GILBERTSVILLE, Pa. — The Phoenix Zoo has gone live with Galaxy Connect from Gateway Ticketing Systems, streamlining their ability to sell admission tickets on third-party distributor websites.

Galaxy Connect is the award-winning, cloud-based platform from Gateway Ticketing Systems that allows attractions suppliers like the Phoenix Zoo to sell through any number of online travel agency distributors (OTAs) with just a single integration. Tickets are sold from live inventory and delivered right to a guest’s mobile device with a gate-ready barcode. No more voucher exchanges.

The Phoenix Zoo is one of the largest non-profit zoos in America, caring for over 3,000 animals with nearly 400 species represented. The Arizona Center for Nature Conservation, which operates the Zoo, advances the stewardship and conservation of these animals and their habitats while providing experiences that inspire people and motivate them to care for the natural world.

“Venues like the Phoenix Zoo often sell their tickets on third-party OTA sites to open up new sales channels and increase their marketing reach,” says Nell Smoyer, Supply Partner Manager with Galaxy Connect. “There are many inefficiencies in the old connection model between suppliers and distributors that cost money and labor hours.”

Attractions need to perform manual routine tasks like allocating a certain number of tickets available in their ticketing system to be sold on the OTA site, which risks overbooking or not maximizing sales. Once a ticket is purchased, guests need to wait for a confirmation from the OTA that has a voucher, which then needs to be redeemed for a real ticket at the gate. And this connection needs to be maintained for each individual OTA. The inventory management, booking and redemption process is far from seamless.

By onboarding to Galaxy Connect and an API connection between distributors and their Galaxy Ticketing and Guest Experience solution, the Phoenix Zoo has improved this process for their employees and their guests alike.

Ticket availability can now be automatically updated on distributor sites based on the inventory in Galaxy. Bookings happen automatically too. Live tickets with barcodes are issued automatically to a guest’s mobile device and can be scanned right at the gate. No more exchanging vouchers for tickets, and on the Zoo’s end, no more reconciling the revenue of vouchers. This API connection also automates the ticket cancellation process.

“By establishing this API integration one time,” continues Smoyer, “the Phoenix Zoo ensures they can connect with any number of third-party distributors in the future.”

“Launching Galaxy Connect at the Phoenix Zoo has been a goal of our organization for over a year,” says Natalie Yarnal, Business Systems Analyst at the Phoenix Zoo. “Nell and the entire Gateway team were extremely helpful with this launch and made the transition into Connect seamless. Their knowledge of the product and quick response time when creating new distributors or assisting with questions has been key to the successful launch of this program.”

Yarnal continues: “The ability for our guests to purchase live tickets through a distributor and receive a ticket that is scannable directly at our turnstiles has helped not only with our guest service, but has also eased the guest entry process at our facility. By using Galaxy Connect we have expanded our audience and are bringing in a whole new demographic of guests.”

Guests can purchase tickets to the Zoo right now on several third-party distributor sites like Viator, Get Your Guide, Tripster and Advanced Reservation Systems, and experience an ease of purchase and the benefits of direct to gate access with their mobile delivered ticket.

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