Doesn’t it seem that everyone has a new idea for using a GPS navigation system? Whether it’s for driving, hiking, fishing, geocaching or having a portable receiver on your hunting dog’s collar, the possibilities are endless. What all these ideas have in common is that an individual (usually you) purchases a GPS system for personal use.
But what about the businessperson or consultant who will be spending a week at a client’s location where he is unfamiliar with the locale, the restaurants, hotels and other attractions available? Wouldn’t it be nice if someone, for instance the local Chamber of Commerce, would have GPS units available to loan for the duration of their visit? These units already come loaded with millions of points of interest, so are therefore primed with the type of information a visiting businessperson would need.
A portable GPS system, such as the Garmin GPS Navigation unit, is ideally suited for this type of use. The ‘Where Am I?’ feature shows the user their exact location. This can then be used for a number of things, such as finding that out-of-the-way restaurant they heard about, or getting to the nearest hospital or police station in an emergency.
The touch screen enables easy entry of a known address, or selection of a location from the list of points of interest. Turn-by-turn voice directions assure that the driver’s eyes stay on the road for maximum safety.
The portability of the unit is also a plus. It can be carried in a pocket, if getting around by foot is more practical than by car. Doing both is an option, as a handheld unit can be positioned on a car’s dashboard while in the car and then placed in the pocket while on foot.
One of the objectives of any Chamber of Commerce is the promotion of its members’ businesses. With the convergence of the loaned GPS unit and the visiting businessperson, a natural demand is created for those members. This can best be utilized by the addition of the members’ business as a Favorite in the GPS device. What is a Favorite? Simply a saved location or point of interest to which the user will want to return to again and again. In the case of the Chamber of Commerce, it would be a location they would like the visitor to be sure to patronize while he is in the area. By updating the GPS unit with its members’ locations as Favorites prior to the dispensing of the device, this can be achieved.
