ThisPlays International, a leading provider of photo booth products, has recently begun working with several new clients in the cruise sector. Cruise lines are known for their traditional onboard photography, which is still a massive revenue driver in itself and a significant part of their onboard spend per cap.
But while cruise lines are focusing more and more on a much younger target market, they also look for aligned experiences. Plus, new vessels are now attractions in themselves; some even have rollercoasters on board.
Although traditional photography will remain an inseparable part of cruising, the market looks for more innovative solutions to serve its younger target market; digital natives who expect digital solutions with filters and social sharing made easy.
ThisPlays International’s solution ticks all these boxes, without overriding the traditional revenue stream.
Providing wow moments and overcoming staffing challenges
Cruise lines, like other sectors of the entertainment industry around the world, are facing ongoing staffing challenges. ThisPlays International helps to resolve some of these issues, as its photo cabins require no staff to operate. ThisPlays covers the investment and instalment of the system which is revenue-share based, meaning cruise lines can make a profit from day one.
Mikael Panelius, entertainment manager for Viking Line, says: “We are having a partnership with ThisPlays since 2021. Apart from their WOW experience, premium look & feel and large photo printing; a mutual priority upfront was the reliability of a photo booth that could match our maritime standards. A vessel has constant movement and requires fully locked hardware build-ins, requires premium connection standards as well as specific safety elements.
“ThisPlays is delivering; guests love it, and it’s fun to take a photo.”
Although photo booths have been around almost as long as cameras, they are not often found on cruise ships. Previously, cruise line operators have found that photo booths often fail due to onboard movement, connection challenges as well as failing hardware or software that is not able to cope with these circumstances. In this industry, the first conversations are all and only about reliability, safety and efficiency which is where the ThisPlays product comes in.
ThisPlays owner founder Mark van der Weide says:” We offer a wow experience and a wow product with the features of tomorrow, but without matching maritime requirements it is impossible to ‘come aboard’. We are very proud we are over-delivering on both the guest experience and the final product, as well as passing all the tests of reliability in the toughest conditions.
“ThisPlays guarantees an always-working payment terminal at sea or an email platform that never fails to send out the digital photo. Very logical elements on the land of course, but it requires keen software development to have this functioning at sea, in a structural way; so it is as hassle-free for our partners as the on-land solutions.”
Earlier this month, ThisPlays International explained how its focus on providing wow moments through storytelling, innovation and reliable technology has led to rapid global growth for the company.
