Attractions operators need technology partnerships that they can rely on, so that they can concentrate on their number one priority – providing unforgettable experiences for their guests. However, many are being frustrated by disconnected technology; systems that don’t speak to one another and don’t give them the information they need.
What if the grass could be greener on the other side? We speak to Connect&GO, a leader in attractions management and RFID technology, to see if it is possible to have a completely connected experience, for smoother onsite operations, happier guests and more revenue.
Tara Morandi, the organisation’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, brought with her a wealth of industry experience when she took on the role at Connect&GO last year. Here, she shares her insights with blooloop on how operators should make sure they are getting the best out of their technology partnerships, and why it can be beneficial to end a relationship that is no longer working.
Listening to industry needs
“I’ve grown up in this industry and love it,” says Morandi, who has spent nearly 15 years working with theme parks, water parks, FECs, and other attractions around the world.
The executive started her leisure career as director of marketing with ProSlide Technology Inc. Following this, she became vice president of marketing at accesso Technology Group PLC. Here, she spent nine years overseeing all marketing initiatives and company branding.
Before the pandemic, Morandi transitioned to an organisation which assists non-profits to raise important funds. In parallel, she joined the Advisory Board of Connect&GO to help them with strategic direction and repositioning the company for the attractions industry. She then moved into her current role with Connect&GO in October 2021.
“It’s exciting to be back at a company that is laser-focused on listening to what the industry wants and needs. I enjoy being able to talk to the operators, some of who are also my friends, as well as bringing a redefined expectation for technology to the industry.” She shares that outsiders often perceive Connect&GO as a new business start-up. However, the firm has over a decade’s experience, beginning with enhancing RFID access for live events.
“The thing that made me truly come back into the industry is that Connect&GO is unique in this space. We have a truly integrated platform with real-time data.”
COVID brings change
The pandemic not only saw a change in Morandi’s career direction but also resulted in attractions around the world dealing with legislation and social changes.
“It was touch and go for our industry for quite a while. We took a big hit, and I think operators had the time to slow down and figure out where their team’s pain points were and what was frustrating them. What was wasting their time and on the flip side, what were their guests experiencing?”
The process was accelerated by the need for parks to break down the guest journey within their facility by reducing touch points, spacing out guests and re-evaluating procedures. The pandemic heavily influenced consumer behaviour, leading to the sped-up adoption of contactless services and payments.
“I think now the expectation is to look at the guest journey and make sure that it’s easy for guests to purchase their tickets and not to have to wait in line. Keeping things simple by using modern technology that supports a great experience.”
The importance of the right technology partnership
When asked if technology used in the right way can turn a struggling attraction into a thriving one, Morandi says:
“Absolutely. Not only does data help you with your guests’ journey, but it also helps you with operational decisions. You can see where your guests are flowing during the day and minimise abandoned carts on e-commerce.”
Modern society now expects instant gratification, thanks to household names such as Amazon and UberEats. Order your meal online and they’ll often deliver quicker than you could prepare them yourself. Park frequenters have also become accustomed to personalised services, receiving tailored experiences based on their habits or hobbies.
By using connected data, Connect&GO can deliver on both modern requirements.
Fragmented data
Connect&GO is frequently approached by prospective clients who are experiencing a range of friction points and issues. As a result, they are looking to form a technology partnership with a firm that has the solutions.
“I think the number one reason a lot of operators are not using the right technologies is because their data is fragmented,” says Morandi.
“We talk to clients who have one e-commerce system and then their on-site Point of Sale is a different system, with another system for group management, for example. So, one of the biggest struggles is that they don’t have access to all that data.”
Morandi says that parts of the industry are largely reliant on legacy systems not designed to handle the requirements of modern-day operations.
“Getting service, reporting or somebody to answer the phone – that kind of thing [from legacy providers], is a bad experience. And not just for operators but also for guests. It filters through from staff who aren’t happy.”
Form a new technology partnership, or stick with the standard?
Whilst joking that some older systems are so clunky that you would need an engineering degree just to change a ticket type, Morandi more seriously points out the cost-opportunity aspect of sticking with an existing vendor who is no longer serving your needs.
With fragmented or non-existent data, operators miss out on the opportunity to customise and market unique packages as well as incentivising loyal and high-spenders with benefits.
“You are just sending out blanket emails. Essentially, you are throwing out a fishing line with the incorrect bait and seeing what happens.”
There are issues which are more sector-centric, such as waterparks and active attractions, delivering their own challenges.
The problem of having a technology partnership with companies or providers that don’t have the ability to adapt to new trends, such as cashless, has accelerated in the aftermath of COVID-19.
“Nobody wants to be carrying their phone or credit card in attractions such as water parks. People won’t have their wallets on them. People’s interpretation of a cashless system is very different across the industry. So, making something seamless, such as utilising an RFID bracelet that’s attached to a credit card or a preloaded balance, makes it easier to spend.”
When operators are busy dealing with friction points and problems, they don’t have the space to innovate.
