Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc  

Gilbertsville,  PA 
United States
http://www.gatewayticketing.com

• Booth: 4847

Come experience the guest journey for yourself.

We look forward to partnering with you to share our insights, industry best practices and proven solutions that will transform your business, all driven by our 33 years of experience working with world-class attractions of all sizes from across the globe.

At Gateway Ticketing Systems, we know ticketing is just the beginning of a great experience for your guests. So we deliver more than just ticketing software. We deliver powerful solutions and services that touch all areas of your facility from the front gate, cafés and retail shops to back-office operations. Our robust reporting options, customer relationship management solution, Galaxy Connect cloud-based platform that connects suppliers with OTAs, and expert consulting services all address the unique challenges of your business and ultimately help to increase revenue, increase attendance, improve the guest experience and improve your bottom line. 

This year we'll be highlighting the guest journey. Come to our booth and experience Gateway's Galaxy ticketing and admission control software from the perspective of your guests. Then, step behind the curtain and learn how Galaxy helps you and your team make the guest experience positive and efficient.

 Press Releases

• CASE STUDY: GETYOURGUIDE AND GALAXY CONNECT (Sep 30, 2021)

  THE PARTNERSHIP

  GetYourGuide is one of the world’s leading marketplaces and booking platforms for unforgettable travel experiences. Galaxy Connect™ is the cloud-based platform from Gateway Ticketing Systems® that connects their attraction customers with online travel agencies (OTAs) like GetYourGuide, to allow live, gate-ready tickets to be sold on their site. In late 2017, GetYourGuide and Galaxy Connect joined together to address the challenges of their mutual current and future customers.

  THE CHALLENGE

  Attractions that used Gateway’s Galaxy Ticketing and Admission Control software had already been selling their tickets on GetYourGuide for years, but there were several challenges to making this happen smoothly, due to a lack of API connection between Galaxy and GetYourGuide.

  The attractions needed to perform routine tasks, like manually allocating a certain number of tickets available in Galaxy to be sold through GetYourGuide, which risked overbooking or not maximizing sales. Once a ticket was purchased, the guest received a voucher from GetYourGuide. That voucher often had to be exchanged for a real ticket first before the guest could enter the attraction. This meant that the inventory management, booking and redemption processes were far from seamless.

  THE SOLUTION

  GetYourGuide and Gateway Ticketing Systems partnered to jointly develop an API integration between Galaxy Connect and GetYourGuide. This automated many of the manual processes attractions were enduring to sell tickets online.

  Ticket availability, including time slot availability and opening hours availability, is now automatically updated on the GetYourGuide site, apps, and various distribution channels based on the inventory in Galaxy. Bookings and order creation now happen automatically too. Live tickets with barcodes are issued instantly to a guest’s mobile device and can be scanned right at the gate. No more exchanging vouchers for tickets, and on the attraction’s side, no more reconciling voucher revenue. This API connection also automated the ticket cancellation process.

  “Plus, by establishing an API integration one time, GetYourGuide and Galaxy Connect ensured they could offer the benefits of this connection to every attraction that uses Galaxy now, and in the future,” says Wanda Kalbach, Distribution Partner Manager with Galaxy Connect.

  THE IMPACT

  Together, Gateway and GetYourGuide have helped their attraction clients sell 710,000+ tickets, saving attractions 2000+ hours in manual data entry and voucher reconciling. This integration is actively used by 38 leading attractions selling 170+ products on GetYourGuide.

  “But even more important is the seamless experience we’ve jointly established for guests of our partner attractions,” says Dominic Martinkevic, Connectivity Partner Business Manager at GetYourGuide. “Today’s modern traveler books last-minute, in-destination, and on their mobile device – which is possible thanks to the real-time ticket availability and low booking cut-off time enabled by this API connection. Guests get their tickets delivered right to their mobile device and have them scanned right at the gate.”

  IMPACT DURING COVID

  By the time the COVID pandemic hit the attractions industry, Gateway Ticketing Systems and GetYourGuide had already been partners for over two years. But the importance of that partnership was amplified in 2020.

  With guests reluctant to visit public venues, attractions needed to open as many sales channels as possible to reach capacity – those that already sold on GetYourGuide using Galaxy Connect had a leg up. Additionally, they were able to cater to the increased demand for last-minute ticket bookings due to guest’s day-to-day uncertainty about whether they could visit a particular venue.

