ACME, a leading provider of ticketing, membership and donation management systems through cloud software, has partnered with softtouch.io to help attractions adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19.
To provide a safe environment for visitors and staff in the wake of the pandemic, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) needed to establish a contact-free entry system that was also a friendly and welcoming experience. To do this, the DIA turned to ACME’s open REST APIs, alongside cutting edge technology from softtouch.io, to quickly create a no-touch validation entry system for guests.
ACME joined forces with softtouch.io, a company that provides intuitive touchless entry systems for a range of attractions. APIs allow for more flexibility and customisation, not only for ticketing systems but also for membership, marketing, finance and more.
“By allowing two different platforms to talk with another, open API powers more robust communication (data flow),” says Echeyde Cubillo, CTO & Founder, ACME Technologies.
Touch-free check-in
Now when visitors arrive at the DIA, they don’t need to come into close contact with staff in order to have their ticket checked. The application operates on an iPad, using the iPad camera to scan tickets. Guest just hold their phone code or printed ticket up to the camera and they are quickly checked in.
To provide a personalised application for the DIA and to help it to achieve its specific goals, ACME partnered with softtouch.io to enable customised entry messages and timed entry, and to provide an admin platform for ease of operation and reporting.
This solution is fully integrated with the ACME backend. The only hardware and software requirements for the softtouch.io solution is at least one standard iPad as well as Wi-Fi access.
“We are able to help institutions of all sizes create a custom, contactless experience for their guests. Our goal is to ensure that these places that bring culture, inspiration and joy to so many, can survive this pandemic, and do so safely” says Paul Melmon, CEO of softtouch.io.
This solution also allows the venue to scan member cards and rebook tickets, which is helpful when operating with time-based entry. A contactless iPad station can be customized to include:
- Touch-free entry
- Automatic ticket validation
- Customer data capture
- Access control APIs
- Automatic ticket rebooking
- Manual ticket rebooking
- At-a-glance real-time sales data
- Order search
For the DIA, this solution was ideal, since it is easy to use and provides a good, safe experience for the guest. It also required minimal resources.
“This solution was incredibly easy to implement, required very minimal training for our staff and the best part is that staff and visitors feel much safer and more comfortable on entry. It’s intuitive, fast and reliable” says Richard Scott, Director of Information Technology at The Detroit Institute of Art.
Attractions around the globe are having to adapt their processes in response to COVID-19, and contactless solutions such as this will become more common. As well as improving guest safety, this frees up staff to focus on other areas and helps venues to run more efficiently.
“The safety and well being of both staff and visitors is of the utmost importance to us. Our goal is to provide the technology to these institutions that will transform their space so that people will feel confident in going back”, says Bill Shaughnessy, CEO of ACME Technologies.
At the end of last year, ACME also announced that it has partnered with CityPASS in order to streamline contactless guest entry to three popular visitor attractions: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and the Seattle Aquarium.
