is an affordable platform for business top advertise, and it is about getting businesses to change the way they do things. Say there is a florist in town, does not fit the profile of Let’s Do something but what if that florist holds floral arrangement courses, that is now something to do and now they can add it to the app and they may get more business out of it.

“I think we are seen as a bit of a disrupter in the market.

“We are trying to help, solve a problem and help the communities at the same time and hopefully we will get a venue stream out of it for all our hard work as well,” Tim said.

Tim and Kevin agree that Let’s Do Something is definitely challenging businesses marketing their business and giving the community the power of choice.