CRM

Gain Ownership of your Ticketing Operations for more Flexibility

/in , , , /by

 

Case Study: The Houses of Parliament

THE CUSTOMER
The Houses of Parliament is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords of the United Kingdom each playing an important role in Parliament’s work. There are a number of ways UK residents and overseas visitors can visit the Houses of Parliament including commercial tours.

 

THE CHALLENGE
The Houses of Parliament used to outsource their commercial tour ticket sales. This arrangement met their needs while they were only opened during summer and their ticket offer was simple.

When Saturday and weekday openings were introduced in 2010, The Houses of Parliament required a flexible and cost-effective ticketing system to support the forecasted increase in visitor numbers and a more complex range of offers including additional tour options and linked offers with the catering department.

“Gaining ownership has allowed us to be more flexible, extend our offer and deliver the projects we wanted to do,” explained Matthew Morgan Commercial Operations Manager at The Houses of Parliament.

 

THEIR SOLUTION
The House of Parliament started to look for an in-house solution allowing them to manage their ticketing and admission control as well as creating bespoke offers.

Following a tender process, The Houses of Parliament chose Gateway Ticketing Systems (Gateway) to supply a solution for online and onsite booking facilities including admission control and online sales.

Gateway’s solution gives them the ability to easily manage both advanced and real-time bookings from various locations and for both groups and individuals. Front-house teams have found the new points of sales very easy to use and Gateway created The Houses of Parliament’s web store using the same visual identity as their website for a smooth online customer experience. 

Since Gateway has been installed and training provided, The Houses of Parliament configure the system themselves and make any required changes in-house while Gateway ensures system maintenance and service support.

 

THEIR BUSINESS BENEFITS
The Houses of Parliament can now manage their own ticketing operations and be more proactive with their offering as well as getting closer to their customers.

“Since we’ve implemented Gateway; our visitor numbers have increased by 13% per year and our income by 20% year on year.” observed Matthew Morgan, Commercial Operations Manager

A new dedicated team
Following the implementation of Gateway’s system, a new dedicated booking team was formed and trained to better answer any customers’ demands and consequently increase the Houses of Parliament’s customer satisfaction.

Bespoke offers
The Houses of Parliament are now able to create new ticket options in the system for special occasions, as and when required, for both online and on-site sales. Gateway’s system can be easily configured in-house to achieve what they want to do with their customer offer, in a timely manner.

Deeper relationship with visitors
The Houses of Parliament are looking at integrating a customer relationship management solution, CRM Plus | Powered by Galaxy, to be able to engage in a deeper relationship with their visitors, creating more relevant communications and bespoke offers.

Increase sales
Taking advantage of Gateway’s continuous development, The Houses of Parliament are also interested in joining Gateway’s Galaxy Connect community to engage in more global ticket distribution through online travel agents. More information about Galaxy Connect available on www.galaxyconnect.com

 

Download a copy of this Case Study

 

Aerospace Bristol will take off this summer with Gateway’s Visitor Management solutions

/in , , , , /by

Gateway Ticketing Systems (Gateway) supplies Aerospace Bristol with a comprehensive visitor management solution including fundraising, ticketing, admission control, retail solutions, reporting tools and customer relationship management.

Aerospace Bristol is a new industrial heritage museum being developed at Filton, to the north of Bristol. Due to open this summer, the museum will tell the story of Bristol’s world-class aerospace industry – past, present and future. Aerospace Bristol’s show-stopping centrepiece will be Concorde 216. Designed, built and tested in Bristol, she was the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly.

“We are very excited to open our museum this summer and having Gateway as a partner is central to support and unify our operations from online booking to advanced financial reporting and fundraising campaigns” explains Lloyd Burnell, Executive Director of Aerospace Bristol. “We will take advantage of their industry expertise and knowledge to create a smooth customer experience for our visitors.“

Aerospace Bristol will implement Gateway‘s solutions before the opening day.

“Being able to capture donations and donor information prior to opening and all their visitor information from day one is a great advantage for Aerospace Bristol. Getting closer to their visitors and knowing what their interests are will help Aerospace Bristol develop offers that meet and exceed their expectations,” explains Andy Povey, Business Development Director at Gateway.

