Boyertown, PA - (June 2008) The Maine Department of Conservation, which operates the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory, chose Gateway Ticketing Systems to provide automated ticketing, revenue management, and admission control.
The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory is a new structure built within a short time frame to replace a crumbling bridge in Prospect, Maine. Because of its location immediately adjacent to a State Historic Site, the Department of Conservation (DOC) was asked to partner with the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) to enter into a milestone partnership to operate the observatory. The DOT would build and service the structure, and the DOC would operate it as an integral part of the park.
Since it was the first time the DOC had operated an observatory or other attraction type of facility, they consulted with the National Park Service to get some advice on how to proceed. Tim Hall, Regional Manager of the Maine DOC said, “They were happy to teach us the principles of queue management, which led us to the conclusion that we needed a ticketing system. But we also needed to be able to integrate the machine with our park admissions process, divide revenue into different streams, process credit cards, and print reports. We wanted to be able to make group reservations, and eventually, to have advanced sales over the Internet. Armed with those needs, we went shopping for systems.”
With the shortened time frame, the DOC couldn’t afford go through the usual proposal process with the Maine State government when deciding on a ticketing solutions provider. The DOC instead relied on the experience of the Maine State Ferry Service, which has been using Gateway solutions successfully for nineteen years now
“If we’d had more time, we would have gone through the entire Request for Proposal process with the Maine State Government, followed by bids, review of bids, and awarding of a contract. In this case however, time was of the absolute essence, so we proposed a one-source solution, received permission, and put together a sales agreement,” Hall said.
Automated ticketing and access control is new for the Maine DOC. Prior to going live with Galaxy they used a manual system based on cash registers to manage ticket sales and revenue. After the installation it became immediately clear that the new system was going to increase operations efficiency and enhance customer service.
“It’s vastly easier for us to allow technology to do the work for us, where we used to do it by hand. This system takes an incredible amount of data and sorts it out quickly for us. This allows us to pay more attention to our customers, and to avoid mistakes,” Hall said.
“Galaxy Point of Sale flies through transactions– including credit card transactions. Galaxy works well for our attendants, and is simple to operate. It also gives us great control over our ticketing, allowing us to see available seats and meet customer needs quickly,” said Hall. “And the reporting feature tells us exactly how to split our receipts for the respective payouts,” he said.
Making the switch from a manual system over to Galaxy has not been difficult for the staff at the observation tower. Once they worked through the short learning curve, they found it significantly easier to allow technology to do the work for them. “We worried about system crashes and power failures, and everything else that comes with trusting technology, and we’re finding that our fears are unfounded,” said Hall
For the Maine DOC, an automated ticketing system was a large investment. Most of Maine’s state parks work with a manual ticketing and reservation system based on cash registers. They leave a lot of work to be done by park staff, and have no tracking or management capabilities.
“Many people think it’s a Cadillac system, and they’re probably right – at many of our areas, we can do the job with less, because the job is much simpler. However, some of us are starting to see the advantages of a true POS system, and how technology can complete the sales, inventory, and administrative requirements of parks while eliminating errors and extra work. Our campground parks, which are working with a complicated reservations system, now use a complicated, paper based system, and some of the managers are now seeing the possibilities of using a POS ticketing system.”
When asked what the Return on Investment was for the Galaxy system, Hall said, “Since we’re a government agency, ROI is difficult to determine. Let me try to put it this way: Attendance is up 150%, income is up almost 300%, and we did not have to increase our ticketing or reception staff at all. Training time was minimal, mistakes were non-existent, and customers were happy.”
Hall said the Maine DOC was beginning to talk about increasing sales further by adding an online ticketing sales channel with Gateway’s eGalaxy web store: “We’re already planning upgrades that will allow online advance ticket purchasing. Onward and upward!”
About the Maine Department of Conservation:
The Maine Department of Conservation is a natural resource agency whose bureaus oversee the management, development and protection of seventeen million acres of forestland, 10.4 million acres of unorganized territory, 47 parks and historic sites and more than 480,000 acres of public reserved land.
About Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.:
Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. is the world leader in high-speed, access control, admission control, and ticketing software for the attraction, amusement, and intercity bus transportation industries. Located in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, Gateway Ticketing Systems provides sales, service, and support for point of sale and ticketing systems throughout North America and worldwide.
For more information on Gateway Ticketing Systems, visit www.gatewayticketing.com or call +1 (610) 987-4000.
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