Convious platform | by the {industry}, for the {industry}

Operating an attraction isn’t any simple process. Operations throughout this sector are specialised, with a really particular set of customer wants and expectations. In consequence, operators have to guarantee that they select the fitting expertise to assist them in assembly these wants, for a memorable and frictionless visitor expertise.

Convious, a leading eCommerce platform for the leisure industry, offers an answer that’s created by points of interest specialists, for points of interest specialists. Its workforce has a wealth of expertise throughout the {industry}, with workforce members which have labored in key roles at a number of the world’s hottest theme parks, zoos and extra.

One such knowledgeable is Convious’ managing director for the DACH area (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Werner Dullmaier. He has been with the corporate since April 2022 and brings intensive leisure expertise to Convious together with practically twenty years at Merlin Entertainments with former roles together with director of operations at LEGOLAND Deutschland Resort and common supervisor for SEA LIFE Aquariums.

Dullmaier left Merlin to create his personal vacation spot optimisation consultancy, specialising in infrastructure, product excellence, and advertising, to assist points of interest ship high-quality visitor experiences and streamline operations.

Talking on his new function with Convious, Dullmaier says he was excited to hitch the workforce. He was chosen for the job resulting from his data of the operations aspect of the {industry} and his understanding of what points of interest operators actually need. With this experience, he can see how Convious is the fitting device to fulfill these wants. 

Dullmaier has additionally served on the board of VDFU, the Affiliation of German Leisure Parks and Leisure Firms, and is energetic inside IAAPA.

By the {industry}, for the {industry}

Increasing on the assertion that the Convious platform is created by {industry} specialists, for {industry} specialists, he says that the principle distinction between Convious and its opponents is that so many Convious workforce members come from an operator background. Which means the corporate understands operators’ wants, and is, due to this fact, extra in a position to develop options to fulfill these exact wants.

“There are lots of eCommerce, on-line ticketing suppliers and SaaS firms round and plenty of them have technical backgrounds. As an illustration, they arrive from on-line resellers or journey operators, in order that they know the SaaS a part of the enterprise very nicely. Nonetheless,  at Convious, many people come from the operator aspect, like me.”

In consequence, the Convious workforce has a wealth of related expertise and is aware of what it takes to effectively run the important thing behind-the-scenes processes, from admissions and advertising to organising main occasions. 

“Many people have labored as managers or administrators inside major attractions operators, so we all know that a part of the enterprise very nicely too,” he provides.

“Nonetheless, it’s not solely that we all know how points of interest work as a enterprise. Foremost, we all know how guests behave and what their wants are. That’s what units us aside. Operating an attraction is just not similar to anything. And that’s most likely one of many the explanation why many people stick inside this {industry} as a result of it’s very particular. You both find it irresistible otherwise you hate it, and in the event you find it irresistible, you keep right here without end!”

The advantages of Convious’ industry-specific platform

For operators, the advantages are clear in terms of selecting an industry-specific platform for his or her admission and ticketing, crowd administration and eCommerce wants, in contrast with utilizing a system that was not created for the expertise economic system.

​​A customer attraction is a particular kind of enterprise with particular traits. Many of those traits are shared throughout the points of interest sector, whether or not it’s a theme park, zoo, FEC or aquarium.

“All of them have the customer journey in frequent,” explains Dullmaier. “So, from the customer aspect, you may have the pre-visit analysis stage, the place you browse the choices and take a look at what’s on supply earlier than you make a purchase order.”

At this stage, pre-visit communication is vastly helpful, each for the visitor and the operator. Points of interest can ship an electronic mail to their company beforehand, containing all of the related info they may want forward of their go to, in addition to their barcode or QR code for entry. This helps the customer to know what to anticipate after they arrive and makes the admissions course of simpler. Additionally it is an opportunity for the operator to upsell, by letting them learn about F&B presents or particular experiences happening throughout their day trip.

“Following this, there’s the go to itself, after which lastly, there’s the post-visit communication. And in the event you do all of it proper, as an points of interest operator, you may have an actual engagement device, to allow a revisit sooner or later. If you wish to be efficient, the touchpoints of this customer journey needs to be just about tailored to suit your enterprise’s wants and your guests’ wants.”

Understanding and assembly companions’ wants

Explaining how the Convious resolution is created to suit these wants, Dullmaier provides that the agency is aware of the best way to enhance the conversion price on our companion web sites, to be able to promote extra tickets. 

Typically, folks will go to a web site, have a fast go searching and go elsewhere. 

“We attempt to maintain these guests on the web site utilizing particular advertising instruments, issues that make the web site fascinating to them and that may persuade them to buy a ticket.”

Convious has a conversion specialist working within the workforce, guaranteeing that each one checkouts are optimised based mostly on perception info and A/B testing. 

