This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Lo-Q


Formed in 2000, the inspiration for Lo-Q arose from a wait in a line by Leonard Sim and his family in a Florida theme park in the 1990s. The ride had mechanical problems, which led to a two-hour wait.


Ten years on from its formation and a subsequent IPO, Lo-Q has grown to become a leading supplier of dynamic virtual queuing systems for theme parks and attraction venues worldwide. The company’s flagship Q-bot and Text-Q products allow time-stretched consumers to make ride and show reservations from anywhere within a venue, removing the need for extensive queuing.


AIM-listed Lo-Q maintains subsidiaries in the US and Canada and its proprietary hand-held unit is now utilised by major theme parks around the world, including LEGOLAND® Windsor in the UK, Dreamworld in Australia and 11 Six Flags parks dotted around North America.


Flagship products:


Q-bot - Handheld device that allows park guests to reserve their place in a queue line, from anywhere in the resort. Ride delays and breakdowns are communicated to Q-bot to avoid visitor frustration. Key installations include Mirabilandia, Italy; LEGOLAND®


Windsor, UK; 11 Six Flags parks in the US


and Canada; Dreamworld, Australia; Dollywood, US; and La Ronde, Canada.


Text-Q - Mobile phone based reservation system for venues with a smaller number of queue lines. Text-Q is in use in a number of locations including Flamingo Land in Yorkshire, UK, and Parque Isla Magica in Seville, Spain.


FACE TO FACE


IP: What do you have planned for the coming months?


LS: We have a number of developments planned to expand our offerings to theme parks. These include a range of service levels for the Q-bot handheld device, Q-bot Express, which means even less waiting time for rides. Our mobile phone Q-txt product will be expanded to accommodate the use of smart phones. We are also planning to launch a revolutionary new product in waterparks soon - more on that in the coming months.


Leonard Sim, Lo-Q founding director


InterPark: How is business currently faring for Lo-Q? Leonard Sim: Business is good. In 2009, company revenue grew by nearly 28 per cent and pre-tax profits were also up. We now work with seven operators with installations in 18 theme parks and we are adding new customers all the time. The weather wasn’t great last year but we recognise that perfect weather will never happen. Likewise, the economic downturn is not going away in a hurry and cash is tight for everyone. However, many regional parks were helped by “staycationing” and Lo-Q’s virtual queuing solutions are proving very popular with people who want to get the most from their entrance fee and whose time is under more pressure than ever.


IP: On which geographic markets is Lo-Q currently focused?


LS: It’s fair to say that Lo-Q is still a relatively tight team and therefore we can adapt as required to different market requirements. One thing remains the same everywhere in the world - people hate queues and standing in line. The great thing is that our customers become our greatest advocates so our virtual sales team is expanding all the time. We are currently getting increased interest from around the world.


IP: What do you feel will happen to the virtual queuing sector over the next few years?


LS: Time is our business and time is money, as the saying goes. Therefore there is no doubt that virtual queuing will eventually become the norm, not just in theme parks but in all walks of life and in particular the leisure arena. In just the same way a cashless society is not that far away, cashless payment in theme parks is a certainty in the not too distant future.


Lo-Q Plc The Smith Centre, Fairmile,


Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 6AB, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1491 577210 Fax: +44 (0)1491 577270 Email: information@lo-q.com www.lo-q.com


Lo-Q Virtual Queuing, Inc. 351 Thornton Road, Suite 119, Lithia Springs, GA 30122, USA Tel: +1 678 838 6930 Fax: +1 678 838 6932 Email: information@lo-q.com www.lo-qusa.com


31


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com