Industry Press / 05.22.20
As Dallas Zoo sells out Member Preview Days, new Lifeblue software helps address shifts in operational and safety needs
The Dallas Zoo is among the first cultural institutions in the U.S. to reopen, and as it does, it is relying on ticketing technology that helps organizations plan safer outings for visitors.
The largest zoo in Texas is reopening at a limited capacity on Tuesday with Member Preview Days that sold out within a matter of hours. It will open its gates to the public May 29; those tickets go on sale Tuesday.
When sales begin, the zoo will offer the public timed entry, touchless ticketing and other features to help address their health concerns, thanks to TurnStyle, technology developed by Plano-based Lifeblue. Thousands of members already have reserved their timed admission for Member Preview Days Tuesday-Thursday.
Lifeblue is offering TurnStyle for free to arts and cultural institutions until the end of the summer as they work to reopen after closing due to concerns over COVID-19. The software is a bridge between an organization’s website and its ticketing platform.
“Early on, the Dallas Zoo recognized that in order to responsibly welcome visitors back, they would need to reimagine how they interact with people throughout every level of their operations,” Lifeblue CEO Nicki Purcell said. “We believe arts and culture organizations are vital to society, and it's our mission to help them adapt and evolve.”
Lifeblue is known for its expertise in making online ticket sales more user-friendly, and as the need arose for stringent social distancing guidelines, the agency focused intensely on how it could support efforts to reopen institutions more safely.
Among the features that make TurnStyle useful for organizations that are reopening:
· Timed entry and guest checkout options to help manage crowd size and flow.
· Touchless smartphone ticketing for admission, parking and other points of entry.
· Increased opportunities to plan guided itineraries to ensure traffic flow and reduce contact through wandering.
"We're so ready to welcome guests back to the Dallas Zoo, and part of doing that is making several significant ticketing and operational changes to help keep everyone safe and healthy,” said Kari Streiber, Dallas Zoo Vice President of Marketing & Communications. “We're so fortunate to be working with Lifeblue and to be able to debut TurnStyle as a new online ticketing solution that is ideal for our reopening needs, and then can continue to grow with us as all of our Zoo experiences come back online."
About Lifeblue
Lifeblue is a full-service digital media company that strategically partners with organizations to grow their social, cultural or economic impact in the world. It delivers tailored strategies—including digital platform development, website design and content marketing—that reduce friction points and improve the customer journey.
Based on more than a decade of expertise, Lifeblue developed TurnStyle, a suite of products that streamline ticketing and membership management, to allow institutions to better focus on building relationships of value with their customers.
As a leader in the movement to improve web accessibility, Lifeblue focuses on responsible design from the outset of its projects. Their commitment to community has earned them distinction as one of the few Certified B Corporations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The 14-year-old company was named to the Top 100 Best Places to Work by the Dallas Business Journal in 2019. Among its clients are the Dallas Arboretum, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Heifer International and Tessitura Network.
Dallas Zoo
The Dallas Zoo is dedicated to creating a better world for animals. By providing guests with real-world opportunities to make memorable connections with wildlife, the zoo aims to inspire and empower visitors to take action on behalf of wildlife around the world.
Located three miles south of downtown Dallas, the zoo features a 106-acre park with thousands of animals, making it the largest zoological experience in Texas.
Named one of the nation's Top 10 Zoos by USA Today and continuously accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums since 1985, this City of Dallas-owned but privately managed zoo is a thriving example of a successful public-private partnership.
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