Letter from the President
STATE OF THE MUNZION.
Munzee President Rob Vardeman looks back on the year, what went right, what went wrong, and what to look forward to next year.
This year has been a tremendous leap forward for Munzee. There are so many new avenues Munzee has explored and so many ways we have expanded, it’s good to look back and evaluate the year.
In 2014, Munzee pushed forward toward our 3rd birthday as a QR-code based scavenger hunt. It has been my first full year at the helm as president, and I’m proud of the new avenues we’ve explored. It all started with opening our first headquarters in a 350 square foot office in Downtown McKinney with 3 employees. We explored the possibilities of working with charitable organizations to do good around the world. My explorations lead to attending events in almost a dozen states, and 3 countries. I started the year with a goal of attending one event each month during the year and was successful, meeting well over 1000 players along the way. This was my favorite part of the year because it is the players who make the game of Munzee continue to thrive. Your personal stories of weight loss, exercise, competition, goals, and family fun are what push me forward to continue evolving Munzee into THE smart phone scavenger hunt app of the future.
2014 was also a banner year for expansion, not only in the game of Munzee, but for Team Munzee and Munzee HeadQuarters. The scavenger hunt numbers expanded in such an amazing way, we needed to break them down in a separate category of this newsletter. We are all amazed at how the game has grown over the course of a year and the steady incline we continue to see. We credit much of that growth to the continued evolution of the game of Munzee and the passion of our players. This year we expanded the ways you can play Munzee. Points, special icons, badges, clan wars, special contests, videos, fitness, socialization, and just for the fun of it. I can’t wait for you to see the lineup of fun we have in store for you during the New Year. More expansion has taken place within Team Munzee this year than I have room to describe. Since opening our first HQ office with 3 employees in January, we now have a total of 8 employees at MHQ with an additional 5 scattered across the world. This growth is directly provided based on your support of Munzee through premium memberships, game piece purchases, and purchases through our authorized resellers. Speaking of our resellers, this year we have added several new locations around the world which can help offer you much quicker shipping than orders coming directly from McKinney, Texas. Check out the resellers at www.munzee.com/retail.
Our largest expansion has come in the form of office space and a completely separate business. The Munzee Marketplace was born to fill a need in Downtown McKinney with local products, grab and go lunches, and of course Munzee products. Players who take the time to visit MHQ are surprised to see what the Munzee Marketplace is, and then enjoy the player hangout area “Behind the Wall”. Tours are offered as long as Munzee staff is on hand, during normal business hours, so please stop by if you are in the area. The Munzee Marketplace has great plans for 2015 as well, but that’s an entirely different subject the people of McKinney and Collin County will be excited to hear!
As we say farewell to 2014 we also recognize some of the growing pains we felt and lessons we learned. It is my personal goal to ensure we continue to prepare for the future players as they continue to join the game. We prepare the servers, the databases, our staff, and innovative ideas to continue to grow the game. It’s with this in mind that we move forward to 2015 with a new theme.
New Year. New Perspective. This is the theme for 2015 so prepare to see it in action often, and quoted on the podcast, videos, and messages online! I am very excited to show players new possibilities for Munzee as we look back on some of our gameplay elements and update them. These updates will allow all of us, and new players we invite, to see Munzee from a new perspective. New elements will be added to Munzee which will give us all the ability to see a new side of Munzee. We will not change the entire game, so don’t fear. However, we’ve heard your requests, we’ve built a team ready to face the challenges, and we’ve started the process toward new growth. We hope you will join us this year in looking at Munzee from a new perspective and helping to grow the map, grow the game, and spread the word. Our first perspective changing addition is the Trail Munzee, set to launch officially in early January. The trail Munzee will be great for creating a longer trail, causing others to visit 5 locations across a wider distance. It’s design is for those seeking adventure, or more than just a casual hop from one sign to the next, 50 feet at a time. We can’t wait to see how you use the Trail Munzee, so get ready. Official details will be released soon!
2014 has been great to Munzee, our player community, and our worldwide community. I can’t wait to walk with you into 2015 and spread the game of Munzee even further. I have a great appreciation for each and every one of you reading this email and what you do to enable Munzee to continue to grow.
Cheers and Munzee On!
Rob Vardeman
President Munzee Inc