's () chief executive Tom Burnet believes its first smartphone deal with a new theme park operator could be the first of many as customers start installing its mobile cloud-based booking system.
The three-year agreement with French operator Compagnie des Alpes will see the queuing specialist?s Q-smart smartphone software launched at its Walabi Holland theme park ? one of the biggest in the Netherlands ? in time for the traditionally busy Halloween season.
The system will allow park visitors to plan their day out beforehand on their handsets, skipping queues by booking tickets and times for rides in advance.
The shift to smartphones will also save money as it will no longer need to set up sales offices at parks to pick up a queuing device.
Smartphones represent a significant opportunity for given their widespread usage, especially among theme park enthusiasts.
While Walabi will just be using the smartphone technology at its park, chief executive Tom Burnet believes most of ?s existing customers will add smartphone as an alternative to its original product Q-bot.
?Depending on the demographic of the parks we?re talking to in terms of future business, I think most customers will choose to go for a hybrid ? some Q-bot, some smartphone,? he said.
Burnet said this is because not everyone has a smartphone, while battery issues and roaming charges abroad will also play a part for users.
However, in a few years this could all change, he adds.
?In two or three years? time, people won?t be thinking about roaming charges, they won?t be thinking about the cost of data ? everybody will be using their phones all the time, all over the world without thinking about it.?
The deal with Compagnies des Alpes ? which runs 36 parks across Europe, including 21 leisure parks (such as Parc Asterix, Gr?vin, Walibi) and 15 major ski resorts in the Alps ? is also another step forward for the company, which now has another avenue along which to grow.
?We?re now working with five out of the top ten operators in the world by attendance,? said Burnet.
?In every case, we?ve grown penetration into those park groups over time.
?I don?t know for sure whether that will happen with Compagnie des Alpes, but if we do a good job, if we can make them money and if we?re improving guest satisfaction, our experience tells us that operators are then keen to give us more work.?
Ski resorts are also something Burnet would consider looking at, given the number of resorts on Compagnie des Alpes? books.
?If there?s a constructive way to monetise that in a way that improves guest experience, I?d be surprised if there wasn?t a good conversation to be had,? he added.
Shares in the company rose 20 pence or 6.5% to 323 pence on the news.
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