BOYERTOWN, PA - (December, 2003) The Caldwell Zoo’s recent expansion and operations upgrade of their lone Tyler, Texas operation have been enthusiastically received by staff and visitors alike.
From the time of their founding in 1937 by the late D.K. Caldwell, the zoo has operated under the admirable philosophies of preserving our world’s wildlife and enriching the lives of zoo visitors, especially children. In fact, the very dawn of the zoo took place in Mr. Caldwell’s home as a resource for The Child Development Laboratory and expanded from that point.
In 2002, the zoo undertook its single largest construction expansion project including expansion of the veterinary hospital, brooder house, parking lots, restroom and picnic facilities, and more. According to the zoo’s website (www.caldwellzoo.org) their mission has long been to “provide positive educational and entertaining experiences that will stimulate the visitors’ appreciation of nature.” It appears that this recent expansion is certainly supporting that ideal.
One of the most noteworthy attributes that the zoo has carried since its inception was that of providing free admission. In fact, it was known as the only non-profit, totally privately funded free zoo in America. However, operations expenses have continued to escalate over the decades. Also following the 9/11 disaster in 2001, the zoo - like most attractions nationwide - lost additional revenue from a drastic decrease in visitors. The zoo isn’t the only interest that the Caldwell Foundation supports either. Funding is also provided for numerous scholarships and local events in the community. In order to continue their heritage and generosity, the Caldwell Foundation began charging admission at the zoo on October 6th, 2003 to assist in offsetting the additional expenses.
Initially they started small, utilizing a simple cash register system for their ticketing, food and beverage, and retail operations. However, the register systems that they were using offered no automated reporting and did not effectively facilitate price changes, database changes, or credit card sales. Knowing that they needed these missing features in order to operate effectively, zoo management setout to find a better solution. What they found was Gateway Ticketing Systems.
“Caldwell Zoo put a lot of effort into researching a POS system that would not only calculate their admission sales and entries,” said Brian MacDonald, Gateway project manager, “but one that would also be open to expand into integrating with their operational needs, such as their Dataworks and MAS90 systems” he said.
According to MacDonald, Caldwell Zoo researchers attended the American Zoological Association show in Fort Worth where they saw Gateway’s Galaxy revenue management and admission control system being demonstrated. Caldwell officials then spoke extensively to management at the Fort Worth Zoo who utilize Gateway’s services. Through those discussions, Caldwell officials were told that Gateway is available for support when they’re needed, and that they process each call quickly and efficiently. This highly credible endorsement combined with their discovery that Gateway’s POS system is utilized in hundreds of facilities worldwide, provided all of the confidence that Caldwell needed in making their decision.
Gateway’s installation and onsite training at the zoo was completed in early August of 2003 and included three front gate ticketing systems, school group ticketing and other admission control systems, and several back office retail, revenue management, and admission control systems. Installation also required extensive tailored programming by Gateway technicians in order for Galaxy to seamlessly integrate with the zoo’s Dataworks Sales export/import program.
“There were a lot of testing scenarios put into place during installation to ensure that our POS would not only sell and scan tickets and items,” said MacDonald, “but also that all reports would balance with their Dataworks system.
“We really dug into the Dataworks interface and cleaned it up so that both sales reports from Galaxy and Dataworks match perfectly,” MacDonald continued. “These discoveries and modifications will surely be of benefit to other customers who use Dataworks and Galaxy for reports and reconciling,” he concluded.
According to MacDonald, a large majority of customers who choose Gateway do so after receiving strong recommendations from existing customers. Gateway is proud of that fact and concentrates its efforts on customer service, both during and after installation, to ensure that the recommendations continue.
Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. has been providing the most cost effective automated revenue and access control systems to the entertainment and recreation industry since 1988. Gateway's client base ranges from small family entertainment centers to some of the largest theme parks in the world, making them the preferred solution. Because their Galaxy software is an open architecture, which provides the ability to use industry standard hardware and modular software design, Gateway is the leader in providing reliable, cost effective, state-of-the-art automated revenue and access control systems to the entertainment and recreation industry. Gateway's products range from single user systems to fully automated revenue and access control systems with over 300 clients in 38 countries. As the demands for the industry change, Gateway Ticketing Systems is one step ahead of the curve providing solutions such as eGalaxy, the integrated e-commerce solution, a new kiosk solution, and continuous enhancements to their current product line. For more information on Gateway Ticketing Systems, please visit them at www.gatewayticketing.com or call at +1 (610) 987-4000.
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