Fiona the Hippo splashes into Gateway Ticketing Systems’ latest webinar on out-of-the-box revenue ideas

By | May 28, 2020

GILBERTSVILLE, Pa. — Gateway Ticketing Systems®, the world leader in ticketing, admission control, revenue generation and expert consulting for the attractions industry, had a special panelist splash into their most recent Webinar Wednesday: Creative & Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Generate Revenue Now and When You Reopen.

“We were in the middle of discussing creative ways to utilize your existing spaces to drive revenue,” says Randy Josselyn, cohost of the Webinar Wednesdays series. “Many attractions with large parking lots are holding drive-in movies. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is leasing unused space to the Brooklyn Library. Ideas like this. Then all of a sudden….”

Fiona the Hippo, the iconic and lovable hippopotamus from the Cincinnati Zoo, joined the webinar as a panelist. Fiona was joined by her mother Bibi, and her keeper. Throughout her fifteen minutes on the event, Fiona chowed down on lettuce leaves and paddled through her pool while her keeper educated the audience on Fiona’s diet, her daily routine, her likes and dislikes, and also answered questions from webinar attendees.

Joining Fiona on the panel were Sylvia Matiko, cofounder of A Different View; Curtis Parks, Chief Operating Officer/Managing Partner at Icon Attractions; and Brandon Willey, Chief Executive Officer at Hownd.

The panelists outlined a plethora of ways attractions can creatively drive revenue using the assets they already have, and cited real-life examples of out-of-the-box thinking in action. How can your venue leverage strategic partnerships to monetize your existing offering? Curtis spoke about bundling a ride on the Capital Wheel with a meal at one of the restaurants on the National Harbor. Sylvia mentioned how Secret Cinema in London partnered with Haagen-Dazs to deliver ice cream for their new at-home cinema experience.

How do you leverage the existing retail inventory just sitting on your shelves? Brandon pointed to FECs that are selling Birthdays in a Box, generating revenue from the party supplies they aren’t using. How do you deliver a top seller in a different way? Harkins Theatres in Arizona is selling their wildly popular movie theater popcorn in their parking lot. Guests can pick up a tub, then head home to watch a movie and add some authenticity to the experience.

“Fiona stole the show though,” says Peter Wolf, Director of Sales and Marketing at Gateway Ticketing Systems. “However, it wasn’t just a ploy to increase attendance on the webinar. Having Fiona as a panelist was just another example of an attraction creatively driving revenue.”

The Cincinnati Zoo is selling Cincinnati ZOOm calls. You can book Fiona and several of the Zoo’s other animals for fifteen minutes. The animal and their keeper will join your virtual call and add some FUN to your meeting. Gateway Ticketing’s Galaxy ticketing and admission control software powers the web store where you book your ZOOm call.

The full webinar was recorded. To learn all the ways you can creatively drive revenue now and when you reopen, and to see Fiona (Gateway knows what you really want), access the recording right here.