Funworld March 2009

Digital Dollars

Online ticketing presents new frontier for FECs
by Mike Bederka

MANY FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS USE THEIR WEB SITES AS A WAREHOUSE FOR DIRECTIONS, PRICES, AND PHOTOS. Few let their online portals be a place where guests can buy all-day passes, book and pay for birthday parties, and coordinate consignment efforts.

Katie Bruno saw a similar hesitation in the amusement park industry years ago. But after some trial and error and subsequent success, most large venues now take full advantage of digital sales. “FECs will follow the same cycle,” says Bruno, director of wddonline, aweb site design and development company inWadsworth,Ohio. “It might take a little bit longer, but they’re going to get there.”

Many Benefits
Like the large parks, FECs have many reasons to consider online ticketing, Bruno says:

• It offers 24/7 convenience for guests.
  
  
• People often make decisions online.
  
  
• It collects information to tailor guest incentive programs and to build up marketing lists.
  
  
• Managers can easily track effectiveness.
  
  
• Other places do it.
  

That last point may be the most important, she notes. “FECs have to be competitive with other entertainment options: shows, sporting events, movies. More and more, people are buying those things online.”

Scott Brown adds another advantage to the list: easy transactions. When customers buy the tickets and print them at home, they can be processed more quickly at the gate. “We scan the paper, and they’re good to go,” says Brown, director of sales for Swings-N-Things Family Fun Park in Olmsted Township, Ohio. “It saves us time. We don’t have to explain everything. They already know what they’re getting.”

Plus, the FEC already has the guests’ money before they come out. So, even if customers don’t show up, the venue still collects the cash.

Areas of Focus
Bruno sees two strong areas facilities can take advantage of with e-commerce: consignment and birthday parties. For the former, the online option simplifies the steps for the FEC. In the past, Brown had to count up an allotment of tickets and ship them out to each business; companies had to pay for unsold tickets. Now, businesses just get a code and employees can buy the discounted tickets online.

With birthday parties, the FEC determines the parameters available to guests, including packages and costs, maximum and minimum group sizes, room sizes, time slots, and add-ons. However, the communication with guests shouldn’t end when they input their credit card info and click “submit.” Birthdays are “very personalized,” Bruno stresses, and FEC staff should call parents before the party to strengthen the relationship and confirm all the particulars.

“Think of it as another sales tool, not necessarily a tool to complete the whole process,” Bruno cautions.

Marketing Mind-set
Amid the potential for higher volume sales, don’t forget about the basic ticket choices. Santa’s Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire, uses its web site for general admission, two-day tickets, and season passes, says Ed LaBonte, information technology manager. From this past May to December, the facility sold 2,200 tickets on the site. “We’re just getting our feet wet,” he says of his first year selling tickets online, hoping to grow this number in 2009.

One sure way to boost online interest is through marketing, Bruno says. For example, Brown makes the ticket feature prominent on the Swings-N-Things home page and gives an $8 discount for a family of four if they purchase through the web site. The site makes up a “relatively small but growing” part of the overall sales, he says, having used the system for two years. “You have to be patient with it,” acknowledges Brown. “You can’t just put it there and expect the sales to come in. You have to market it. You have to send people there.”

Not for Everyone (or Everything)
In some cases, though, FECs should be cautious with online tickets. Those facilities with low price points, for instance, might want to stick to hard cash, Bruno says. FECs must factor in fees to the online ticketing vendor and the credit card company, as well, which she estimates at about $1.50 per ticket: “If your ticket only costs $4, it doesn’t really make sense.”

Also, Bruno wouldn’t recommend using online ticketing for larger events. She says the complexity and variability of something like a 600-person corporate picnic requires a lot more attention to detail and a personal touch that can’t be replicated by a computer.