  Finally, attractions needed to sell timed and capacity tickets, and they were able to do so through the API integration, which allowed live tickets to be pulled from live inventory. The tickets were delivered to a guest’s mobile device with a live barcode. At a time when guests were wary of exposure to others, this enabled them to skip the extra voucher redemption line and have a contactless scanning admission experience.

• GALAXY CONNECT FROM GATEWAY TICKETING SYSTEMS WELCOMES THREE NEW DISTRIBUTORS SINCE APRIL (Sep 30, 2021)

  Gilbertsville, PA (August 10, 2021) – Galaxy Connect™, the cloud-based platform from Gateway Ticketing Systems® that connects attraction suppliers with third-party distributors, has onboarded three new distributors since April of 2021.

  “Galaxy Connect allows our customers to sell their tickets via our Galaxy Ticketing and Guest Experience solution through third party distributor web sites,” says Wanda Kalbach, Distribution Partner Manager with Connect. “Attractions can sell live tickets that pull from real-time inventory through any number of travel partners and online travel agencies with just one integration. No more paper vouchers. And they benefit from the marketing these travel partners do themselves.”

  Kalbach, along with Gateway’s entire Galaxy Connect team, are happy to announce the following distributors have recently been onboarded and successfully certified with Galaxy Connect:

  Discount Tickets & Tours, based in Anaheim, California, is a family-owned business that has been working with Disneyland since the early 80s, when co-founder Patrick Cleaver would run to the gate of Disneyland early morning and purchase tickets he could resell to his hotel guests.

  Today, Discount Tickets & Tours provides an all new “e-Concierge” e-commerce website for purchasing discounted Southern California tickets, tours, and activities. Powered by aRes Travel, their site saves time, money and frustration by offering a simple to use platform to conveniently compare, collect and purchase the best discounted tickets on the market. aRes Travel has been with Galaxy Connect since 2018, and this is their first B2B connection.

  On May 19, 2021, Galaxy Connect welcomed another certified distributor: Fun Express. Fun Express provides a wide array of discounted fun activities at up to 55% off to employees of US corporations. Their no cost platform provides substantial savings on admission to amusement and water parks, theme rides, movie passes, dinner theaters and a host of family friendly activities. They’ve grown to become one of the industry leaders by bridging the much-needed work-life balance for today’s employees.

  Finally, on June 8, Holiday Extras joined the Galaxy Connect family after completing their certification. The distributor was introduced to Gateway by a customer and will work with them for the moment, though they do plan to connect with other Gateway customers after they’ve completed their first channel.

  Holiday Extras uses 37 years of experience and the smartest, fastest and most personal service in travel to bring you great value airport hotels, airport parking, airport lounges, airport transfers, car hire and holiday insurance. Whether they are helping remove hassle in person, online or via the Holiday Extras mobile app (which is powered by HEHA!, the super intelligent Holiday Extras Holiday Assistant) they provide an unrivalled experience to over 8 million travelers a year.

  “We are pleased to welcome Discount Tickets & Tours, Fun Express, and Holiday Extras to the Galaxy Connect ecosystem,” says Michael Andre, President and CEO of Gateway Ticketing Systems. “We congratulate these three distributors on their successful certification with Galaxy Connect.  Gateway customers who subscribe to Galaxy Connect can easily expand their sales distribution by enlisting with any of our certified distributors and now have even more to engage with.”

  Galaxy Connect now has 64 certified distributors and another 22 working towards getting certified.

  If a distributor currently works with an attraction that uses Gateway Ticketing System’s Galaxy Ticketing & Guest Experience solution, they are encouraged to have that attraction reach out to Gateway and make an introduction. They can also visit galaxyconnect.com and reach the team via the contact form on the site.

• MALAHAT SKY WALK SELECTS GATEWAY TICKETING SYSTEMS TO BE THEIR TICKETING SYSTEM PARTNER (Sep 30, 2021)

  Gilbertsville, PA (July 01, 2020) – Malahat Sky Walk, a new attraction on Southern Vancouver Island set to open in Spring of 2021, has chosen Gateway Ticketing Systems® and their Galaxy® Ticketing and Admission Control software.

  Malahat Sky Walk will provide amazing views of Southern Vancouver Island from its 2,133 feet (650m) treetop journey which leads you to a gently sloping spiral 131 feet (40m) above the forest floor. But the attraction is not just about the amazing views, as Malahat Sky Walk aims to bring interactive activities for guests to immerse themselves in local Malahat Nation culture, all within an adventurous venue that is comfortably accessible to all guests, including those in wheelchairs or with strollers. The Sky Walk will also boast a shop, café, kid’s playground, and picnic area.