The corporate’s platform provides to the pre-visit expertise as a result of Convious understands what info is related to guests. As an illustration, it is aware of that, earlier than they go to, company need to know extra about presents and upsells, corresponding to audioguides or F&B offers, and how much occasions are happening.

“These are the kinds of issues that should be communicated beforehand, to be able to generate income and to upsell to guests earlier than the go to.”

One other side is the gathering of helpful knowledge at this level. The extra knowledge that an attraction has from the guests, the extra they’ll perceive the totally different demographics. This, in flip, permits the operator to focus on this group extra successfully sooner or later.  

As a data-driven firm, Convious ensures that its companions have entry to their knowledge, to allow them to make the most effective selections based mostly on what is definitely taking place. The corporate additionally has its personal in-house GDPR knowledgeable and makes certain that each its companions and its staff are conscious of the very important significance of dealing with this knowledge with care.  

Crowd management with the Convious platform

Other than the net enterprise, there are different benefits that the corporate’s enterprise companions have by selecting the Convious platform. 

“You may, for instance, management the group,” explains Dullmaier. “When folks enter a theme park they have an inclination to go to the fitting and journey counterclockwise. As an operator, if that, you should utilize our platform to steer the group in one other route, which suggests which you can keep away from crowds gathering in sure areas. You may push sure restaurants or areas or points of interest.”

One glad buyer is Michael Höfig, head of gross sales at Film Park Germany:

“With Convious Crowd Management, it wasn’t simply us who have been in a position to plan higher. Our company additionally shortly recognised the benefits. They now need to register by way of the system and e-book a hard and fast day, however then they get direct entry to the park on the massive day with their cell phone ticket—with out having to attend in a queue. If needed, they’ll additionally change their reservation shortly. 

“With just some clicks, our company may reserve their parking area and time slots for particular points of interest. This eliminates the necessity for them to register utilizing apps.”

Making the visitor expertise seamless

Whereas the advantages for operators are quite a few, a key promoting level is that the Convious platform makes the expertise extra satisfying for guests by eradicating friction factors. And, on the finish of the day, happier company will spend extra and unfold higher suggestions. They’re additionally extra prone to turn out to be loyal followers of the venue.

A number of that is all the way down to streamlining each aspect of the customer journey, as Dullmaier explains:

“As an illustration, once we take a look at the pre-visit stage, as a customer, seeing what’s related for you instantly makes it lots simpler to determine to go to a sure attraction. So, putting the fitting info on the web site makes the guests begin into this journey lots simpler.”

A simple reserving expertise is important. Everyone seems to be aware of the frustration of attempting to e-book a ticket on a smartphone when the web site is just not mobile-friendly, for instance. 

“You simply need to shut the entire thing and neglect about no matter your plans have been,” says Dullmaier. “So, making the reserving expertise in addition to the fee course of simple is vital.”

Convious’ buyer success workforce is all the time involved with the corporate’s companions, serving to them to take advantage of their platform. The agency can also be in a position to give insights into how points of interest can enhance the conversion price of their web site, due to its in-house conversion specialists. As well as, it presents efficiency scans, evaluating the entire on-line presence of an attraction and explaining the place it could actually enhance. This service is obtainable free of charge to potential clients. 

Every part on the customer’s fingertips

That is the place the Convious Faucet App is available in. When a customer buys a ticket via Convious, they obtain their ticket by electronic mail, and may then obtain this ticket into the app. The app offers the operator the chance so as to add every kind of content material. This could embrace park maps, day by day presents, present instances, particular occasions, low cost coupons, the choice to improve to a season move and extra. As well as, they’ll additionally supply mobile food ordering.

“As a customer, that’s tremendous thrilling since you don’t want anything,” says Dullmaier. “No matter you want through the go to, you possibly can take a look at your cellphone and it’s proper there.”

The app is customised to every park in order that it turns into its personal branded app. It additionally permits the operator to ship push notifications. As an illustration, they’ll inform company about particular presents at lunchtime or incentivise them to go to much less busy areas. Push notifications will be set for various audiences and will be automated.   

Additional performance with the Convious platform

Coping with the aftermath of the pandemic has additionally introduced one other advantage of the platform into sharp aid. Particularly, the power to alter go to dates simply. In lots of nations world wide, points of interest have been opening after which closing once more because the laws modified. 

“Even with out COVID taking place, there’s all the time the necessity from an operator aspect to supply a change of date,” provides Dullmaier. “For instance, you may have folks calling to say my child is sick or the automotive broke down, so I can not come right this moment.”

Normally, this may carry an entirely handbook course of. To do a refund, the operator would want to cancel the ticket and ship out a date change ticket. 

“Nonetheless, with our eCommerce platform, we provide the performance of a change date possibility,” says Dullmaier. “Friends can go to the web site, enter the order quantity, select a brand new date, they usually’re achieved.”

