Enhance Guest Experiences with Amusement Park Technology

Theme and amusement parks are known for their willingness to push the envelope. They delight visitors with imaginative and even immersive attractions that deliver entertaining and memorable experiences. Incorporating technology elevates the amusement park’s brand, however, it doesn’t only help them earn a higher ranking on the thrill scale or make headlines with the tallest and fastest rides. Amusement park technology, like kiosks and other touchscreen solutions, can enhance park experiences and even contribute to increased customer loyalty and revenues.

Using Amusement Park Technology at Every Touchpoint

Consider a guest’s journey from the time they enter the front gate until it’s time to collect their souvenirs and wrap up a day of fun. Amusement park kiosks and other touchscreen solutions can reduce friction, save time, and increase guest satisfaction with these experiences:

• Admission

  Vibrant, dynamic digital signage is a fantastic way to welcome visitors to an amusement park. Outdoor digital signage allows park management to inform all guests of special events, promotions, and new attractions in attention-grabbing ways. It can also allow the park to establish a new revenue stream by displaying vendor or partner advertisements.

  Once guests receive a warm welcome, the next step is to present passes or tickets for admission. Some guests will purchase them in advance and arrive at the park with QR codes on their smartphones. Others plan to pay for admission when they arrive, and they’ll want to take advantage of available promotions and pay using their preferred payment method. Amusement park kiosks can help keep lines short and decrease the burden on staff. Guests can use self-order kiosks to purchase their tickets with upsell add-ons such as meal packages, paid attractions, and make reservations.

• Wayfinding

  The next phase of the guests’ journey is to decide where to begin their amusement park experience. Navigating a vast and crowded amusement park to find the water slide or the arcade can be stressful, particularly when visiting the park with children. Wayfinding kiosks and digital signage make planning a route through activities easier. Wayfinding digital signage also includes signs pointing the way to restrooms, parking lots, first aid stations, and other facilities and services guests may need. These programmable screens also provide critical information and directions in the event of an emergency or evacuation.

  Wayfinding digital signage can also have interactive features, allowing guests to tap an attraction or scan a code for a description, age or height requirements, and current weight times.

• Infotainment

  When guests wait in line for their turn to enjoy an attraction, digital signage and touchscreens can help to keep them entertained and make the time in line fly by. Screens might offer a glimpse of the view from atop the Ferris wheel or feature the park mascot telling stories or sharing fun facts about the park. Amusement park kiosks showing special event schedules or other useful information can drive revenue by allowing guests to place food orders, buy tickets, or reload closed-loop cards while they wait.

• Concessions

  After enjoying amusement park attractions for a few hours, guests will be ready for refreshments. However, they won’t want to invest much of their time waiting for their food and drink orders. Digital menu boards can keep guests informed of available concessions, and kiosks or interactive signage will allow guests to place their orders for pickup to avoid spending time in lines. Amusement park technology for on-site restaurants and concessions also allows managers to update menus in real time, so guests always know what’s available. Restaurant ordering kiosks also give amusement parks the added advantage of consistent upselling, which can boost average tickets by 10-30%.

• Self-Service Lockers

  Secure and digitally controlled self-service smart lockers allow customers to pick up food or merchandise orders without interacting with staff. After placing an order, the guest receives a code for pickup. They enter the code on a touchscreen to retrieve the order.

• Kids’ Place

  Although amusement parks are family-oriented, sometimes the youngest guests need special attractions to keep their interest. Amusement park technology allows innovators to create inviting and immersive experiences for kids, enhancing their play with digital sights and sounds and even augmented reality (AR) attractions. With more ways for children to enjoy the park, families may stay longer and return more often.

• Photo Booth

  Photos are great mementos of a day at an amusement park, and images that guests couldn’t take with their smartphones – like their expressions as they begin to descend at the top of a roller coaster – are must-haves. Self-service kiosks integrated with cameras at attractions allow guests to purchase photos to capture those memories. Touchscreen solutions make selecting the shot and completing payment fast and easy.

• Gift Store

  Gift shops enhance guest experiences and build revenues for amusement parks. Self-checkout kiosks can reduce crowding in tight spaces, move guests in and out of shops efficiently, and accommodate customer demands for digital interaction and payment method choices. Kiosks can also provide a user-friendly interface for guests to place orders for personalized items for pickup before they head home.

• EV Charging Stations

  EV charging stations at amusement parks offer a significant advantage by providing convenient, eco-friendly options for visitors to recharge their electric vehicles. This enhances the guest experience by allowing them to enjoy their day without worrying about their car's battery life. Additionally, it promotes sustainable practices, aligning with the increasing demand for green initiatives and reducing the park's overall carbon footprint.

Deploy The Right Touchscreens for Outdoor Applications

Innovative amusement parks will find even more ways to engage and delight their guests with touchscreen solutions. However, those experiences hinge on whether solution builders chose the right hardware for the applications. Because many amusement park kiosks are outdoors, they must be able to withstand all types of weather and temperatures. The touchscreen design must also protect it from spills, dust, and vandalism. They also need to provide the best view of content in a range of lighting conditions and when guests are wearing polarized sunglasses.

An investment in touchscreens designed for outdoor use will ensure more uptime, longer life, and better performance than choosing less robust solutions. Additionally, the park must implement a way to manage touchscreen solutions, kiosks, and digital signage to proactively address maintenance issues and ensure peak performance. Including management capabilities in a total solution will help the park meet its objective of enhancing guest experiences with technology, rather than displaying “out of order” signs.

More Benefits of Amusement Park Technology Solutions

While digital signage, touchscreen solutions, kiosks, and other amusement park technology can enhance each step of a guest’s journey through the park, increasing customer satisfaction is just one benefit.

Digital signage solutions capable of integrating with the back office enable greater visibility into processes that help make data-based decisions on budgeting, marketing, and employee scheduling. Amusement park kiosks also help overcome challenges with staffing shortages taking orders and payment or assisting with wayfinding so staff can focus on more mission-critical tasks.

Technology also gives amusement parks a way to meet consumers’ changing expectations. The PYMNTS survey “How the World Does Digital” found a nearly 7% increase in digital engagement as consumers look for convenient ways to engage with brands and their surroundings, both indoors and outdoors. Meet their expectations in delightful and, perhaps, even unexpected ways, by allowing guests to access information, make purchases, and enhance their experiences at amusement parks.

Contact us to learn more about selecting digital signage, kiosks, mobile computers, and other touchscreen solutions for amusement park technology use cases.