  Malahat Sky Walk was referred to Gateway by another recent customer in their region. After an in-depth online demo and extensive decision process, they ultimately chose Gateway Ticketing Systems as their ticketing provider of the future.

  The attraction initially plans to launch with Galaxy Ticketing Point-of-Sale, as well as Membership, Order Entry and Upsell modules. Since they are opening with a café and gift shop, they will also be utilizing Galaxy’s Food & Beverage and Retail modules, unifying their other profit centers with their Ticketing POS to drive increased revenue and gain a more comprehensive view of per-cap spending. Malahat Sky Walk has also adopted Galaxy Admission control so they can efficiently and securely validate tickets and memberships, and track their real time capacity with hand-held scanners. They will sell tickets and memberships online through the eGalaxy Web Store.

  The Sky Walk also signed up for a yearly subscription to Galaxy’s self-paced learning courses which will walk users through a series of interactive e-learning presentation of configuration options and examples to help them more quickly train on the software in preparation to open.

  “We looked at a number of operating systems and we did not find another one that offered such a comprehensive suite of services that touched every facet of our business”, said Ken Bailey, General Manager of Malahat Sky Walk. “We are confident as we grow in the coming years Gateway Ticketing Systems will be there to support our growth.”

  “We’re so grateful to welcome Malahat Sky Walk to the Gateway family,” says Peter Wolf, Director of Sales and Marketing at Gateway Ticketing Systems. “First and foremost, they are a spectacular attraction with an A+ team that is a pleasure to work with. Their focus on accessibility and learning amidst a gorgeous landscape and breathtaking architecture makes us proud to be selected as their ticketing provider.”

  Peter continues: “We are also particularly proud that Malahat Sky Walk was referred to us by one of our current customers. And that despite the coronavirus pandemic, they felt comfortable moving forward with purchasing and implementing our Galaxy product suite right now.”

  Malahat Sky Walk plans to open and go live with Galaxy in March, 2021.

  ---

  About Malahat Sky Walk

  Located 35 minutes north of Victoria, near the Malahat Summit, the Malahat Sky Walk is an accessible 650 metre (2132 feet) treetop walk through beautiful arbutus, cedar and douglas fir forest leading to a spectacular gentle spiral ramp that takes you up 40 metres (131 feet) to a sightseeing lookout offering views of Finlayson Arm, Mount Baker and the Coast Mountains. It will provide a stunning new perspective on beautiful southern Vancouver Island and be BCS newest must do attraction.

• THE NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO GATEWAY TICKETING SYSTEMS (Sep 30, 2021)

  Gilbertsville, PA (May 4, 2020) – The National WWII Museum in New Orleans has chosen Gateway Ticketing Systems® and their Galaxy® software as their ticketing and admission control solution of the future; reaffirming the Museum’s 17 year client relationship with Gateway and Galaxy.

  The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations can understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Through exhibits, multimedia experiences, and thousands of personal accounts, the Museum takes visitors on an immersive tour of World War II in every theater of war.

  
  Courtesy of The National WWII Museum

  The Museum, designated by Congress as “America’s National WWII Museum,” is the #1 attraction in New Orleans on TripAdvisor, and accordingly, serves as a catalyst for cultural tourism to strengthen the economic and community development of New Orleans and Louisiana.

  The museum had been using Galaxy for years before going to RFP to investigate other solutions.

  “Our goal in shopping ticketing systems was to combine an already robust website and sales effort with a ticketing platform that would drive growth in online ticket sales without breaking the bank.  As we all adjust to new consumer buying habits and an unprecedented decline in revenues due to temporary museum closures, an efficient platform pricing model along with enhanced online sales tools will prove critical in the next couple of years ,” observed Becky Mackie, Sr. VP & COO at The National WWII Museum.

  Kelly Bules, a former employee of the Museum and now their Account Manager at Gateway, had this to say: “Having worked at the Museum for so long, it was especially important to me that they found the solution that worked best for them and their business. Of course, I hoped it would be Galaxy, but assured the team that we would help them succeed, regardless of their choice.”

  “When the competitive RFP extended beyond the Museum’s renewal, we offered them a quarterly bridge agreement,” says Peter Wolf, Director of Sales and Marketing at Gateway. “We were more than happy to work with the Museum to extend their annual agreement to a September 30, 2019 deadline, which is when they would have needed to invest the time and effort to upgrade their web store to our latest version.”

