Guest Article
www.parkworld-online.com A new pragmatism
Let’s rethink the welcoming of visitors in the cultural and tourism industries in the wake of the pandemic, says Gordon Tole Moir, UK Country Manager, Smeetz
S
meetz, the ticketing and dynamic pricing software for leisure and cultural industries has been providing these players with
digital solutions since the beginning of the pandemic to help them navigate through this difficult period. Today, it sees the sector evolving into a new mechanic with the rapid adoption of technological innovations such as dynamic pricing or dynamic packaging. Even if a new wave does not occur, the health
crisis will continue to influence our society, both in human relationships and in consumer habits. Cultural institutions and tourist attractions, as they reopened, were prepared to evolve with new regulations and new consumer behaviors.
Capacity limitation and dynamic pricing Museums and tourist attractions are used to peak and off-peak periods and need to learn how to better distribute the influx of visitors. While it is pleasing to see crowds of people lining up at our cultural institutions at weekends, rather than at shopping centres, we need to ensure that visitors can get in and enjoy the cultural offer within the limits of capacity. Cultural institutions and tourist attractions now need to adapt to limited occupancy rates by introducing time-specific quotas. Used by the aviation and hotel industries, dynamic pricing encourages visitors to plan their
visit in advance and at times of lower attendance. These intelligent, variable pricing models help to increase attendance during low-traffic periods while keeping institutions profitable during high- traffic periods, despite new regulations. The recent adoption of dynamic pricing
strategies by several institutions in Switzerland, Germany and the rest of Europe is proof that change is underway, and that innovations are helping to solve some of the problems faced by the sector.
Compliance with sanitary measures and COVID passporty As the tourism industry - such as the aviation and hotel sectors - was preparing for the reopening of borders and the first batch of travellers last summer, the issue of the vaccination passport has become a burning one. The same issue is now slowly also affecting
cultural institutions and tourist attractions across Europe. You must show your credentials to go to the theatre, visit an exhibition or have dinner at a restaurant. The Smeetz team has been working on this
issue for several months and is ready for the introduction of such measures to facilitate the administrative processes of organisers. The integrated Smeetz ticketing solution allows the purchase of tickets to be authorised or not, on the
basis of specific criteria such as a negative PCR test or a compliant vaccination booklet. In a few weeks, the Smeetz scanner app will also scan and recognise validity of Covid certificates around the world using Swiss regulations until further notice.
Win back audience with new package deals To win back their audience as quickly as possible, many cultural institutions and tourist attractions are now proposing new offers to attract a more local clientele. Although not yet widespread in the leisure sector, the dynamic packaging dimension has already proved its worth in the hotel sector. It allows unique and personalised experiences to be offered to consumers. With fewer people and less volume, many
players have now seized the opportunity to think differently and offer experiences with greater added value, rather than trying to play with increased volumes. That is for example the case of a leading chocolate museum in Germany and a family theme park & zoo in Ireland. In this context, the Smeetz team has redoubled
its efforts since the beginning of the year and now enables players in the cultural and tourism sector to combine offers in an extremely simple way even between different service providers, transport companies and catering companies.
Founded in 2017, the scale-up Smeetz offers cultural and tourism actors a dynamic ticketing and pricing solution based on artificial intelligence. Its clients include renowned institutions and tourism players such as the Chillon Castle Foundation, Lausanne Tourism, and the Swiss Vapeur Parc. Its clients use the Smeetz solution to increase their sales, optimise their occupancy rates and automate their pricing strategies.
Smeetz has about forty employees in its offices in Switzerland and the UK and now aims to become a world leader in the field with an international expansion as well as a major fundraising for the end of 2021.
56 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
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