 

To follow Aerospace Bristol’s progress and be the first to know when tickets go on sale visit http://www.aerospacebristol.org/

 

–  ENDS  –

 

About Gateway Ticketing Systems
Gateway Ticketing Systems is the world’s leading provider of integrated visitor management solutions for museums and galleries; heritage attractions and historic houses; zoos and gardens and theme parks and events. We support our customers with all aspects of their customers’ journeys from ticketing & admission control, food & beverage, events management to CRM & fundraising strategies and reporting. For more information visit www.gatewayticketing.co.uk

About Aerospace Bristol
Aerospace Bristol will be a major industrial heritage museum and learning centre that inspires and entertains today’s and future generations, through the presentation of the stories and achievements of Bristol’s world-class aerospace industry – past, present and future. Aerospace Bristol will reunite the heritage from a number of important collections to tell not only the stories of design, engineering innovation and achievement, but also the social history of the people who worked in the aerospace industry and the communities which have grown up around it. The object collection contains over 8,000 artefacts (many ‘at risk’) Bristol-built aircraft including Concorde 216, Bristol Scout, Bristol Fighter and a Blenheim IV (WWII Bristol Bolingbroke bomber, under restoration), as well as many scaled models.

Brunel’s SS Great Britain goes live with Gateway’s visitor management software

/in , , , , /by

The Gateway solution at Brunel’s SS Great Britain includes ticketing, fundraising, membership, retail and web sales and CRM

Gateway Ticketing Systems Ltd (Gateway) has been chosen to partner with Brunel’s SS Great Britain. The new revenue management and CRM solution will allow Brunel’s SS Great Britain to sell tickets, memberships, merchandise, and food and beverage along with collecting donations, on the front desk, over the phone and online. This will play an integral role in building stronger relationships in the future and tracking visitors to, and donations for, the historic site.

 

Brunel’s SS Great Britain is TripAdvisor’s number 1 tourist attraction in Bristol. The SS Great Britain is the world’s first great ocean liner and the most innovative steam ship of her time. Launched in 1843, this iron-hulled steamship revolutionised travel and set new standards in engineering, reliability and speed.

 

The Gateway solution will allow Brunel’s SS Great Britain to improve the customer experience and build stronger relationships with its visitors.

 

We are very excited at the prospect of working with Gateway. With a proven record of delivering projects with some of the UK’s biggest heritage attractions, Gateway proved themselves to be best suited our complex needs. We look forward to utilising their industry expertise to ensure the experience for our customers is the best it can be. I have no doubt that we will go from strength to strength as we grow the collection and attract more visitors together.” said Louisa Pharoah, Director of Development, SS Great Britain Trust.

 

“Being the chosen supplier for Brunel’s SS Great Britain is fantastic news for Gateway Ticketing Systems. We have spent much time and effort in recent years working with charitable organisations to support revenue generation, and improve customer relationships, and we look forward to sharing this with the team there. With the opening of a new museum in early 2018, it is imperative that Brunel’s SS Great Britain have the best software to support their mission,” said Andy Povey, Business Development Director at Gateway Ticketing Systems Ltd.

 

For more information about Brunel’s SS Great Britain visit www.ssgreatbritain.org

 

–  ENDS  –

Notes to Editors
Caption for photograph: 
Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Image credit: Max McClure photography

About Gateway Ticketing Systems
Gateway Ticketing Systems is the world’s leading provider of integrated visitor management solutions for museums and galleries; heritage attractions and historic houses; zoos and gardens and theme parks and events. We support our customers with all aspects of their customers’ journeys from ticketing & admission control, food & beverage, events management to CRM & fundraising strategies and reporting. For more information visit www.gatewayticketing.co.uk

About Brunel’s SS Great Britain
Brunel’s SS Great Britain is the world’s first great ocean liner and the most innovative steam ship of her time. Launched in 1843, this iron-hulled steamship revolutionised travel and set new standards in engineering, reliability and speed. Today, Brunel’s SS Great Britain is Bristol’s number one visitor attraction (as voted by the public on TripAdvisor) and home to the Brunel Institute, housing one of the world’s finest maritime and Brunel collections.

Customer Relationship Management: What You Need To Know

/in , , , , , , /by

Q&A with Dave Langran, Technical Director, Gateway Ticketing Systems

Dave LangranFor more than 15 years, Dave Langran has been helping attraction venues nurture deeper relationships with their members through powerful technologies. Recently, Dave developed a seamless integration between Galaxy® point-of-sale software and Microsoft Dynamics to create CRM Plus, an invaluable customer relationship tool for museums, zoos and aquariums, and other attractions to gain a stronger understanding of their visitors and take informed actions to nurture them.