  “Around that deadline, the Museum reached out to us,” continues Kelly. “They wanted to upgrade their web store. They had ultimately decided to stay with Gateway!”

  
  Courtesy of The National WWII Museum

  Kelly and a team of Gateway employees were in New Orleans within the week, meeting with the project team and decision makers at the Museum to work through the needs and requirements moving forward. Particularly, they addressed the chart of accounts, ensuring a more effective and seamless revenue structure for financial reporting. This led to restructuring the product system, simplifying new ticket and event creation and eliminating over a decade’s worth of extra ticket types and outdated products. And they showed them the most effective way to deep link on their web store. The Museum is in project right now to implement these changes.

  The team is also working to onboard the Museum to Galaxy Connect™, Gateway’s award-winning cloud-based platform that will allow them to sell live, gate-ready tickets through any number of distributors like TripAdvisor or Groupon with just a single integration. There are similar solutions in the marketplace, but Galaxy Connect offers the premier solution to increase revenue and reduce manual labor hours.

  “The team ultimately was also very appreciative that Galaxy is one system that unifies all their required functions within one software,” concludes Peter Wolf. “They also know to be successful they need one unified company with a sales, support and implementation team that works together as one core group.”

  “I am incredibly proud of our 17 year partnership with the National WWII Museum,” comments Michael Andre, President and CEO of Gateway Ticketing Systems. “In many ways, our two organizations have grown up together. When they opted to explore other ticketing systems, I was disappointed but ultimately supportive of the transition as I look forward to seeing the Museum continue to grow. But now having them stay on board with Gateway and Galaxy only reaffirms our commitment to their success and their future.”

  About The National WWII Museum
  The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National WWII Museum, the institution celebrates the American spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. For more information on TripAdvisor’s #1 New Orleans attraction, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit nationalww2museum.org.

• CASE STUDY: EGALAXY UPSELL AND NORTHWEST TREK WILDLIFE PARK (Sep 30, 2021)

  THE CUSTOMER

  Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is dedicated to conservation, education and recreation
  by displaying, interpreting and researching native Northwest wildlife and natural
  habitats. Trek consists of a traditional main exhibit area where you can walk the paths
  and meet bears, cats, canines, forest and wetland animals. But there is also a 435-acre
  Free-Roaming Area of forest, meadows, hills and a lake where you’ll find Roosevelt
  elk, bison, moose, caribou, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, swans and deer

  THE CHALLENGE

  In early 2019, the team at Northwest Trek had been tasked with increasing operating
  revenue while staying true to their mission and core values. They already had a
  premier tour experience called the Keeper Tour, in which an animal keeper would
  take guests off the tram roads of the Free-Roaming Area in the keeper feed truck
  to feed the animals. Though popular, they only ran the tour 8 – 10 times a year, and
  because of the early morning departure time, it was difficult to draw guests from
  Seattle and Tacoma, which are an hour plus away.

  “We knew we already had a popular product,” says Donna Powell, Business and
  Administrative Services Manager at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest
  Trek, which are owned and operated by Metro Parks Tacoma. “So we decided
  to develop a new daily tour, operate it later in the day, and tour guests in nine
  passenger, retrofitted and branded Jeeps. But we also needed a way to increase the presence of ticket sales online.”

  THEIR SOLUTION

  Northwest Trek opted to move forward with eGalaxy Upsell for their eGalaxy
  Web Store. When guests are moving through the process of purchasing a general
  admission ticket online, Trek is now able to provide an upsell prompt advertising
  their new Keeper Adventure Tour and encourage guests to purchase this more
  expensive ticket instead, or add it to their general admission. Even if guests pass
  on the upsell opportunity, they now know about the Keeper Adventure Tour and
  are more likely to be receptive to the upsell when on site.

  THEIR BUSINESS BENEFITS

  “With the new Keeper Adventure Tour, we sold 1745 tickets in 2019 for $140,915 in
  additional revenue,” says Donna Powell. “266 of those guests, or about 1 out of 5, were
  sold via eGalaxy Upsell online.” Those guests represented almost $24,000 in revenue.

  “Northwest Trek created a new experience and used Upsell to help drive sales,” says
  Derek Chapin, former Visitor Services Manager at Trek and current Business Solutions
  Manager with Gateway. “I’ve seen other attractions use Upsell to promote photo
  packages or a theater experience too. This is a great opportunity with a minimal
  investment to really increase your revenue.”

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