BOYERTOWN, PA - (October, 2004) The Bronx Zoo, the flagship of the largest network of metropolitan zoos in the country, has recently changed their admission control and revenue management solution to Galaxy 2, by Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc., headquartered in Boyertown, PA. The Bronx Zoo is managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which also manages the New York Aquarium, the Central Park Zoo, the Queens Zoo and the Prospect Park Zoo.
With over 4,000 animals and a list of award-winning exhibits, The Bronx Zoo offers the diversity and world-renowned expertise that ensures a rewarding experience for all visitors. From the Congo Gorilla Forest, to the Himalayan Highlands Habitat, to almost an acre of indoor Asian Rain Forest, a day at The Bronx Zoo is sure to please. In addition, citysearch.com users have also voted The Bronx Zoo as the “Best Family Outing In New York” for two years in a row.
With all this and more, The Bronx Zoo needed to be certain that they could move their visitors through the gates and on to the adventure without effort or incident. For many reasons, their final choice was Gateway Ticketing Systems. Sean McAllister, Director of Admissions & Transportation for WCS, said, “We needed a comprehensive system to integrate three distinct functions throughout our five locations and Gateway was the perfect solution. From our initial conversation through training and implementation, Gateway delivered on every promise and made the transition to our new system a seamless one.”
Stephanie Rossino, Project Manager for Gateway Ticketing Systems noted, “The ticketing staff at the Bronx Zoo was great – it was obvious that the transition over to Galaxy 2 was quite easy for them. The speed of the credit card transactions is quite impressive and will help assure that visitors to the zoo don’t need to spend much time in line.” Rossino finished, “Galaxy 2 went live in one of the zoo’s busiest gates, during a packed July 4th weekend, without issue. What a great testament to both the Bronx Zoo and Galaxy 2.”
In all, Gateway Ticketing Systems has installed over 30 systems throughout the Bronx Zoo, ranging from parking lot control to admission booth operations, from stroller rental to in-zoo attractions such as the monorail and children’s zoo.
In addition to the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium also went live with Gateway Ticketing Systems’ solution on July 21. From parking lot control to admission booths, Galaxy 2 ensures that visitors also enter smoothly at this WCS facility. In fact, the Paymentech credit card processing solution, implemented by Gateway Ticketing Systems, is so fast that zoo staff decided to rethink the use of their ‘cash only – for quicker lines’ gates. Instead, they opted to change them to standard general admission lanes, accepting all standard forms of payment because the ‘cash only’ lanes were really no faster than the Paymentech solution. The New York Aquarium will also be using Gateway Ticketing Systems as their hand-held scanning solution provider in the very near future. Sean McAllister concluded, “We look forward to capitalizing on Gateway’s leading technology and continuing our solid partnership”.
For more information on the Wildlife Conservation Society visit www.wcs.org or phone (718) 220-5100. For more information on the Bronx Zoo visit www.bronxzoo.com or phone (718) 220-5100. For more information on the New York Aquarium visit www.nyaquarium.com or phone (718) 265-FISH.
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 Ticketing System’s client base ranges from small family entertainment centers to some of the largest theme parks in the world, making them the preferred solution. Gateway Ticketing System’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 phone +1 (610) 987-4000.