[ibimage==42090==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
The next 90-days are among the most exciting of the year — back-to-back holidays, reuniting with family and friends, tons of food, and more. Along with the seasonal cheer comes chaos, additional expenses and extra opportunities for fun. Traveling, which often accompanies holiday plans, brings even more chaos, expenses and fun opportunities. This is why we created a list of four tech companies with roots in Chicago, but that have a global presence that will bring ease into your holiday season.
Each is a resource you can use to make holiday travel more fun, or less painless, however you look at it. Not traveling for the holiday? You can still utilize these homegrown businesses to find meals and gifts, to get to a Hawks game and/or find a brave soul to watch your toddler right here in Chicago.
Staying put or getting out, look to these local to companies expand your holiday horizons.
[ibimage==42083==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
Meal Sharing
MealSharing is a platform where one can meet new people, eat great food and exchange culture. The company’s mission is “to point anywhere on a map and be welcomed to a home-cooked meal,” making them a solid resource for the spontaneous or serious traveler. MealSharing is in cities and countries across the world like Berlin, Boston, Thailand, New York, San Francisco, Italy and, of course, Chicago, where there are MealShares happening every night.
There are two ways to participate in a MealShare: one, as a host and two, as a guest. Hosts set a "Chip-In" fee which generally range from $8 to $12. Hosts often set the price to cover meal costs and can make some extra dough on top of it. The guest pays and enjoys the food and company in the host's house. In the past, there have been Sashimi nights, Mediterranean feasts, Vegan melodies and more.
[ibimage==42084==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-right]
This Thanksgiving, try ThanksSharing - a worldwide initiative MealSharing launched to ensure no person is stuck alone on a couch eating deli meat on the 27th. Initiatives like this have organically come out of MealSharing. It’s not rare to find a larger, interactive event hosted on the MealSharing platform. For instance, coming up: a Bitters Making Workshop in Bucktown, a “Foodseum Fundraising Cooking Class and Dinner” at the Chopping Block and a “Cranberry Canning 101” class.
We caught up with Jay Savansi, the founder of Meal Sharing and talked about Meal Sharing memories and learned about what to expect this season.
MG: What's the most interesting "Holiday Meal Share" exchange you've heard of so far?
JS: There were many Thanksgiving Day meals that happened around the world that were really exciting, but my favorite and most touching story happened right here in our own backyard in Lakeview in Chicago. Erin had recently moved to Chicago from upstate NYC for work. She had no friends or family in the city to share a meal with and was left eating alone on Thanksgiving.
She found MealSharing's ThanksSharing Day initiative and was able to find a meal with seasoned MealSharing host Adelaide Nelson. Instead of having to eat alone, Erin was able to have a meal with people in her community and find friendships that continued beyond the meal.
Talk about Meal Sharing on the holidays - do people typically have events? Any interesting Meal Shares lined up (in any city) for Thanksgiving yet?
JS: MealSharing on the holidays is great! Food is an integral part of any holiday and Meal Sharing hosts around the world have opened up their homes on the holidays to let people experience their culture in a very intimate way. We have seen a wide array of holidays from Chinese New Year's to Carnivale meals and everything in-between.
In Chicago, I am really excited about this Thanksgiving Day meal. Bruce is a top host on Meal Sharing and he is opening up his home to the community. His meals are incredibly delicious! Also, if you are outside of Chicago, you can go to our ThanksSharing page and find hosts around the world from Thailand to Spain that will have you over for a meal.
[ibimage==42085==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
Vivid Seats
Vivid Seats makes the process of going to a live event as smooth as the acoustics at the Lyric Opera. The company, whose name is derived from the Latin word “vivere” meaning “to live”, is an online marketplace for live event ticket sales. On Vivid Seats, a person can buy or sell tickets and discover events around them. The site features thousands of live events from sports to theater tp music. Need to sell a ticket? Vivid Seats has a secure process to their fan-to-fan selling system - and offer the seller pre-paid shipping through FedEx.
In addition to purchasing tickets, the company serves as a reliable “experience discovery” tool for travelers. When booking holiday travel, think of it as a way to find fun family experiences or escape from the in-laws. If family is in-bound to Chicago this fall, take a look at Vivid Seat's partnership with da Bears for tailgating, ticket and field pass opportunities.
Beyond individual ticket sales, Vivid Seats For Business offers a competitive Corporate Ticket Program. With office-holiday-party planning coming up, think of Vivid Seats as a option to reward your employees with a unforgettable experience. Because what’s better than a holiday party at the office? A holiday party in a box at the United Center across from the Bulls.
Built In Chicago caught up with Tom Spathis of Vivid Seats and learned how you can give the gift of Vivid Seats this holiday season.