Data is key
Having data in hand is the first component which is essential to a connected experience. This is made stronger when unified around a central point, says Morandi. The Connect&GO all-in-one management platform, for instance, unifies data using virtual wallets. These virtual wallets centralise everything that a guest needs to experience a venue—and everything that an operator needs to communicate with guests.
“Virtual Wallets are stored on RFID wearables or in QR codes which guests can use throughout our clients’ sites,” explains Morandi. Virtual wallets can hold a record of transactions as well as member benefits, season pass discounts and food and beverage deals for instance.”
Connect&GO says that bringing in all the central data points to one place is important because there are so many things that compete for your guests’ attention. In doing this, operators should make sure that systems communicate across sites, such as access control, lockers, gaming cards and cashless F&B.
“In today’s environments, you want to make it as easy as possible for guests. So, if they’re logging on at home or on their phone, you want them to be able to buy their ticket or have the ability to renew their season pass. You also want to have the opportunity to upsell lockers or parking.”
As a result of a technology partnership with Connect&GO, parks can enable their guests to seamlessly walk to the entrance and use a QR code. This way, they can bypass the line at the cashier window to purchase their tickets.
“Everything you can purchase in advance should be a seamless experience,” adds Morandi.
Boost revenue with the right technology partnership
Connect&GO also acknowledges the importance of making processes seamless for team members, providing full integration with self-serve kiosks to help get people out of line and enjoy the attraction. Kiosks can be used for ticket purchases at parks or RFID bracelets at FECs reliant on flexible and ad-hoc secondary spend.
There is one other major benefit to a system upgrade, alongside easier on-site operations. And that is the potential to unlock additional revenue.
“When you are giving your guests access to purchase things ahead of time, they forget about that money they spent. Then they come on-site and it’s like starting at a spending balance of zero again. It’s thanks to the mentality of allowing pre-purchases and it starts off the visit in a positive way,” shares Morandi.
Connect&GO shares that revenue growth can be as high as 30% through implementing a true cashless solution. This creates a long-term result on the bottom line.
Breaking up
Morandi understands the dilemma that attractions face when considering a major tech upgrade:
“We understand it is a pain to implement new technology or a new provider. Breaking up a partnership is hard to do whether from a personal or a business perspective. It is a big commitment and it’s not a decision that we take lightly.”
When evaluating tech partners, business objectives are central to choosing a provider. “It is important for every attraction no matter how many guests are coming through your front gates, to ask “what are our goals in the next three to five years?”, and to think about what that growth would look like.”
Operators should approach the process in the same way adults in a relationship would; by taking the time to determine what their needs are, evaluate if their current partner is meeting those needs, and then see if there are more suited options available on the market.
“If they are not meeting all your needs, and they are making it harder for you to innovate and grow, then maybe it’s time to think about what change looks like.”
Enhancing existing technology partnerships
Sometimes it is not a case of calling off a business relationship but enhancing it. Connect&GO is compatible with a range of integrations including Active Campaign (for Marketing and CRM), Alvarado (entry control solutions), Intercard (cashless gaming cards), Smartwaiver and more.
“We play nice with others. For instance, lockers are not our forte. So, what we did was pick the best-in-class of who we are going to integrate with and have that data flowing real-time.”
The Active Campaign integration will pique the interest of operators looking to capitalise on secondary spending. This reaps the benefits of real-time data.
If a parent takes their two children to a water park and data indicates they are likely to upgrade to a membership, an active CRM integration can communicate in real-time with a message designed to trigger an upsell action.
“Those are the opportunities to say “Wow, they paid attention to what I did”. It’s not some “Dear Customer”. It’s a truly personal message. There are such great opportunities for theme parks and attractions to utilise technology. But you can only do that if you have the data.”
A company with experience
Connect&GO speaks from experience, having been entrusted with major sporting events including the 2018 Superbowl and Olympics as well as an impressive collective of attractions industry clients
“The Connect&GO name is relatively new to the attractions industry,” says Morandi. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that we’ve helped people create unforgettable experiences since 2012!”
Along the way, Connect&GO co-founders Dominic Gagnon and Anthony Palermo realised that their product had the potential to “shake up the attractions industry” in a major way.
“Over the years, we started talking with more attractions and found a strong need for a platform that solves the pain points of disconnected data and outdated technology,” adds Morandi. “And that’s a need that is even stronger today.”
Another point that Morandi is careful to emphasize is the importance of involving your entire team in the process of onboarding new technology:
“One of the clients that we are onboarding right now are going to launch at the end of January. So, we will make sure that we have talked to operations, admissions, finance, food, and beverage. All those key players have been in the room to explain what they need from us.”
Meet the team
Connect&GO continues to bring in new talent to help scale its team and product. Amongst the technology firm’s latest recruits are the senior director of business development Megan Fulbright, bringing with her more than two decades of experience with Six Flags and Ted Molter, who was chief marketing officer at San Diego Zoo for over 22 years.
“These people have the operator experience you cannot replicate. It’s not some salesperson who’s just out there knocking down doors. These are people who understand operators and have had to walk the walk themselves.”
Connect&GO will be at IAAPA Expo 2022 in Orlando from 15 – 18 November. Attendees can book a meeting in advance by clicking here. The team will be at booth #2036.
