Clarity Ticketing
Showtime: Summer/Autumn 2005
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- Clarity gains U.S. momentum: New solution winning customers
- Staff boost U.S. push: Strong team in place
- Clarity pushes forward: New team delivering .NET solutions
- Clarity secures EuroPalaces cinema contract
- POSitive parks: Calaway Park rides success
- Remote sales are just the ticket: Clarity's XML Gateway gets sales moving
- UK leads digital revolution: Cinemas wave goodbye to celluloid?
- The Clarity Group
- Talk to Clarity
Clarity gains U.S. momentum: New solution winning customers
Clarity's commitment to the North American marketplace is bearing fruit, with recent contract wins including Cinemagic and Sea Turtle Cinemas. Since Clarity acquired PacerCATS in 2003 it has re-vamped the operation, integrating ticketing expertise with its proven management software suite, culminating in the new .NET-based cinema ticketing solution, Clarity Venue.
The new Clarity .NET based solution underlines the company's strategy to build on its core market of cinema operators, while simultaneously expanding into other sectors including entertainment, attractions and stadiums. To achieve this, Clarity has invested in additional personnel. The sales and marketing team has been boosted by the arrival of Peter Holmes as Vice President of Business Development, together with Steve Bell, and new project managers have also been brought in to ensure outstanding project delivery.
Projecting profits
Recent Clarity contract wins include Cinemagic, the operator of stadium-style cinema theatres which has implemented the system at its Merrimack, New Hampshire site, and SeaTurtle Cinemas is to install it at its soon-to-open Bluffton, South Carolina operation.
The Clarity system has made an immediate impact at Cinemagic, with operational staff impressed by its usability and stability.
Jamie Pinard, Manager of Cinemagic's Merrimack site, comments:
Cashing-up and end-of-day financial activities are much easier and faster to perform. I can get all my work done before the last show ends, and walk out the door right as the last customer leaves!
Clarity's powerful Central application gives senior management full control, providing detailed reporting and analysis tools at corporate headquarters.
SeaTurtle evaluation process
SeaTurtle chose Clarity's system after an exhaustive evaluation process that included a large field of industry solutions.
SeaTurtle's Lori Kaylor commented:
Clarity's track record and commitment to customers' current and future needs gave me the assurance I needed.
Phil Davidson, M.D. of Clarity's Ticketing division responded:
We're delighted to see our new software making an immediate impact in the U.S. marketplace. The .NET strategy is the right way forward for major cinema theatre circuits around the world.
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Staff boost U.S. push: Strong team in place
Clarity has signalled its commitment to the U.S. marketplace with a number of new appointments on the marketing and project delivery fronts. The appointments are part of a strategy to gain increased market share in its traditional cinema and parks markets, in addition to taking the group's hospitality and leisure offerings stateside.
Since the Clarity group acquired PacerCATS in 2003 the company has undertaken a formidable development project to re-write the ticketing application under a .NET environment and to bring it within the core Clarity enterprise management solution. The integration of ticketing into Clarity's strong estate management solutions means that venue operators of all types can now benefit from integrated solutions to their day-to-day theatre management, HR, finance, information and customer management systems, from a single vendor.
Business development
Peter Holmes joins Clarity as Vice President of Business Development for North America. He has a 23-year track record in hospitality technology, and has been brought on board for his in-depth understanding of leisure and hospitality customer needs. His skills align perfectly with Clarity's ambitions and core integrated product offering, and will come into their own as the company seeks to exploit key U.S. market growth opportunities. Peter started his career on the operational side of the hotel business, so he understands the day-to-day impact of the systems he sells. Married with a teenage son, he enjoys a number of hobbies - and has even been known to be coaxed up to the karaoke machine...
Marketing and project delivery
The U.S. marketing team is further strengthened by the arrival of avid golfer Steve Bell as Sales and Marketing Coordinator. As well as looking after sales and marketing, Steve is undertaking industry research to back-up Clarity's new business drive.
Determined to ensure that installation and project delivery match customer expectations, Clarity has also introduced two new project managers to the Denver office. Don Wynkoop, Jr. and Jay Dave will be working very closely with customers to see that the full potential of Clarity solutions is realised.
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Clarity pushes forward: New team delivering .NET solutions
The recently expanded development team at Clarity is hard at work on next generation .NET based solutions, which promise unparalleled speed and ease of use for cinema, entertainment and attraction based operators. The new solutions reflect the major investment Clarity is making in the development process, and will build on the foundations of previous offerings, maintaining the same rich functionality within a browser based environment.
UK development team grows
To push through this new approach, Clarity has significantly expanded its UK-based software development and quality assurance (QA) team, making major new appointments and establishing a superb new development centre at premises in Basingstoke.
Dominic Mitchell, the group's new Technical Development Manager, says:
The new centre is a superb environment in which to be based. I'm enjoying working in such creative surroundings, which maximise dynamic team input and productivity.
.NET advantages
.NET - the Microsoft strategy for the implementation of Web services - provides the ability to quickly build, deploy, manage and use connected, security enhanced solutions. By adopting the .NET approach, Clarity aims to accelerate the development process and leverage Microsoft's investment in .NET.
Faster implementation
Web services are revolutionising how applications talk to each other, communicating across platforms and operating systems regardless of the programming language in which the applications are written. The .NET platform will accelerate implementation timescales and provide better integration with third party systems as well as with other Clarity group software modules. This has obvious advantages for Clarity and our customers, offering an adaptive and agile IT architecture that leverages the most cost effective hardware and software options on the market.
