ThisPlays International, a provider of photo booth products, has grown into nearly 200 activations since it was founded five years ago, covering a range of countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, UK, Spain, France, Italy, Maldives, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and more.
During this time, it has worked with leading names in the attractions industry, including Disney events, Parques Reunidos, Compagnie Des Alps, Merlin Entertainments and Warner Bros. It has also partnered with household brands like Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennesy and Harry Potter.
Post-COVID, the company’s growth continued at pace, as parks and museums sought new ‘wow’ moments and experiences, new revenue streams and social exposure.
Working on an 100% revenue share basis, ThisPlays places the activations for free and covers the entire investment and costs so parks can make a profit from day one with no complex contracts. The average location benefits 40,000 euros per year from one of the company’s machines.
The firm often says: “We only ask for a few square metres, and we do the rest”.
Creating ‘wow’ moments
ThisPlays’ proven success is due to a combination of understanding storytelling as well as offering reliable technology. Operators expect full integration in their attraction, whether through RFID, a barcode system, presales or integration in photo pass bundles. Thanks to its constantly innovative in-house R&D department, the company can guarantee this. In fact, it only has a 0.03% downtime ratio, compared to a 3.6% industry average.
The key is creating a ‘wow’ moment for the guest, which ThisPlays provides through the detailed theming of its cabins, making sure that the storytelling is paramount, essentially creating mini-photo attractions and revenue drivers in one.
“The ThisPlays team is a good example of how a project can run smoothly and well from idea to implementation,” says Jan-Peter Becker, commercial director at HeidePark Resort – Merlin Entertainments. “In addition to a great experience, ThisPlays also has all the trades on board and can adapt to each location very well and efficiently.
“At the end of the day, we want this new and innovative product to enhance our guest experience further and provide our guests with a special souvenir. And along the way, we make sales with little effort. We are looking forward to a great 2023 season and partnership with ThisPlays.”
Sergio Martinez Ruiz, director of Merchandise at Parque Warner Madrid, adds: “ThisPlays really understands working with premium brands without losing their own creativity. We are in a partnership for a few years now and they do not just accelerate in a wow experience with commercial benefits; they really take the extra mile when it comes to their support as well as transforming content for holidays and internal events…this makes it truly hassle-free and always up to date.”
Value for money
Creating premium value for money is key for ThisPlays. Annual pass holders, for example, are sometimes overlooked by operators because they don’t spend, but this has proved to be untrue: ThisPlays reports that 31% of all sales through its experiences come from annual pass holders. Annual pass holders are a massive target market, as long as there is a specific focus on product quality, price and an awareness that the booth always offers something new.
For example, in a zoo set-up, monthly new animals can be added to the photo booth and the animals in the photo souvenirs can be real park animals and not just generic images. After a few years, it is almost a whole library of overlays or photo frames that people can choose from. When it comes to newborn animals at the zoo, within two days there is an overlay of that new baby animal available that can be promoted via direct mailing.
Service and continuous improvement
Since its inception, ThisPlays has concentrated on innovation and continuous improvement, meaning that it has learned exactly what works, what does not work and how to penetrate sales. This ongoing focus on a ‘wow’ experience with little downtime also translates into revenue; ThisPlays drives 2.9x more revenue than the average photo booth. Plus, regularly changing content and new overlays make a difference in both sales and experience.
ThisPlays manages the process, yet its partners also keep a hand on the steering wheel. This means they have input on key aspects like the design of the cabins, but are free to concentrate on the more important aspects of running their attraction.
The company pre-checks every activation every morning on eight key drivers and provides live support 24/7, with no complex ticketing systems or email-only helpdesks.
The combination above creates a good foundation for strong partnerships. ThisPlays reports that growth on existing sites comes organically: 85% of all its partners started with one activation and within a year they have grown to two or more.
ThisPlays owner founder Mark van der Weide says:
“Our slogan is ‘Activating Memories’. We activate memories through mind-blowing experiences; with premium souvenirs that you almost “have to share”, live with friends or on social media.”
Last year, ThisPlays International exhibited at IAAPA Expo Europe for the fifth year running.
