New App Called Hobnob Introduced to Oxford

Hobnob representative, Ryan Underwood (pictured left), showing senior Connor Londrigan (pictured right) how the iphone app works.

A new iPhone app is being introduced to Oxford, Mississippi called Hobnob, an event planning app that allows users to organize events in a faster, easier way compared to traditional methods.

The free app includes many features like adding personalized, designed invitations, easy to use methods for guests to rsvp, chat, and to share photos of the events being hosted, a simpler way to manage event planning, and adding event-based chatting, which allows guests to keep in touch with everyone at an event.

Campus representative of Hobnob, Ryan Underwood, has been the main person that has advertised the app in Oxford. Hobnob is geared more towards younger people that plan events like college students and Greek organizations. However, Underwood believes that the app could be a positive tool for older citizens and organizations in Oxford like churches and businesses that want to plan events.

“Another demographic that I’m trying to hit on are older, senior citizens specifically church-goers that have youth groups. They usually are interested in technology, and the app is a way to help invite people to their youth group functions, brunch, or whatever their event is going to be,” Underwood said.

Another interesting feature about Hobnob is that guests do not need the app to be invited or to RSVP for an event. When the host of an event sends their personalized invitations to their guests, the guests receive a text message that displays the personalized invitation, who sent the invite, and a link that guests can click on to learn more about the event they are being invited to. The guests can send a text back with replying with yes or no in regards to if they want to attend the event.

Senior Connor Londrigan is a user of Hobnob, and although he personally has not hosted an event before with Hobnob, he likes how easy the app works and all the features that come included with it compared to similar event planning apps.

“You can attach a picture to the event, which I think is pretty cool and it also shows the time and place well unlike some other apps where it is kind of ambiguous so it is nice in that sense,” Londrigan said.

As Oxford continues to grow in size and popularity, more and more businesses, organizations, and people are coming to the “cultural mecca of the south” to host and to attend events. With Hobnob, the app can allow these groups to invite more people with less hassle to visit Oxford.

I think [Hobnob] will add to the growth in Oxford. Oxford is growing and organizations, groups, and attendance will be growing, but I think [Hobnob] will keep them more organized and add more of an expectation as to how many people will be at a group’s event. Oxford is growing in students too who are a young demographic who like applications, who like technology so I think they would like [Hobnob] also,” Underwood said.

Currently, Hobnob can only be downloaded on the Apple app store. The app is currently in the works of creating an Android version of Hobnob.

Logan Frost is a senior broadcast major at Meek School of Journalism. He can be reached at lcfrost@go.olemiss.edu.