At its core, what is Customer Relationship Management or CRM?

Dave: It’s knowing who your customers are. It can start out as gathering simple demographics such as age, gender, income and marital status. But the magic really happens when you gather more in-depth information such as transactional history, interests and engagement patterns.

How does having this detail benefit an attraction?

Dave: Armed with this information, they can develop marketing programs that provide mutual benefit for their customers and ultimately, their venue. Let’s imagine that you can run a report and see all your past visitors who have young children but haven’t visited your museum in the past 12 months. If you have a new exhibit on dinosaurs, you might want to do a targeted email campaign to these parents or grandparents touting the interactive features of this exhibit.

Are there other benefits of CRM?

Dave: Absolutely. In addition to being a marketing tool, CRM can maximise fundraising and donation opportunities for nonprofits. It can also give insight into the viability of commercial opportunities such as sponsorships, or events and conferences. Plus, with an integrated approach like Gateway’s CRM Plus, it can reduce administrative burden by providing that crucial 360° view of the customer through one solution.

Tell me about CRM Plus | Powered by Galaxy, what makes it unique over other CRM software?

Dave: A lot. It’s next-generation customer relationship management. The secret is in the seamless integration with Galaxy® point-of-sale software. Galaxy is where all the purchase and usage history lives for customers, members and donors – from ticket or retail purchases on-site at your venue to online ordering of tickets, meal packages and more. This information is fed back real-time into CRM Plus, allowing an invaluable snapshot of your customers at any moment.

CRM Plus also enables you to develop powerful, configurable workflows that automate customer touchpoints such as pre- and post-visit emails. To ensure the right message is getting to the right people at the right time, CRM Plus has insightful segmentation capabilities that allow you to group similar customers together to deliver highly personalised marketing messages. Finally, CRM Plus integrates with commonly used platforms including email providers, social media and other web applications providing a continuous feedback loop.

How would you summarise customer relationship management and CRM Plus?

Dave: CRM is a strategy supported by technology. And CRM Plus | Powered by Galaxy is the only technology that provides a real-time 360° customer view through one solution.

 

For more information, download CRM Plus Product Sheet

Kidzania Reaps Rewards of Integrated CRM & Ticketing

/in , , , , /by

Gateway Ticketing UK (Gateway) supplies timed ticketing and integrated CRM tools for Kidzania London to ensure smooth sales and marketing processes for a busy mall environment

 

The timed ticketing and integrated CRM delivered by Gateway allows KidZania to manage demand, visitor flow and avoid long queues in Westfield Shopping Centre, while increasing revenue by enabling the sale of more tickets at a better yield.

When planning for Kidzania commenced it became clear that its popularity with young families and its location in a very busy mall environment could create a large volume of traffic which the mall would be unable to cope with. Both the check in desk and the mall environment had the potential to become congested and this needed to be addressed immediately to ensure overcrowding was avoided.

A solution was sought which would help reduce queues, maximize revenue generation and integrate seamlessly with KidZoft. After an extensive search Gateway ticketing UK was selected to do the job.

 

“The main attractions with Gateway were the tried and tested software, the experience of their team and the strength of their existing client portfolio and we have already been impressed by their approach to our needs as a new customer” said Helen Carpendale, COO

 

In order to streamline the flow of visitors it was decided to allow families into the attraction at regular intervals during the day; effectively spreading out the families’ arrival at the check in desk. By encouraging visitors to arrive through the day, rather than at the regular 2 timeslots each day, the families wait time was significantly reduced on entering the mall environment and at the check in desk.

During the planning phase of Kidzania London it was shown that the combination of controlled capacity timeslots and the loss of the midday changeover allowed the attraction to increase its theoretical capacity by around 25% whilst at the same time reducing queue times and increasing guest satisfaction.

Gateway software provides KidZania with the tools and training to manage the capacity of each timeslot on an ad-hoc basis meaning they can increase and decrease capacity and timeslots based on each day’s trading. This requires no changes to the software itself and can be done in house by any trained and responsible team member.

With Gateway providing the software KidZania London were also able to utilize online sales which allows families to pre-book into any timeslot available which is tightly capacity controlled. When a timeslot becomes full it becomes unavailable for purchase and the customer is shown only those slots with tickets available. By encouraging pre-booking with guaranteed entry times and online only discounts Kidzania London is able to control demand on busy days and give a VIP experience to those customers who pay in advance and choose the best timeslots. The webstore also allows parents to pre-pay for food packages meaning the children do not need to carry real world money around the City and ensuring each child spends in Food & Beverage locations.

