Connect&GO, a leader in guest experience engineering and wearable RFID technology for events and attractions, is looking back on ten years worth of milestones and technology innovations, as it celebrates a key anniversary. Founded in 2013, the firm pioneered the use of RFID technology in live events around the world, before going on to create a flexible all-in-one management platform for the attractions industry.
“The journey of the past 10 years has truly been inspiring,” says Dominic Gagnon, Connect&GO CEO and co-founder. “We are humbled to have worked with some of the largest brands in the world, with each partnership teaching us something new about the unique challenges that operators face in creating a seamless guest experience.”
The company’s integrated technology solutions have helped boost both revenue and engagement at some of the world’s biggest events, such as Formula One, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, Comic Con, Visa, Osheaga Music and Arts Festival and many more.
Boosting guest engagement in the events world
Connect&GO began when Gagnon, a serial entrepreneur with a background in marketing and events, and Anthony Palermo, an expert in RFID technology, joined forces to deliver a way of increasing visitor engagement at Montreal’s Saputo Stadium in Montreal. This first project, entitled “The Key to the Stadium,” brought together RFID media, access control, cashless payments, photo and F&B integrations and more.
“The concept immediately took off,” says Palermo, “Within the first couple of months we had partnered with the largest music festival in Canada and the largest tech conference in Canada, and within a matter of years, the Connect&GO platform had powered access control, cashless payments and experiential activations on nearly every continent around the world.”
After helping to develop the events business, the co-founders then made a crucial move toward attractions like theme parks, water parks, zoos, and family entertainment centres, realising the demand for such a platform in the sector.
“The attractions industry is a little behind other industries regarding their use of technology. We find that many venues use multiple systems that lack customization and don’t speak to one another. Data is siloed and difficult to access, leading to long lines, slow and inefficient processes, and lack of spending,” says Gagnon. “This causes friction for guests and for operations teams that are already stretched thin in an era of staffing shortages.”
Connect&GO continues to innovate
In 2018, the firm embarked on a new mission—to deliver a new flexible, easy-to-use attractions management platform that would give operators crucial real-time data, enabling them to better drive revenue and maximize visitor engagement.
The team expanded the functionality of its core modules (access control, cashless payment, and experiential activations) by developing a strong point-of-sale ticketing system with integrated eCommerce, season pass administration, and other features. The Konnect platform, a cloud-based management platform intended to replace up to 10 different systems, was formally introduced in 2020.
In order to gather all visitor data in one location, Konnect combines cashless payments, point-of-sale, food and beverage, RFID access control, and eCommerce tickets in a seamless manner. Operators may offer customers a frictionless way to pay on RFID devices or with QR codes thanks to its distinct data ecosystem and virtual wallet technologies. The platform seamlessly links the complete visitor experience with data flowing freely in real-time due to more than a dozen integrations to providers like Alvarado gates, Intercard, and ActiveCampaign.
“Having access to integrated, real-time data is a game-changer in the attractions industry,” says Palermo. “It creates so many opportunities to deliver better experiences, maximize ROI and foster stronger connections with guests.”
A vision for the future of attractions
With 17 million dollars (CAD) raised in its most recent Series A fundraising round, Connect&GO has grown its staff by hiring 31 new employees just in the last 18 months. A wide range of water parks, family entertainment centres, zoos, and tourist destinations all across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe include Connect&GO technology today.
“Our goal is to help attractions operators embrace technology that can help solve the pain points of today while unlocking new opportunities to grow guest engagement, revenue and ROI. We’re thrilled to have helped our clients accomplish just that over the past 10 years and can’t wait for the next decade,” says Palermo.
“We set out to build a platform that will truly disrupt the attractions industry, and we know that change won’t happen overnight,” adds Gagnon, “We are dedicated to helping our clients take the first steps toward a connected experience, and to helping them grow and evolve for many years to come.”
Last month, Connect&GO announced the release of a new ebook, designed to help family entertainment centres to solve three common pain points with next-generation technology.
