This is topic ticket systems in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Linda Learn (Member # 562) on 09-10-2002, 12:50 PM:
I need help. Management has finally decided that we need more than a roll of tickets, a cash register and a hand held clicker to easily and accurately sell tickets. Info requests were sent to every ticket system listed in an industry guide but that isn't going to work.... management here has no movie theater experience that they haven't gotten since we opened a year and a half ago. They tend to learn by experience. 
Every time they learn by experience, I lose money that could be spent on my booth. I still don't have the whole floor tiled yet.
Background: about 4 1/2 yrs ago 4 of us got together and decided we would form a non-profit to buy the defunct gutted Dietrich Theater and bring it back to life for the town. Movies, cultural events, a display gallery, etc. Ignorance is bliss. We now have our 2-screen theater, gallery with 6 large showcases, cultural and afterschool events, etc. We are planning on building a third auditorium in the next couple years. Being a non-profit org. we can get grants for the cultural and afterschool programming. Also for some of the art film events. That side of it is on track.
But when it comes to running a movie theater, Management is still learning the hard way. (I sometimes feel like I'm beating my head against the booth block wall. Really, a lot of times!)
So when they started asking for tickinging system quotes without understanding the concept of ticket systems, I opened my mouth and told them there were experienced theater people on film-tech who could tell us what worked and what didn't. And got assigned the task of getting the info.
I don't know that much about ticketing systems! I do know that some are hooked up to the net and report ticket sales as they occur (? to whom?)and there are some that require hardware like touch screens, and there is software that can be programmed into existing computers and use keyboard control, etc. (that's more than anyone else in management knows) But I don't know anything that is useable in making a decision on the system we need!
Please, oh please!(creak of my knees as they hit the floor in supplicant position) What are your favorite ticketing systems and why?
Thank you in advance for your much needed help.
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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-10-2002, 01:54 PM:
Visit http://www.rdsdata.com Their software is pretty good. It will create almost any report you could need. Attendance reporting, projection schedules, cleaning schedules, etc.
The system is also stable as long as they don't use Windows 95a (I've seen systems installed in Nov 2000 using Win95a).
They also have very good phone support for when someone in your cashroom messes up or gets lost.
Good luck!
Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 09-10-2002, 02:01 PM:
Try asking the same question over on www.bigscreenbiz.com . Nothing against the folks here, but the people who participate over there are mostly Independent Theatre Owners. Although I've never used such a system, I've that the RTS system is pretty good.
------------------
Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Lebanon, Tennessee
Stardust Drive-In Theatre
Watertown, Tennessee
Posted by Linda Learn (Member # 562) on 09-10-2002, 06:56 PM:
Thank you for the bigscreenbiz.com site, Barry. That has quite a bit on RTS. Thank you for the rdsdata.com site, Daryl. I'll contact them too.
Does anyone have experience with Sensible Cinema?
Linda
Posted by Marc Jones (Member # 29) on 09-10-2002, 09:17 PM:
We have been using the dos base Sensible cinema software
and we have had good results.
If you start off small you can get by with a PC and a thermal printer.
I was able to justify the cost when it was time to order more ticket rolls. If you look on ebay you might even find a cheap POS printer.
The software is good up to 12 screens with like 5 show catagories.
goto http://www.sensiblecinema.com/scsmain.htm and down load their demo and play around with it. Its pretty easy to learn.
Hope this helps
Posted by Nathan Guerriero (Member # 1214) on 09-11-2002, 09:48 PM:
I strongly advise against RTS, even though it seems to be a very cost effective solution. My chain has switched entirely to RTS in the past few months, and in my opinion, it has been a nightmare. Some people in the company like it, but I have found it to be difficult to use and understand, extremely buggy, and not very robust in its features and options. My personal choice for a smaller enterprise would be Splyce. Splyce is very intuitive and user-friendly, and can get the job done in just about any theatre operation.
Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 09-12-2002, 12:02 AM:
If you have $60,000 to blow get Radiants System. If not (How could a theatre not they charge $3 for a bottle of water they are loaded!) I STRONGLY reccomend RTS, and I STRONGLY disagree with the above opinion of RTS. Ask Ian about it I think he just installed it at his theatre the Rialto. You can get a demo version of the program from thier website www.rts-solutions.com The guy who wrote the software Gregg Borr even posts on here so that HAS to tell you something!------------------
--Sean McKinnon
Manager
Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Freshpond Mall 10
Cambridge, Mass
<A HREF="http://www.enjoytheshow.com" TARGET=_blank>www.enjoytheshow.com</A>
Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 09-12-2002, 01:49 AM:
I agree with Sean, RTS has everything you need to run a theatre. When I used it, it was extremely reliable and very easy to use. It is a very cost effective solution for small theatres.
Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 09-12-2002, 02:26 AM:
Thanks Rach! We always agree on everything 
------------------
--Sean McKinnon
Manager
Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Freshpond Mall 10
Cambridge, Mass
<A HREF="http://www.enjoytheshow.com" TARGET=_blank>www.enjoytheshow.com</A>
Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 09-12-2002, 07:18 AM:
I have been using RTS for over two years. I investigated several different programs and am completely satisfied with Greg, Rob and company. 24hr tech support, and simple integration into my independant theatre. Has a ton of reports, and I have had no problems what so ever. Did I mention reasonably priced software license.
The mag card feature for debit type gift certificates is incredible. Cards are refillable, you track customer balances and they sell well as gifts.
RTS has treated me well.
lance
Posted by Greg Borr (Member # 386) on 09-12-2002, 11:09 AM:
Nathan,
First of all I am not aware of any bugs within the software, yet alone the entire product being "buggy" If you have issues with the software please contact technical support and I personally guarantee that they will be addressed, someone is in the office Monday through Saturday from 9:00AM until 8:00pm EST after which time you can leave a message in the tech support mailbox and receive a call back in less than 15 minutes and in most cases immediately. Our software is tested extensively in 4 local theatres before any release and anything that would cause a software based failure is addressed at this time. If your theatre is using Windows 95 we can not be responsible for bugs as it is no longer supported by the current version, we have cautioned your management about Windows 95 and have even written a special networking patch for your company.Secondly, we did not supply hardware for your theatres, we can not be to blame for the numerous hardware failures your company has experienced, we cautioned your management as to the nature of used equipment and the problems that go hand in hand with it. We did spend several hours testing used equipment for your theatres at no cost to insure integration with our software, we added several drivers for distribution with the software specifically for Village Theatres existing hardware.
Furthermore, should you have any additional functionality or options you would like added to our program feel free to send me your suggestions, as many RTS users can attest we add things for customers all of the time, to my knowledge we have no requests from your company in regards to adding anything to the software.
Assuming you have 2 selling stations at your theatre, you are paying us $500.00 per year for Software, 24/7 Support, and free updates to new releases, compare that with Splyce or anyone else offering similar software and it's not even close. Other than reserved seating and a security interface we have all of the functionality of the Splyce system at a fraction of the cost.
I don't mean to come off as defensive, but when you pour your life into a business and a product you truly believe in it is difficult not to. I look forward to addressing your concerns and making the product work for you and your theatre. Feel free to contact me at any time.
Greg Borr
Ready Theatre Systems
(269)463-5096
gborr@rts-solutions.com
Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 09-12-2002, 12:16 PM:
Every system has it negative/positive points. I have worked with over 5 different ticketing systems. What I have found is that the positive/negative aspects of each system balances out what everyone has to offer. For example: Radiant is extremely user friendly, but they have some serious security issues that they are currently working through. Pacer is not so user friendly, but thier system is stable as hell and secure as Ft. Knox. Splyce has +/- in that they are a fairly newer system and still working through a lot of issues. With software - the system will only be as stable as the operating system being used (you have to rememeber that too). TECH support is the other aspect that is EXTREMELY important. If you don't have good tech support - the rest don't matter. When choosing a software system it is important to ask around (like you are doing) - you will get opinions from people who work with the systems and people who made the systems. Listen to the people who use the systems on a regular basis. If massive problems are occuring - stay away from it. If a company stands behind their product they will give you names and numbers of locations that are currently using their system - and give you the freedom of calling up the people who use their product.
In this day and age - ticketing software companies are a dime-a-dozen. Do your research. Remember - you get what you pay for.
Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 09-24-2002, 09:54 PM:
Linda,To answer your question a couple of posts back, we have used both Sensible Cinema and RTS at our 5 screen arthouse in Santa Rosa, CA. When we first opened in 2000, we were cash poor - what start-up isn't. One of our investors donated a couple of used Pentium 1 computers and we bought Sensible Cinema. It's a great little package for the price, it's very stable, and it sells tickets very fast. I understand that the program has now been upgraded to a windows based program with integrated concessions, but I've never used that version so I can't comment on it.
In August of this year we switched to RTS for both box office and concessions. We couldn't be happier with the system, the hardware, the support and the RTS staff. It's a great product, easy to use, runs great, and has wonderful reports and features. RTS is more costly than Sensible because of the annual license fee, but I believe that cost is well justified in the continued development that Greg and his crew put into the product. RTS is also wonderful about listening to suggestions about the system and possible features.
My suggestion to you is to contact both Rusty at Sensible Cinema and Greg at RTS and order demo disks or downloads of both systems. Set them up and play with them. See which you like and what fits your budget.
By the way, my favorite RTS feature is the super-cool fingerprint readers for logging on and off and clocking in and out.
Good luck!
Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 10-03-2002, 01:17 PM:
Pushing to the top for Micheal.
Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 10-10-2002, 03:08 PM:
Further to my last post on here and the topic i started on ticket systems..I must say a BIG BIG thankyou to Rusty Gordon at Sensible Cinema Software ! I downloaded his programme Box office for windows Pro, and was really pleased with it, i asked him if a couple a "alterations" could be made to the programme and he came up trumps ! He has made the alteration and i'm now spending money on his software, WELL DONE !