Not only have KidZania London seen a large increase in capacity of the attraction but the flexible software has enabled them to also increase revenue. Price-programs built into the system give KidZania London complete control of pricing so that pricing can be controlled by timeslot, day and season. By applying a slightly higher price to oversubscribed entry times KidZania London can increase revenue and encourage visitors to choose a less busy day; smoothing demand whilst also adding to their bottom line.

The first 6 months of trading saw KidZania London flow smoothly even with the exceptionally busy Christmas Trading Period in the Mall and increase revenue through a number of strategies including adding Food & Beverage offerings to online sales, encouraging repeat visits of school children and by managing the capacity and pricing of entry very closely.

The integration of Galaxy software into KidZania London allows the team a great deal of flexibility but also the ability to get to grips with their business through in depth analysis of their visitors. By using Gateway Insight to analyse their customer data KidZania London gain useful insight into what people are buying, where they are travelling from and much more. Easy to interpret dashboards allow high level data to be shown live in offices all around the site in order for teams to work more effectively.

 

Andy Povey – Business Development Director at Gateway Ticketing Systems UK said “Working closely with the Kidzania teams in London and Mexico City has been a great experience. Integrating our proven timed ticketing solution into the bespoke Kidzoft system has resulted in the best of both worlds for Kidzania London. The Kidzania development team are now able to focus on their specialist area while the Kidzania London team are able to take advantage of our world leading ticketing, booking and integrated CRM tools. We look forward to our continued partnership with KidZania and working together on future projects.”

 

About Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.

Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. is the world leader in admission control and ticketing software for the attraction, amusement, and transportation industries.

 

About Gateway Ticketing Systems UK

Gateway Ticketing Systems UK was established in 2012 and provides admissions solutions and integrated CRM to museums and galleries; heritage attractions and historic houses; zoos and gardens and theme parks and events.

In under three years of operation in the UK, Gateway has secured ten new clients including the Roman Baths & Fashion Museum, Bath, Kew Gardens, London and V&A Museum, London.

For more information go to www.gatewayticketing.co.uk

 

 

Drayton Manor Theme Park Selects Gateway UK to Supply Ticketing and CRM Integration

/in , , , /by

Gateway Ticketing Systems UK has been chosen to partner with Drayton Manor Theme Park.

Recently implementing the Galaxy® Product Suite at its venue, Drayton Manor Theme Park can now sell tickets, season passes and other products at the front gate, over the phone and online with direct integration into its existing CRM solution. This will play an integral role in growing the attraction’s business and building stronger relationships with guests in the future.

 

“Gateway has a proven track record with some of the biggest theme parks and resorts in the world so the decision to appoint them as our ticketing supplier was an easy one. We look forward to combining our operational experience with their industry expertise to ensure the user experience for our customers is the best it can possibly be and I have no doubt that visitors will really benefit from this,” said William Bryan, Managing Director at Drayton Manor Theme Park.

 
Gateway Ticketing Systems’ Galaxy® Product Suite will allow Drayton Manor Theme Park to focus on increasing advanced sales and ensuring data collection is maximized at every touchpoint.

Drayton Manor Theme Park is home to many rides and attractions including Europe’s only Thomas Land™ as well as a 15-acre zoo, campsite, the Drayton Manor Hotel and conference facilities. The Galaxy® Product Suite with CRM solution will now enable these teams to work together seamlessly. The ticketing system will be instrumental in allowing tickets to cover individual elements across the park and hotel then give operations personnel a full view of all sales.

CRM integration will allow Drayton Manor Theme Park to improve the customer experience and build stronger relationships with its guests. Combined data and ticketing offers can also be used to help increase season passes and retention rates.

 

“Being the chosen supplier for Drayton Manor Theme Park is fantastic news for Gateway Ticketing UK. We have spent much time and effort in recent years working with nonprofit organisations to support revenue generation and improve customer relationships and we look forward to sharing this expertise with a commercial business,” said Andy Povey, Business Development Director at Gateway Ticketing Systems UK.

