Volvo Ocean Race Challenge virtual game

Summary:

Web-based fantasy and trivia game to engage Volvo's North American employees in the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race.

 Background:

Norwich, Vermont based Nomad Communications developed a web-based fantasy and trivia game to engage employees of Volvo Cars of North America in the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo Ocean Race, formerly the Whitbread, is one of the most challenging and highly regarded 'round the world yacht races.

The Problem:

The idea was to provide a fun way for Volvo employees to follow the race as it moved from South Hampton, England in September 2001 to Miami, Florida in March 2002. Nomad came up with a web based game where teams of players would earn points for answering weekly questions and following the progress of the seven boats in the race. Prizes were awarded each week and the winning team received a trip to Miami to participate in the race festivities. Nomad has outstanding creative expertise, but lacked the technical expertise to bring the game to life on the web.

The Solution:

Nomad turned to 53 Technology for technical expertise to bring the game to life with back-end systems and application hosting. 53 Technology worked quickly with Nomad to solidify the technical requirements for the project and had the Volvo Ocean Race Challenge site in beta testing within several weeks.

The Results:

HTML templates designed by Nomad's graphics team were converted to ColdFusion templates that could then connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database back-end. Application hosting was outsourced to HostCentic and managed by 53 Technology.

A custom management module was built to provide Nomad with all of the functionality necessary to administer the race. This included posting the weekly questions and answers and selecting weekly winners. Overall game standings were updated in real time as the race progressed from week to week.

A core group of about 30 teams were active in the Volvo Ocean Race Challenge from start to finish, with the winners of the trip to Miami being decided in the last week.

Technology:

• SQL Server
• ColdFusion