Wetherspoons looks to harness Foursquare popularity with UK event

JD Wetherspoon has agreed to provide the venue for the UK's first ever 'Super Swarm Badge', using location-based social networking site, Foursquare.

Foursquare has really caught on over the past few months in the UK, and is thought by many to be the inspiration for the launch of the Facebook Places tool.

Serena Phillips, Bank House manager said: "It's a brilliant opportunity for us to take part in something unique happening in Cheltenham that will hopefully introduce our pub to some new customers too. It really shows the power new technology can have for bringing customers to venues like ours."

How it works

Foursquare users 'check-in' at pubs, clubs and restaurants to see who else is there and what tips they have left. It includes a competitive, game-like element of the application, so that users can boast about being the 'Mayor' of a certain destination due to the number of visits they register.

By visiting specific venues or places in a particular order, they can 'unlock' different badges. For example, if you check into a bar after 3am on a weekday you can unlock the 'schoolnight' badge.

The idea is that the more places you visit and the more varied your activities, the greater number of badges you can collect.

Super Swarm Badge

The attempt to 'unlock' the UK's first Super Swarm badge is due to take place at the Bank House, Clarence Street, Cheltenham, between 1pm and 4pm on Saturday 9th October.

To get the Super Swarm badge, at least 250 people need to be present at the same venue and checked in on Foursquare at the same time.

The Bank House will be giving all badge holders access to a range of special food and drink deals for taking part.

For more information follow @4squarestival​ on Twitter.