It is part of human nature to become habituated to new stimuli -- the very thing that was new, interesting and exciting yesterday quickly becomes humdrum today. Overcoming this boredom is a constant challenge for professionals in the entertainment industry. Amusement parks must debut novel rides and experiences on a regular basis to encourage repeat visitors.
Ride obsolescence is increasing every time a new ride is introduced. Parks need to make the most out of every investment, not cannibalize on current customers by pulling them away from rides that are merely a few years old.
Fortunately, advances in technology are making it easier to overcome the boredom challenge that keeps guests from regularly visiting the same park. One such technology that has the potential to change the amusement park industry is radio frequency identification (RFID). Combined with the amusement park's control system, RFID can make it possible for parks to customize each guest's ride experience and track important data about ride usage, line wait times, amusement park-goers travel flow, and even where they spend their time and money. RFID also can be imbedded to ride wrist bands of children to help parents monitor children more closely.
Until recently, RFID technology was expensive and complex to implement. Thanks to increased demand in other areas such as the retail sector, prices have dropped and enabled great advances in the technology. As a result, entertainment venues can begin to explore new applications for this technology and new uses for RFID tags may be possible for theme parks.
The benefits of RFID implementation can be realized by amusement park owners, operating and maintenance staff, and guests. Park owners can increase revenue from repeat visits by collecting and using behavioral data from customers to tailor and vary the ride experience each time for repeat guests.
Operating and maintenance staff can increase efficiency by using the same data to manage staffing, track maintenance schedules, and enhance the experience of the guest, including greeting people by name when selling them an ice cream cone or spooking them in a haunted house. Park staff also can evaluate the true wait time for lines and track guest movements through a park to provide the best guest experience.
Amusement park guests can use the technology to track where group or family members are and could purchase a personalized recording of their experience at the end of the day through pictures or a DVD based on information collected from their RFID tags. The amount of information encoded on the tag could range from something as simple as a unique identifier (such as an attendance number) to something as complicated as the person's name, visit history, dining preference, preferred 'thrill level' for rides, and ride history. On the simple end of the spectrum, each guest could be issued a tag with a unique. . . to read the rest of the story, click here.
Websites to visit:
Rockwell Automation
RFID Intelligent Sensing
RFID white papers
RFID Products
