JPMA Theme Park Package

JPMA’s Theme Park Package enhances the PoS Designer’s functionality with unique features designed with theme parks, zoos, and other ticketed events in mind. A prime example of it’s use can be seen at Mt. Olympus water and theme park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Mt. Olympus is the biggest water and theme park in Wisconsin Dells. It consists of 90 acres of developed park with four separate areas consisting of outdoor and indoor water parks, and outdoor and indoor amusement parks.

The park uses over 50 PoS terminals (Pioneer “Stealth” AIO) – all running PoS Designer. As another testament to the flexibility of the PoS Designer, the terminals are used from everything from ticket booths, rentals, and rides to gift shops, restaurants, and food stands. Some of the restaurants use the PoS Designer’s remote kitchen printer abilities, and the park as a whole uses JPMA’s RIO product to meet it’s receiving, inventory and ordering needs.

As nice as that sounds, all that ability is standard in the PoS Designer! So what does the Theme Park Package add? Basically, two comprehensive features – “Ticketing” and “Cash On Band®”. Each of these features compliments the other, although they may also be used separately.

Ticketing

Of course, tickets are commonly sold directly at the ticket booths to walk in customers. However, many enjoy the convenience of purchasing their tickets at home through an online ticketing site - or even at a ticket kiosk before they arrive at the park. As proof of purchase, a barcoded “confirmation slip” will be printed by either the customer or at the kiosk.

The Theme Park Package provides a simple interface to online ticketing systems. When the tickets are purchased, the online ticketing system creates an XML file that is accessed by the PoS Designer server, and is imported into the system.

When the customer arrives at the park, the barcode on the confirmation slip is scanned, and the information is validated against the record that already exists in the system. Measures are taken to insure that the ticket was not reused. At this point, the customer is given a wrist band, and they enter the park.

If the Cash On Band® system (described below) is also being used, the wrist band given to the customer is barcoded (RFID is also an option). That barcode is scanned and attached to the record for the ticket. The customer may now use their wrist band to make purchases in the park. (This is described more thoroughly below.)

A variation of the online ticketing system may be used to support “off-site admissions”. An example is a customer staying at a hotel that is associated with the park. As part of their hotel bill, they may receive admission to the park, and even the ability to prepay an amount for cash on the band.

Like the web ticketing method, the off-site location will create an account in the PoS Designer ticketing system. However, there is no need for a printed proof of purchase. An active band will be given to the customer immediately.

Cash On Band®

In general, Cash On Band® can be described as an in-house debit system that allows customers to put value (money) on their wrist band, and use it against purchases anywhere in the park. This will significantly increase sales. In part, this is due to the convenience it affords the customer when making purchases. (Imagine how many customers would prefer not to carry their wallets in a waterpark!)

Not only is Cash On Band® a convenient way to make payments, the system itself has been designed to be easy to use and flexible. For example, when adding value to the band:

• Even before the customer enters the park, they may pre-load a cash value on the band during the process of purchasing tickets online, through a kiosk, or as part of their hotel accommodations.
• At the ticket booths, there is another opportunity to add value to their band. This applies to all customers – not only those pre-ticketed, but all walk in customers as well.
• Once in the park, customers may add value to their wrist bands at any PoS using any form of payment (cash, charge card, etc.)
• There is also a unique feature that allows the customer to add the change from a purchase to their wrist band’s value.

Using Cash On Band® is simple and convenient as well:

• After subtotal, the cashier scans the band, and finalizes the sale with the value on the band.
• The band may also be used to partially tender the sale, in which case another media, such as cash or charge card, is used to complete the transaction.
• If desired, a second receipt may be printed when the customer pays with a band.
• At the end of their visit, the customer may redeem any money remaining on the band at any PoS.
• If a customer returns to the park, they may redeem money remaining on any band up until a cut off date that is established by the park. For example, the customer may redeem money on old bands up to 90 days after admittance.

Additional Ticketing and Cash on Band® Features

There are other features of the Ticketing and Cash On Band® systems that are available to customers as well as the administrators of the system:

• Season Passes – The Ticketing and Cash On Band® systems support season passes of varying lengths. Season Passes may be purchased by any of the three methods previously described – “Walk-In”, Online Ticketing, or Off-site Admissions. With each day’s visit, a new band is added to the pass holder’s account and the old band is removed. Any money remaining on the old band is automatically available on the new band.
• “Mad Money” - Mad Money is a promotional tool that adds a certain “free” value to the band. This value is independent of the value that the customer may have put on their band. All Mad Money is used to pay for purchases before the customer’s Cash On Band® is used. In practice the park may have a promotion that states: “Hotel customers get $10 worth of free merchandise.” Mad Money usage is tracked separately by the system.
• “Reward Points” – Reward Points are a promotional tool that is generally used to reward loyal customers with discounts at the terminals when a certain threshold of points is reached. Points may be accumulated by purchases in the park, or through online ticketing systems, or both. An example of usage may be: “Earn 5000 points and receive 5% off purchases in the park”.
• Band Usage History – A customer may get a report of their band usage throughout the park.
• Reporting – Cash On Band® activity is fully reported on in terms of accountability as well the history of purchases and payments made by the customer. Specialized reports show the remaining balance for unredeemed accounts both before and after the expiration date set by the park for redemption of the remaining balance.
• Updating Online Ticketing – At the end of the day, the online ticketing system may be updated with an indication that the ticket has been used, and the total sales that the customer has made in the park for that day.
• Mass Maintenance – Large groups of sequentially numbered tickets may be automatically created for use by “Group Sales” or for other needs.
• Purging Closed Accounts – Ticketing and Cash On Band accounts that are closed, are automatically purged from the system when not needed. This reduces maintenance on the system for administrative personal.
• Logging – A comprehensive logging system is provided to record activity such as importing tickets from an external system, and purging.