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Clarity secures EuroPalaces cinema contract
Clarity has secured a major contract extension, establishing it as cinema operator EuroPalaces' exclusive supplier for ticketing systems in France. EuroPalaces, the owner of Pathé and Gaumont cinemas, and the biggest cinema exhibitor in western Europe, has signed a 3 year contract with Clarity extending maintenance and support services provision.
Clarity's Dr Wolfgang Buscher welcomed the deal, commenting:
This contract is an important win for us as we embark on launching the new .NET version of the Clarity suite of products in our traditional cinema markets, as well as to sectors such as hospitality and leisure. Our years of experience in supporting mission critical systems for our cinema operators will be of reassurance to businesses in other sectors that rely on a solid maintenance and support infrastructure behind the products they invest in.
New sales channels
The deal with EuroPalaces also provides for Clarity's XML gateway and will allow EuroPalaces to expand their business through new sales channels. As a result, Clarity has won the order to supply EuroPalaces with self-service sales and collection ATMs. EuroPalaces is well established as a market leading cinema circuit and multiplex site operator in Europe, with over 41 million cinema admissions in 2004.
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POSitive parks: Calaway Park rides success
Operator Calaway Park is extending its IT systems with Clarity. Located near Calgary, Alberta, Calaway Park is Western Canada's largest outdoor family amusement park with rides for thrill-seekers, numerous attractions and quality live entertainment.
POSitive partnership
The park has been a long-time user of software developed by PacerCATS prior to its acquisition by Clarity's Ticketing division, and the recent deal builds on the positive partnership built between the two companies. Calaway Park has ordered software and infrastructure to support expanding park operations over the 2005/2006 season.
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Remote sales are just the ticket: Clarity's XML Gateway gets sales moving
In the entertainment sector, queue management during rush periods has always been a challenge. With the wider availability of Internet and mobile phone technology, patrons are ever more aware of time saving mechanisms for buying and collecting tickets.
Customer choice
Clarity offers you solutions that allow your customers to buy tickets in many ways - including via the Web, automated phone booking service or call centre - as the industry sees steadily increasing consumer demand for flexible ticket purchasing. Clarity's customers are even using Interactive Digital TV to distribute ticket inventory using our XML Gateway.
Clarity's XML Gateway enables 3rd party systems to interact with the Clarity system at the venue or central group database, processing real-time ticket sales through a published XML standard interface. The XML Gateway easily interfaces to 3rd party sales channels, and we already help many of our customers to sell their tickets through well-known channels such as MovieTickets.com and Fandango.com.
Cost control and loyalty
ATMs enhance customer service and loyalty by radically reducing queuing times at the box office during busy times. They can generate additional revenue too, because by accelerating the entry process, customers get more time to linger at concessions stands. ATMs can reduce your transaction costs through significant staff savings, while driving revenue through up-selling products. Multi-media ATM capabilities also help you to increase your return on investment, through advertising and promoting upcoming events and offers. Clarity's latest ATMs are soon to be integrated with its loyalty application too, allowing customers to earn and redeem rewards with their transactions.
For more information about remote sales capabilities and how ATMs can speed up your business, contact us now.
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UK leads digital revolution: Cinemas wave goodbye to celluloid?
The UK Film Council has allocated £11.5m of Lottery money towards creating a network of 150 digital cinemas with up to 250 screens in the UK. A key benefit of the digital network will be an increase in the distribution and screening of British films, documentaries and foreign language films.
Distribution costs slashed By storing films digitally instead of on celluloid, the costs of film reproduction and duplication are slashed, widening access to niche films. Digital technology also eliminates picture degradation, and will help to preserve ageing films.
With moves afoot to convert screens across Northern Ireland and the Republic to digital, it appears that the shift away from celluloid is gaining momentum.
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The Clarity Group
Clarity Ticketing is a division of Clarity Commerce Solutions plc, a leading supplier of software and services to the leisure, entertainment and hospitality sectors, with a prized client base that includes major retail and leisure brands, US theme parks, and movie theatre circuits in 23 countries.
Unlocking revenues
Clarity ticketing and management software for cinemas and entertainment venues optimises ticketing and concessions sales, lowers overheads, and manages the customer relationship unlocking new revenues and competitive edge for multi-site operators.
Our specialist advanced ticketing, concessions and merchandising point of sale software has been developed over a 20+ year period. These Innovative solutions can increase sales revenue and enhance the customer experience, consecutively reducing transaction costs.
New chairman appointed
Clarity has recently appointed John O'Connell as Chairman. John O'Connell was the founder of Staffware Plc, a leading global workflow and business process management software company. Staffware was listed on AIM in June 1996 and acquired by Tibco Software Inc for approximately £122 million in June 2004.
Rapid growth
Clarity continues to grow rapidly, both organically and through an ambitious acquisitions programme. The company's most recent acquisition was Baron LRMS, which has added names such as Dubai's Jumeirah International to its already prestigious client list.
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Talk to Clarity
Senior Clarity representatives can meet with you at major events on the annual show calendar - just get in touch with your local office to arrange a meeting. Events where we could meet you include:
- June 27-30, 2005: Cinema Expo, Amsterdam
- September 27-29, 2005: FNCF, Deauville
- October 24-27, 2005: ShowEast, Orlando
- November 6-9, 2005: FSTEC, Texas
- November 16-19, 2005: IAAPA, Atlanta
- March 3-8, 2006: Internorga, Hamburg
- March 13-16, 2006: ShoWest, Las Vegas
- October 3-7, 2006: Hogatec, Düsseldorf
- November 5-9, 2006: Equip'Hotel, Paris
