Cell phones are ubiquitous in modern life—so why not use them to bring greater value, interactivity, and excitement to your guests’ experience? According to CTIA–The Wireless Association, the number of U.S. wireless subscribers increased from 97 million to 276 million in the past decade; 89 percent of the total American population owns a cell phone or a smartphone. For applications from the entry gate to afterhours education and memory making, cell phones can help facilities connect with visitors in many new ways.
Big Changes
In his special report in the January issue of FUNWORLD, Accesso CEO Steve Brown advised of a dramatic transformation he foresees during the next five years at amusement parks and attractions: the prepurchase of tickets through multiple electronic formats. The development of the technology for these purchases began about 10 years ago with the introduction of selfservice kiosks, Brown says. Banks quickly adapted it for automated teller machines and airlines introduced self check-in.
Although amusement park visitors currently can make ticket purchases online, the ticket must still be printed and presented at the gate. The next iteration of the technology will allow guests to receive their tickets as a barcode graphic via an e-mail link or text message; iPhone users can save the images to their photo galleries. Parks with optical barcode scanning devices will create mobile ticketing lanes through which guests will pass by scanning the tickets on their phones.
Implementing this technology has multiple advantages for attractions, says Brown: “The technology positions the property as contemporary and forward thinking. It offers greater convenience to the visitor and gives parks the opportunity to both enable and enlarge prepurchases. Furthermore, it’s environmentally friendly, as tickets no longer have to be printed, and it gains you a commitment from the guest to visit the park.”
The cost of entry into mobile technology delivery is relatively low; the optical scanners cost only a few hundred dollars each. Other than that, the only expenses are a mobile storefront web site, which many parks already have, and usage fees for the ticketing interface. There are no other hardware costs; you’re leveraging consumers’ devices. “This is just one more layer of improved efficiency,” Brown says. The technology is due to roll out this spring. Meanwhile, there are lots of other mobile applications available right now.
B to C Text Messaging
Since early last year, FunTXTic, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, has offered businesses the opportunity to reach consumers via SMS, shortcode text messaging. Common applications include cell phone delivery of coupons, alerts, special offers, and contest entries via text message.
U.S. government regulations require express permission from consumers to send text messages to their phones, so text campaigns pull rather than push. Promotions advertise a text number and a code to send to it; this is viewed as express permission by consumers and allows attractions to build their lists organically. Also in the UK, businesses must have consumers' permission to send unsolicited commercial e-mail, text, voice, sound, or image messages, according to www.out-law.com, a legal web site in the United Kingdom. A company sending any such communication must comply with information requirements, which can be found at www.out-law.com. For more on EU legislation, visit http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/information_ society/l24120_en.htm.
Success rates are high: 90 percent to 94 percent of text messages are read and can reach people everywhere all the time. The average conversion rate or acceptance of the offer sent via text message is 20 percent.
“Customers are predisposed to respond positively because they initiated the contact,” explains Richard Jett, business development manager for FunTXTic. “Further, you’re capturing them at the moment of interest.” Costs include setting up numbers to receive the text messages. FunTXTic offers two pricing models for the messages: a per-message fee or a flat rate per campaign.
Parc Management LLC uses FunTXTic campaigns in multiple properties. “They’re a great way to harvest data for mobile push campaigns, such as season-pass promotions,” says Jennifer Mance, senior director of marketing for PARC. “The response has definitely exceeded our expectations.”
iPhone Applications
 The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle launched its iPhone application in early October. In the first three months—the off-season—the app was downloaded more than 2,000 times.
The zoo covers 92 acres and welcomes 1.2 million visitors a year. Working with AVAI Ventures, Communications Manager Ric Brewer developed an application that provides wayfinding via GPS navigation and information on exhibits; the zoo charges 99 cents for a download. Visitors can navigate directly to exhibits of interest, use app features to learn more about the animals they’re viewing, find restrooms and food service, and more.
The application took about three months to develop, reports Brewer, who was able to repurpose a lot of content from the zoo’s web site and animal fact sheets that had previously been printed.
