Google is rolling out a new update today for its mobile web and application, which will help United States citizens search for nearby events, such as concerts, exhibitions, sporting events, social gatherings, festivals and other such stuffs in the present date or in the near future.
The new update is being launched because, as per the company, millions of people search for local events and activities on a regular basis. But what is interesting here is the fact that the space of public events is hugely dominated by Facebook — where 100 million people use the feature daily and 650 million users use it across Facebook.
Page owners on Facebook keep circulating the list of upcoming events which could be subscribed, mark themselves as interested in attending, or provide confirmation about attending. You may also add more friends to the event after the notification of attending the event pops up in your News Feed.
Also, there are a variety of ticket seller apps which could be used for buying tickets for any event — again eliminating the prospect for the utilization of Google. However, Google is a pro in gaining information, organizing them and making them easily accessible, which is basically its best answer to all the posing threats.
The company has worked with a series of event-related sites so that the contents are legitimate enough to be displayed on Google Search.
At the introduction of the update, Google derived data from Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, Meetup, Vividseats, Jambase, LiveNation, Burbio, Allevents.in, Bookmyshow.com, StubHub, Bandsintown, Yext and Eventful. Google has pronounced that the list of supported sites will expand in time. The company has also stated the creation of developer guidelines for the users who want their listings to appear on the Google Search.
The update will allow you to view the entire event at a glance, by listing its title, date, time, and location. “More events” option is also available which will lead you to an expanded list of suggestions. Once you find the event of your liking, you may buy tickets from the site directly.
While the update will provide more exposure to local events, the key purpose is to prevent users from migrating to other websites. Google has not officially allied with any of the event sites, and is also not taking commission from the ticket sellers.
The options like “today,” “tomorrow,” “this weekend,” “next week” and “next weekend,” will update you about different events in the neighborhood and you may pick up the best one as per your liking.
Starting today, the event is available in the U.S. on mobile web and the Google app for both iOS and Android devices. Plans for global expansion have not been revealed yet.