There are additionally instances when a park may want to shut unexpectedly, as an illustration, resulting from dangerous climate. A latest UK instance is when storm Eunice hit, and points of interest needed to shut at brief discover. With the Convious platform, conditions like this may be managed simply with the majority refund operate.

Adapting to fulfill altering expectations

Submit-COVID, visitor expectations have modified. Guests are actually extra used to utilizing digital applied sciences, and more and more anticipate to have the ability to reserve tickets online earlier than their go to.

Throughout COVID, pre-booking on-line was a significant enterprise want for everybody: 

“Everyone wanted an answer. We have been all on the lookout for methods to make the entire thing occur on-line with none direct contact. It’s fascinating as a result of pre-COVID there was the start of a development for going surfing and ordering a ticket, and folks have been beginning to see the advantages of pre-visit communication. Then, throughout COVID, it was 100% all over the place.”

After COVID, most operators have seen that it’s not solely simpler for guests, as a result of they don’t want to face in line for 45 minutes to get a ticket, however that it’s additionally simpler for the operator.

As a former operations director, Dullmaier understands how the outdated mannequin takes a variety of sources, with the necessity to workers turnstiles or ticket gross sales counters, and the way it results in lengthy queues. Now, operators have seen that it’s a simple manner of saving sources. 

“For those who do it proper, it’s a win-win scenario. You’re all the time going to have a small variety of guests preferring simply turning up and getting a paper ticket. However most of us are so used to this new mannequin. It’s been taking place with air journey for 20 years, so it’s not one thing that we invented, however the digital development is actually right here to remain.”

The Convious platform and the rise of dynamic pricing

The transfer in the direction of pre-booking has additionally given rise to a different rising development: dynamic pricing.  

“Once more, dynamic pricing has been a risk inside the airline {industry} or within the lodge sector for a decade. It’s one thing all of us perceive. Take musicals, for instance. It’s all the time going to be cheaper to go and see a musical on a Tuesday afternoon than it might be on a Saturday night.”  

The curiosity on this from attraction operators is now rising.  

“They’re seeing this development in different industries, they usually realise that as an operator, one of many major advantages is controlling your crowd lots higher,” says Dullmaier. “One of many major challenges you may have as an operator, and I’ve run small indoor points of interest and large theme parks, it doesn’t matter what kind of attraction, is controlling your crowd forecasting. It’s about realizing who’s coming and planning your sources accordingly.

“What each operator would love to have the ability to say is, I’m opening in April and I’m closing in November, and I’ll have 10,000 guests each single day. That might make life really easy, however after all, it’s not potential. Nonetheless, what we will do with dynamic pricing is steer in the direction of that.”

Giving folks extra selection  

By providing totally different costs operators can, for instance, transfer guests who’re versatile time-wise from a big visitation day to perhaps a mid-day or perhaps a small date. 

As an illustration, a household with pre-school-age kids may determine to go to on a Tuesday morning, as an alternative of on Saturday afternoon, in the event that they see the fitting worth. This helps operators to maneuver guests from in the future to the opposite. In flip, this makes planning lots simpler. That’s as a result of it leads to a levelling up between the times of the week. 

It additionally helps to extend income, provides Dullmaier: 

“You should have a sure variety of guests who should not prepared to pay a sure ticket worth. That’s a truth. With dynamic pricing, you received’t have these folks leaving your web site right away. They are going to see that they’ll e-book a go to at a less expensive time.

“That’s what folks love. Folks love having the selection.”

Treating the customer journey as an entire

Primarily, operators ought to select a platform that may deal with their customer journey in its entirety, from pre-visit to post-visit and all the pieces in between.

“When you may have totally different suppliers, it makes issues much more complicated,” says Dullmaier. “You want extra sources to handle this, and you’ve got separate agreements. It’s all the time sophisticated when you may have totally different techniques or kinds of software program that want to speak with one another. I can say from expertise that this all the time causes faults!

“With an organization like Convious that provides the entire package deal and a platform that may deal with the entire customer journey, it’s simply simple.”

“As well as, you may have one single level of contact, which is a buyer success supervisor. If it is advisable communicate to us, you don’t have to take a seat in a queue after which clarify who you’re. This particular person is aware of you from day one. It doesn’t matter what it’s you want, when you’ve got advertising questions or need to learn about upselling propositions, the client success supervisor shall be supporting you, serving to to make you extra profitable as an operator.”

Convious is an organization that works to construct true partnerships with its clients. Its {industry} specialists, alongside its specialist conversion, UX, IT and advertising groups, work collectively to make sure that the corporate’s companions are assembly their full potential. Which means the operator can concentrate on what’s most vital to the visitor: providing an unforgettable visitor experience.