You may be interested to know that i have approached 4 companies here in the UK and not one has even bothered to return my calls or email's..
Well done again Rusty !
Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 08-29-2003, 12:36 PM:
Is anyone familar with the Titan ticket and concession system? My company is considering switching from RDS. I am interested in anyones opinion who has experance using this program.
Posted by Kevin Wale (Member # 1851) on 08-29-2003, 05:05 PM:
We use RTS. I can't think of a thing it doesn't do. I can't think of a report it won't give you. Even to the point of having a list of the movies in order that they start, thier screen number, and check boxes to note which movie has been threaded, and which ones have started. We do the same thing for the ticket tearers. Movie A is out but not clean while movie C is out and clean, etc.
To my knowledge, the new Sensible Cinema is cool but you can't sell tickets to two movies at the same time. You have to finish one movie and then start the other. At least that was our experience with the demo this year. It's a complex thing so perhaps we missed something but RTS just plain ROCKS!
Posted by Kevin Wale (Member # 1851) on 08-29-2003, 05:06 PM:
Sorry, double post. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
[ 08-30-2003, 09:51 PM: Message edited by: Kevin Wale ]
Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-30-2003, 05:06 PM:
I am not familiar with RTS, so I can't say that it will not do what we need our system to do. But here is something to consider. Linda said the theatre is multifunctional and has live performances as well as cinema, as do we. The thing that we found most cinema programs lacked was the ability to sell reserved seats. Almost all of our live performances require reserved seating. Also, unlike cinema, a good deal of our operation revolves around subscription sales. That requires a very sophisticated database that the Marketing Dept uses to do brochure mailings, telemarketing, etc. It is essential for a live venue to be able to capture patrons' stats including buying history, contact data and seating preference.
We are using Select's ProVenue software. It runs on a Windows NT server with the workstations running Win2000. We have had very little trouble with it and it has good support. The downside is that they require any hardware that you use (the server, the computers, the printers, etc.) to be verified as compatible with their system. I have always thought this was a rip off, but at least if a piece of equipment doesn't work, it's their problem.
Linda also asked about connecting (to who?). And the answer is, in the case of our system, to a website and Tickets.com. It is a service they provide and allows your website to link to theirs so that tickets can be sold on line in a secure net environment. You probably can get this service from Moviefone.com, but from what we have seen, Moviefone is just for films -- it is not designed to sell reserved seats, whereas a system like Select is designed around live venues -- cinema can be accommodated as an ancillary function. I believe Select can also track concessions, but so far we have not yet incorporated that.
Also, Select allows us to print a lot of information on large "legitimate" theatre security stock. That becomes very important where you have a very popular live performer -- you would be surprised how many times we have found people trying to forge tickets. We pay quite a lot for the security stock. I would imagine any program can be setup to print anything on any kind of ticket stock, but Select has this flexibility designed into the program.
If you would like more information about the system, you could chat with our Box Office manager, John Vetter at 718-951-4600x40 -- he can discuss the workings of the system better than I and he give you all the pros and cons, rather than just the pros which the company might do.
Frank
Posted by Blake Zaugg (Member # 1455) on 11-09-2003, 01:27 AM:
Last year I started researching ticketing and concession POS solutions for our theatre. I finally settled on RTS, mostly due to the stellar reviews by users here on film-tech and bigscreenbiz.
We installed the software in May and since then, my opinion is this:
"RTS - is an affordable basic solution"
If you are looking for something to simply sell, tickets and concession, it can't be beat for the price. Tech support is always friendly an able to help out and answer questions. We still have some issues that we want it to do, but updates are fairly frequent and free. One of the big selling perks for me was the employee scheduler, but it is a little cumbersome in the current version and doesn't link to sales. (the ability to instantly see staffing hours vs admissions or revenue would be nice).
It was definitley a step up from what we had before though.
Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-27-2004, 08:36 AM:
Bumping for Josh.
Posted by Jason M Miller (Member # 2597) on 08-28-2004, 12:59 AM:
We use Titan, and except for the little bugs here and there, it is a good system, and for the most part very easy to use and traine new employees on.
Posted by Michael Von Ditter (Member # 2660) on 08-29-2004, 05:59 PM:
For anyone interested, here is the web site for the Splyce software demo. The software will fit any venue from small to very large, including those with reserve seating. Unlike everyone else out there, we have written every piece of software we sell, which includes true real time Internet ticketing! Further, all pieces talk to each other.
www.splyce.com/demodownload_demo1.htm
[ 08-29-2004, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: Michael Von Ditter ]
Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 08-30-2004, 10:38 AM:
My company uses RTS and I cannot say enough about the stellar tech support we get. They have helped me through many issues, most of which I could have figured out if I gave it more time and looked through help, but they are never annoyed or short with their support. It has all the reports we need and they are apparently working on a Gift Certificate sales solution that will work for us since we sell them differently than most. Any company that would write software just for you is top notch in my book.