“We have had very positive feedback from visitors, and hope to continually improve the features of the app,” Brewer says.
The Houston Zoo launched its application at about the same time. Its 55-acre property welcomes 1.7 million visitors per year. Thanks to a warmer climate, its season is longer; visitors downloaded the app 8,400 times in the first three months. A guest standing in front of the giraffe exhibit can use the application to pull up names, photos, and genealogy of the animals, watch videos of their births, learn about giraffe endangerment and conservation, and even make a donation on the spot.
“We continually strive to give guests ownership and an experiential opportunity at the Houston Zoo. We think the app really enhances their experience here,” says David Brody, vice president. Thanks to a sponsorship agreement, the download is available free to visitors. Both properties cite modest development costs in the thousands of dollars; AVAI charges a monthly hosting fee.
More elaborate applications, notes Eric Mills, program manager of mobile solutions at AVAI, allow guests to build their own schedule and route; add friends who are also visiting and see their location in the park; and message those friends. “This technology is great for destination locations,” he says. “After all, no one is walking around with a laptop.”
Audio Tours
For the longest time, renting headsets from attractions for audio tours has been the norm. Now visitors can listen to audio tours on their cell phones, choosing options to customize content to their level of interest. Facilities can update the tours on the fly and no longer have to devote visitor services personnel to equipment rental and maintenance. Guided by on-site signage, visitors call a local number and key in extensions to get the information they want in sound bits and bytes, or they can follow a prerecorded tour continuously through multiple stops.
 Guide by Cell Inc. provides this service to the San Diego Zoo, Longwood Gardens, the Seattle Aquarium, and many other properties. Darren Rudloff, president of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Convention and Visitors Bureau, worked with Guide by Cell to produce eight audio tours for prominent historical and museum properties in his city. Each facility has its own phone number and tour, and promotes the tours through postcards and signage. The audio can be delivered via mobile web site or downloaded and played as a podcast.
Rudloff notes some guest usage trends. For example, visitors don’t usually listen to the entire tour on one call and don’t proceed through exhibits in a chronological, linear fashion. Because the audio tours are also available from the CVB’s and properties’ web sites, visitors often listen to them again—or for the first time—at home. Statistics show the average person calls in two to three times during a visit and listens to five to seven items. Guide by Cell CEO David Asheim reports start-up costs of as little as $1,000, and average monthly fees of a couple of hundred dollars. He also notes facilities can record multiple, separate audio tours in foreign languages.
Games
According to CTIA–The Wireless Association, 78 percent of U.S. teens have cell phones; 40 percent use them for texting; and half of those users report they can text blindfolded. What better way to engage this elusive market segment than through an SMS-based game?
SCVNGR is a geo-gaming platform created by a Princeton dropout that enables properties to build locationbased mobile games, tours, and interactive experiences quickly and easily. It uses experiences or exhibits rather than coordinates as its organizing methodology. Visitors send and receive clues and story bits via text message; the technology is being quickly adopted by museums and science centers.
“Development of the scavenger hunt forces properties to transform their exhibit descriptions into questions, thereby translating a passive viewing experience into an interactive experience,” says Kellian Adams, program manager at SCVNGR.
Heather Rutledge, assistant director of the Abington Art Center in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, designed a scavenger hunt for visitors to the center’s 27-acre sculpture park. “The game really requires people to think about what they’re looking at and gives us the opportunity to ask questions and point out details,” she explains. Start-up development costs are based on a facility’s yearly attendance and system load; Rutledge reports hers were less than $1,000.
The Next Frontier
Who knows where we’ll take our cell phones next? After all, a 2007 survey showed 38 percent of cell phone users think it’s acceptable to make and receive calls while in the bathroom. Although that may seem a little extreme, there is a solution in the near future for the greatest frustration faced by amusement park visitors: standing in line. FunTXTic’s Jett reports his company will be releasing a beta version in June of its new virtual queue, a ride reservation system conducted via text message.
Jennifer J. Salopek is a freelance writer in McLean, Virginia; jjsalopek@cox.net.
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