Ticketing Solution with Datamax printer

Kolosej is Slovenia’s first multiplex cinema. Opened in May 2001, Kolosej has already proven a successful attraction for a wide range of audiences eager to view the latest cinema releases. Kolosej includes 12 screens, state of the art sound and digital system, and leisure facilities for customers.

When Kolosej was in development, its IT Management agreed that an efficient ticketing and I.T. system was required to control the anticipated crowds. Kolosej turned to systems integrator Programski Atelje A&Z for the solution. Programski Atelje A&Z was an easy choice for Kolosej. With over 10 years experience and more than 14 million tickets sold into turnkey ticketing and marketing solutions for the entertainment and leisure industries, Programski Atelje A&Z is a firmly established market leader in it’s field.

After consultation with Kolosej’s IT Management, Zoran Bistricki, CEO of Programski Atelje A&Z, developed a complete ticketing system covering both the software and hardware peripherals.

SI Ticketing System (SITI), developed by Programski Atelje A&Z, is a complete box office software solution for cinema applications. SITI was chosen as the key software component for Kolosej’s ticketing system. Applications of SITI include accounting, inventory management, membership allocation, reservations, seating allocation and season tickets. SITI uses Windows technology at the front end to offer a user-friendly interface, allowing operators to become quickly familiar with cues. A key benefit for Kolosej when selecting SITI software is it’s modular platform. This allowed Kolosej to select a custom solution to meet their specific needs. Features of SITI include custom designed seating plans, flexible ticket formats offering end-user defined templates and easy software configuration. The modular design of SITI allows Kolosej to add features to meet the growing demands of their business. This could include on-line Internet ticket ordering with printto- home tickets, on-line mobile ticketing via GSM using voice recognition technology and automatic admission control by scanning a barcode on the ticket.

Kolosej also uses SITI for marketing campaigns, such as customer mailings and promotions. Programski Atelje A&Z worked with SPICA International to provide printers for the solution. The new Datamax S Class™ (ST-3210) thermal printer was selected to provide ondemand ticketing. The SClass ™ met Kolosej’s requirements as it provides a reliable and fast 254mm per second (10 ips) print speed. It is of paramount importance that the printers are able to meet the peak time periods of the cinema. During peak time, Kolosej has had crowds of over 9,000 per day on the weekend, with this rising to 11,000 per day for blockbuster films. Additionally Datamax printers were programmed using memory capabilities, to recognize Slovenian language characters.

Kolosej currently has eight ST-3210™ printers installed in their ticket counters. The printers are integrated into each ticket counter, with a user friendly 3 button LED display and easy access to ticket loading. An SV-3210™ is also used for automatic ticket collection. Klemens Klec, Co-ordinator Manager for Kolosej stated, “since the ticketing system was launched we have encountered absolutely no issues. The SITI system and ST-3210 and SV-3210 printers have proved to be very reliable which is of paramount importance to us and our customers.

We anticipated an optimum transaction time of 30 seconds per customer, which is now achievable with this system.” Although open for only a short period, Kolosej, is now a main entertainment venue throughout Slovenia. Providing not only the latest cinema releases, Kolosej is also used as a venue for major corporate conferences. The system developed by Programski Atelje has allowed Kolosej to efficiently allocate tickets while keeping to the strict cinema schedule. Programski Atelje has provided Kolosej, with an effective ticketing solution that runs unobserved by customers in the background, while they wait for the main feature.