MG: Aside from finding and purchasing tickets in other cities, Vivid Seats is also a great holiday "Gift" option. When did you start to offer "Vivid Seats Gift Cards" and "eGift Cards" and how successful has the function been?
We introduced Vivid Seats Gift Cards and eGift Cards several years ago, and it has been extremely successful and a very large part of our holiday business. Tickets have traditionally been frequently purchased as gifts, so naturally gift cards can make that purchase even easier, especially when you aren’t sure which days or locations will work best for the recipient.
MG: Unlike most e-commerce sites we'll be using around the holidays, Vivid Seats does not sell users information to third-parties. Talk about Vivid Seats "Buyer Guarantee" and why it's important to your brand.
Our 100% Buyer Guarantee is very important to our brand for a variety of reasons. First, tickets are an important purchase, and fans need to know their tickets will be valid and authentic and they have protection if ever needed. Our guarantee addresses those concerns but also differentiates us by protecting your personal information as well. Many other ticketing sites simply refer your purchase request and information to the individual seller, thereby limiting the quality and consistency of your protection, not to mention your privacy. Vivid Seats was built on the premise of creating a better and more affordable ticket purchase experience, so our guarantee is a big part of what we offer to our customers given we know that ticket purchases are often costly but always very important.
[ibimage==42081==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
Sittercity
What website are 3,000 people joining each day? Sittercity, the online solution to finding childcare. The company was founded 13-years ago on the belief that technology can make finding the right babysitter a safe and easy process. Since, they’ve grown the company to almost six-million members and operate every city across the country. Sittercity's users are parents, sitters and long-term nannies.
To make the right connection, Sittercity has set up serious screening processes both the sitters and parents undergo. After the background check, users set up profiles expressing their experience level, interests, capabilities, etc. Parents can filter for criteria such as language spoke, experience with a particular age, ability to tutor in math, location and find out whether the sitter will be terrified of the family dog or not.
[ibimage==42082==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-right]
Sittercity has also become a resource for the industry. For instance, there is information on “Nanny Taxes” and they recently partnered with the American Red Cross to for discounted CPR-certification classes.
Built In Chicago caught up with Melissa Marchwick and learned more about the app they just launched and what parents can do to feel safe while hiring sitters in other cities.
MG: What are a few tips you have for traveling parents about using Sittercity on the go?
MM: Sittercity’s mobile app makes it easy for parents to find a sitter while they’re on the go. They can post their vacation job detailing, what they need, get notified instantly when they receive sitter applications, and view sitter profiles with photos, experience, background checks, references and parent reviews. Technology like Skype and FaceTime also enable “face-to-face” interviews if in-person is difficult to schedule.
MG: Couples often visit friends around the holidays, but are nervous to leave their child with a stranger in a different city. Talk about your screening process and the security precautions you take to check sitters.
MM: Sittercity is committed to providing parents access to quality sitters and the tools to help them make the best selection for their family. Before sitters join Sittercity, we check them against public sex offender registries through Family Watchdog, the nation’s most comprehensive resource for sex offender registry checks. We also provide parents additional safety tools, including access to run checks on caregivers including basic background checks, enhanced background checks and motor vehicles record checks.
It’s becoming more and more common for parents to plan some “adult-only” time on their vacations and they often turn to Sittercity to find their destination sitter. Sittercity enables parents to start their sittersearch well in advance of their vacation so they can nail down their short-list of sitters before arriving at their destination.
By following this process, parents can get to know sitters ahead of their trip so they feel more at ease leaving their children with them during their vacation.
[ibimage==42087==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
Orbitz.com
In 1999, five major airlines joined forces to create Orbitz Worldwide: a business that modernized the way consumers booked travel. A couple years later, in 2001, Orbitz.com launched. The website was created as a search engine and way to lower the distribution of airline costs. Today, the company receives over eight-million unique viewers per month. Orbitz.com contains hundreds of airlines in their system from across the globe, including more than 80,000 hotels and 15 rental car brands.
Through Orbitz.com, you can buy a cruise, book hotel accomodations, rent a car and, of course, purchase airfare. The company now offers "Activity" booking, a perfect option for discovering where to go when on the road. If you're dodging the Chicago-arctic this holiday season and heading to Arizona, Florida, California or Hawaii, Orbitz.com is a great resource for booking a tee time — they offer reviews on courses, pricing and easy-booking. Another featured activity is their "Epic Ski Pass" which includes unlimited skiing all over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Orbitz Worldwide is a technology company as much as it is a travel company. Under the Orbitz umbrella are nine web-based portfolio companies, including CheapTickets, ebookers and HotelClub. They also offer private label tech solutions to numerous airlines and industry-related companies.
Fun Fact: the five airlines that came together to invest $145 million into the project were American, Continental Airlines, Delta, Northwest Airlines and United. It was exactly 15-years ago this month.
.jpeg)
