Adrian Thompson, CEO of ImageHOLDERS, a leading self-service kiosk company, has shared his insights into what the industry can expect as visitor attractions begin to reopen, and how kiosks can help to aid its recovery.
Self-service
There has been a surge in self-service across a multitude of industries since the coronavirus outbreak, this will be no different for visitor attractions and theme parks. Catering and concessions will change to tablet/kiosk/app ordering systems and self-service kiosks will man retail outlets. Contactless payment devices, scales and tablets displaying menus can all be fitted into a kiosk enclosure.
Health checks
Improving visitor confidence is the key to driving visitor numbers back up, if they see that you are doing all you can to help them stay safe, this is imperative to gaining that trust. On arrival, temperature checks can be issued to help mitigate risk of the spread of the virus from potentially symptomatic attendees. If anyone has a fever, they could be denied entry or asked to attend a Covid test point. Kiosks installed with a thermal camera can automatically temperature – check for optimum efficiency on entry and is a socially distanced alternative to needing someone to administer temperature checks via a hand-held scanning gun.
Frictionless hand sanitiser dispensers can also be integrated to kiosks on entry, again helping people feel more confident in the event environment.
Structured room layouts with digital signage
Social distancing may still be required at some attractions should mitigating the risk of virus transmission be necessary in the future. Clear floor markings can show an adequate distance for any locations that may require queuing and the layout should ensure a 1-2m distance between seats and participants. Digital signage is an ideal solutions for adapting messaging depending on the government advice. It also makes navigating the location clearer and safer.
Digital signage is imperative smooth and efficient operation. ImageHOLDERS totem kiosks are ideal for displaying clear messaging and can also be a multi-functional, interactive solution to aid multiple steps of the user-journey.
Touchless participation
Physical contact at events may still be minimised where possible, so that the overall risk is reduced and more nervous visitors can feel comfortable. Therefore we must make use of the devices that we already have at our disposal. Questions can be asked via hash tags on social media, to keep a high level of engagement. Specific apps for the location can be used to participate, engage with other visitors and navigate the location. ImageHOLDERS developed a handheld kiosk for ease when navigating a location or restaurant to make quick and simple payments when on the move.
Phones can also be used for kiosks to scan QR codes for loyalty schemes or to enhance apps or engagement further.
Contact tracing
Lists can be automatically generated from the sign in form or QR code scanner. The automation doesn’t stop there – the relevant information can be pre-prepared and mailed to the relevant visitors to ensure that contact tracing and isolation is put into motion. The email can also trigger an alert to the relevant authorities to ensure that a potential outbreak is adequately monitored. As a whole, large locations will suffer more than smaller ones, which are more easily managed. This will be an ongoing global process, depending on the climate at the time. Precautions and actions that can be put in place to minimise risk will help to put the attractions industry back onto its feet.