Gilbertsville, PA (March 8, 2021) - Gateway Ticketing Systems®, the world leader in ticketing and guest experience solutions for the attractions industry, has released the latest version of its flagship Galaxy® suite of software – continuing their commitment to leading the attractions industry by providing a world class feature set and supporting their customers through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When we were developing Galaxy 7.8, we kept a tight focus on two goals: to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible for a ticketing and guest experience solution, and to deliver features we know attractions need now and in a post-COVID world," says Michael Andre, President and CEO of Gateway Ticketing Systems. "Venues will find many value-added features and enhancements that provide for more guest convenience and safety, an improved sales interface, increased ease of use, and increased data and fraud security."
When attractions first closed their gates in the United States due to COVID-19, Gateway Ticketing Systems responded swiftly to add two new necessary features to their software and made them immediately available to their customers: the ability to issue order returns in bulk, and the ability to extend membership/pass validity in bulk. Soon after, they began holding Webinar Wednesdays, an award-winning series of webinars that went on to receive widespread acclaim from both attraction industry professionals and industry media alike.
With a similar mindset of supporting their customers, Gateway intentionally released its latest version in early February to give customer attractions time to upgrade and learn the new features before attendance increases after winter, and then truly increases after widespread adoption of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"We know right now that online sales are likely the primary, or only, sales channels for tickets and memberships/passes," says Tom Chiarella, Director of Product at Gateway Ticketing Systems. "And even once we have a widely accepted vaccine, online sales will likely still make up a greater percentage of your sales mix than it had prior to the pandemic. That being the case, we really focused on improving the eGalaxy Web Store."
Gateway worked hard to understand what attractions need in their web store, and made significant improvements to the online guest experience, infrastructure, control over timed and capacity events, data integrity and fraud security. They also made it even easier to sell tickets through Galaxy Connect™, their award-winning platform that connects attraction suppliers with online travel agencies. Galaxy 7.8 also includes new features and support for contactless payments and ticketing.
Gateway built an integration to Apple Wallet, making it easier for guests to access their tickets and decreasing a ticket’s carbon footprint. Users can now also integrate Galaxy and the eGalaxy Web Store with Gateway’s Address Verification Service, which validates demographic data in real time when a customer or team member inputs their email, address, phone number etc. online or on site.
Galaxy now supports access control turnstiles and admission devices manufactured by Alvarado while maintaining the rich access control decision-making in Galaxy resulting in a powerful and attractive admission option. And, Gateway Ticketing Systems and Galaxy is officially certified by the French Tax Authority, the only provider based in the United States that has met the strict standards of this certification for point of sale systems in France.
These highlights only scratch the surface of the many features and functions built into the latest version.
"We want our customers and the industry at large to be prepared for when guests return in large numbers. The guest transaction experience driven by the ticketing solution is pivotal to that preparedness," concludes Michael Andre.
Gateway Ticketing Systems released Galaxy 7.8 on February 1, 2020. If you are already a Gateway customer, you can learn more about Galaxy 7.8 and its features right here. If you are not a Gateway customer but would like to learn more about their latest release and how it can help improve the guest experience at your attraction, you can contact them right here.
About Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.
Gateway Ticketing Systems®, Inc. is the world leader in ticketing and guest experience solutions for the attractions industry for 32 years. Their robust Galaxy® solution integrates ticketing, admission control, resource management, group sales, online ticketing sales, retail, food and beverage, membership/pass/donor management, plus reporting and CRM. Gateway also provides strategic consultation, service and support for attractions throughout North America and worldwide. Gateway serves the global community from their headquarters in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania and offices in Calgary, Canada and central London, as well as through partner resellers across the world. To learn more about Gateway Ticketing Systems, please visit www.gatewayticketing.com.