 

About Gateway Ticketing Systems UK
Gateway Ticketing Systems UK was established in 2012 and provides admissions solutions to museums and galleries, heritage attractions and historic houses, zoos and gardens, and theme parks and events. Some of its clients include the Roman Baths & Fashion Museum, Bath, Kew Gardens, London and V&A Museum, London. For more information go to www.gatewayticketing.co.uk
 
About Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.
Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. is the world leader in ticketing software, access control and revenue generation for industries including attractions, theme parks, waterparks, tours, zoos, aquariums, museums and historic sites. Located in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, Gateway Ticketing Systems provides strategic consultation, sales, service and support for point-of-sale and ticketing systems throughout North America and worldwide. Gateway’s robust Galaxy® Product Suite integrates ticketing, access control, resource management, group sales, online ticketing sales, retail, food and beverage, and membership management.

About Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton Manor Theme Park Ltd, opened to the public in 1950 by the Bryan family, is one of the UK’s most popular family attractions with over one million visitors a year. George and Vera Bryan OBE, converted 80 acres of derelict land, which once belonged to Sir Robert Peel; MP & PM to Queen Victoria and her family, into today’s wonderful multi award-winning family attraction, combining thrill rides with a conservation zoo plus catering and conference facilities.

Today, Drayton Manor Theme Park, still family owned and run by second and third generation family members, covers 286 acres of beautiful woodland and countryside and features some of the wildest and scariest rides around. Rides include: Roller-Coasters – Shockwave, Ben 10: Ultimate Mission and G-force. Major rides: Maelstrom, Apocalypse and Storm Force 10, the wettest ride. It is home to the hugely popular Thomas Land™ featuring many named Thomas & Friends™ character rides for the children and adults alike. Thomas Land™ at Drayton Manor is the only one of its kind in Europe. The park’s 152 seat 4D Cinema, over 50 rides and attractions makes for a truly unforgettable day.

Gateway Ticketing Systems ideally placed to assist with challenges of spending cuts

/in , , /by

Gateway Ticketing Systems UK ideally placed to assist with recently announced spending cuts in the Museums and Heritage Sector.

 

Gateway Ticketing Systems UK (Gateway) is ready to help attractions in the Cultural, Arts and Heritage sector who must tackle spending cuts or face extinction.

 

The recent announcement from Lancashire County Council, as reported by Museums Association, regarding the closure of 5 museums is viewed by many as an inevitable consequence of spending cuts and a pre-emptive strike before the chancellors spending review announcements.

 

Now that the spending review outcomes have been announced, there will certainly be major concern across the cultural and heritage sector as to how to tackle the loss of funding. As traditional central and local government spending is cut, organisations need to rapidly find additional sources of income if they are to survive. The upbeat nature of the recent Museums Association Conference in Birmingham, with its underlying resilience theme, gave many organisations hope that there was life after government spending cuts. Indeed, in many cases, the opportunities presented by gaining varying degrees of freedom from local and central government control were appealing to many leaders in the sector.

 

All heritage organisations have the opportunity to use their collections and buildings in different ways in order to generate income. This change of direction is hard for some, frightening for many and will pose difficult questions to all within the sector. How to remain true to traditional values and ethos, whilst becoming more commercially minded is something of a cultural shift.

 

Gateway has seen exactly this kind of change of commercial direction in many sectors and believes that it represents an exciting challenge, and one that Gateway is ideally placed to assist arts and heritage colleagues with. Gateway has the experience and insight to help organisations review their business plans, strategies and future approaches. Gateway also has the products and processes to turn new ideas and strategies into reality; to drive efficiency and savings whilst, at the same time, generating new lines of income.
 

Andy Povey, Business Development Director at Gateway Ticketing Systems UK said:

“Whilst the news from Lancashire County Council is shocking it is a huge wake up call for those in the industry. Heritage organisations must face the challenge of bridging the funding gap and this can only be achieved by opening up new income streams. Turning your free visitors into members, donors and contributors is vital for ensuring your future”

 

The spending cuts are here and they need to be faced. Gateway is the ideal partner to help you on this new and challenging journey.

 

We’re excited about your future … we know that you will be too.

 

 

 

About Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.

Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. is the world leader in admission control and ticketing software for the attraction, amusement, and transportation industries.

 About Gateway Ticketing Systems UK

Gateway Ticketing Systems UK was established in 2012 and provides admissions solutions to museums and galleries; heritage attractions and historic houses; zoos and gardens and theme parks and events.

In under three years of operation in the UK, Gateway has secured ten new clients including the Roman Baths & Fashion Museum, Bath, Kew Gardens, London and V&A Museum, London.

For more information go to www.gatewayticketing.co.uk