Know Before You Go: Gateway Ticketing System’s Guide to Embarking on a New Ticketing Solution

Selecting a new ticketing and guest management system is one of the most consequential technology-centric decisions an attraction can make. It impacts revenue generation, operational processes, marketing efficacy, and, perhaps most importantly, the guest experience. A successful transition starts with strategy that reaches well beyond processing transactions. A new ticketing solution should empower your teams, reveal the full value of your data, increase revenue, and elevate every guest interaction along the journey.

Start with your mission, not the software.
Take some time at the start of your conversion process to develop an overarching mission statement for your project and highlight guiding principles for your new system.

Ask yourself:

• How much configurability do we need?
• Will we have full access to our data?
• What reporting tools are available?
• How can we easily act on our data to market to guests over the lifecycle of their interactions?

These questions direct the conversation from “What does the software do?” to “How will it enable us?”

Data ownership is a key consideration for any style and size attraction. Gateway Ticketing Systems stores data at your individual location which gives you full ownership and access to detailed guest purchasing and behavioral information. A Galaxy® ticketing solution install involves an on-premises Structured Query Language (SQL) database, which allows you to maintain access to and control of your data and details on guests’ demographics. Owning your data allows for optimization of the guest journey, from purchase to post-visit engagement.

As a complement to this, Reporting Plus organizes and presents data for leadership review. You then can action it however will best suit your needs and increase your revenue. Alternatively, if you choose to host web stores through Gateway, you’ll benefit from a cloud database and a monthly cadence of reporting consisting of detailed transactional and purchasing behaviors. In any case, this key principle remains: you retain access and control.

Define where you are going, then reverse engineer the system.
Your next system should take you where you want to be, rather than simply support where you’ve been.

What’s your vision for the next three to five years?

• Are you expanding your geographical footprint?
• Adding revenue streams?
• Increasing digital engagement?
• Promoting season passes or membership?

After considering these questions, work backwards to define technical requirements. Start with “Need to Have” and “Nice to Have” lists and then see where there’s overlap. If you’ve outgrown your existing system, be sure your new one offers the level of configurability you’ll need to have flexibility as you grow.

As a decades-long partner with numerous world-class attractions, Gateway has built tailored systems around unique operational needs. Quarterly software enhancements, many of which are driven by customer feedback, ensure the system evolves with our customers.

For example, Gateway developed the member portal within web stores with direct input from customers. It allows members and passholders a self-service option to update demographics and preferences, which reduces staff workload and empowers guests.

Similarly, self-service Food and Beverage configurations enable guests to place orders directly to the kitchen. This is ideal for quick-service environments and proves valuable amid staffing shortages. Self-service options may also include grab-and-go items such as bottled beverages, packaged snacks, and retail merchandise.

Looking to broaden distribution? The Galaxy Connect™ platform manages e-commerce channels between attractions and online travel agencies, helping reach new audiences, and increase revenue. Remember: the right system supports today’s operations and scales with tomorrow’s ambitions.

What do your internal users need from a new system?
Technology impacts every member of every department. Speak with your teams and users before you interview software vendors to get valuable perspective from internal sources.

• What is working?
• What slows down the process?
• Where are missed revenue opportunities?

This step clarifies requirements and, more importantly, builds buy-in. When internal teams feel they are part of the process, subsequent onboarding and adoption improve significantly.

For instance, some attractions struggle with upselling capabilities or generating revenue beyond admissions. Gateway’s Point of Sale module allows organizations to configure one-day admission products to trigger upsell prompts during the purchase flow, such as upgrading to membership or a season pass. This solution creates incremental revenue opportunities within transactions already in progress with ease.

CRM integrations, like the ones Gateway offers with leading platforms like Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce, empower marketing teams to leverage guest data for targeted post-visit campaigns and personalized offers. The web store supports upsell functionality and thus can encourage online ticket buyers to add parking, meal plans, or other enhancements to their purchases.

No one knows what your guests need like the people serving them directly. Listening to your internal users ensures your new system will succeed at every stop along the journey – not just at the ticket booth.

Flip the script during the demo process.
In the pursuit of finding an improved solution fast, many attractions welcome vendors to present demos without the appropriate structure. Often this results in polished presentations that have little practical context.

Instead, provide vendors with a scripted framework for guidance that addresses real-world scenarios, including edge cases. For example: “We want you to show us the complete process for handling XYZ scenario.” By asking each vendor to address the same workflows, you create an even playing field and can evaluate solutions based on how they handle complexity rather than just how they present.

For attractions expanding into new markets or acquiring additional sites, operational growing pains are unavoidable. Vendor partnership becomes even more critical, with long-standing relationships providing for not only operational familiarity, but more importantly confidence and trust. When a partner already understands your terminology, workflows, and culture, implementation moves faster and smoother, all of which solidifies your vendor relationship as a strategic pillar in your business.

Walk in your guests’ shoes for a day.
Becoming your own “secret shopper” is one of the most valuable evaluation methods. It’s simple: take the same steps your guests take.

Move through your attraction as a guest would, from purchasing tickets to entering the gate to ordering food to buying souvenirs. Listen to conversations happening around you. Observe friction points. Invite multiple team members to participate, compare insights and gain a commonsense perspective on what needs attention.

If your ticketing system is working optimally, guests shouldn’t even notice it exists. The experience should feel seamless. To achieve that level of invisibility, you need a trusted partner that understands what guests want and what you need to do to make that happen. Gateway collaborates with its partners to understand goals as well as gaps, so ultimately you have the knowledge, ability, and control to choose what best suits your needs.

To facilitate continuous improvement, Gateway developed Vision Engagement for the Galaxy System, an on-site consultation service for existing customers. Gateway teams meet with internal staff to identify what’s working and where improvements can be made. Through this approach of listening openly, documenting findings, and providing actionable reports, Gateway is positioned to help attractions find the sweet spot in configuring their systems to solve operational challenges.

The Bigger Picture
A new ticketing solution should do more than process transactions. It should be the complete package.

• Empower and strengthen your teams
• Unlock and transform your data into actionable insights
• Support evolving revenue models
• Scale with your organization
• Elevate the guest experience

The objective, at its core, is straightforward: deliver consistently seamless experiences for your guests while equipping your organization with the control, flexibility, and longevity to grow. With the strategic approach outlined here – a clear mission, future-focused planning, internal alignment, and solid vendor partnership – your next system conversion will serve as more than just an upgrade. It will position your attraction for what comes next.