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NO CASH TURNSTILES THIS SEASON


CaleyD

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2 hours ago, RiG said:

Any idea idea a simple print your own ticket at home would be to implement? I guess it would need to generate some kind of unique barcode which could be scanned at the turnstile?

Yup....the idea seems a very simple one.  However, all the turnstiles need to be linked to a central system to prevent the same ticket being used more than once etc.  It's that technology infrastructure and the software licensing that's expensive as you then need to implement a whole ticketing system that supports/works along with it.

Part of the challenge for smaller clubs with smaller budgets is that fully unmanned solutions are totally out of reach (at the moment) and manned systems introduce additional cost over and above the ongoing need for turnstile operators.

The only savings for the club are that cards are cheaper than ST books; and print at home (or scanning from phones) mean there's reduced ticket printing costs at the ground. Businesses usually write off the cost of new tech over so many years....so the saving in a single season would probably need to be 20-25% of the investment to justify it.  That's in purely raw terms, you still need to factor in the value of "feel good" from a more efficient system and whether, in reality, that leads to increased attendances....which is also important.

It's on the radar and the club are as keen on it as the fans because it makes life easier for everyone....they just need the figures to fall into line.

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This is just a money saving exercise so kids can man the turnstiles.i understand why the club are going down this road but when we should be making it easier for people to attend were making it more difficult.i wonder how many people stuck in the traffic at longman roundabout without a ticket just give up and go home?

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Well, after all the moaning everything seemed to go fine with this system yesterday. Someone should have told the steward this is the new system though as he was helpfully telling everyone which window to go to but also telling them this would be for cup games only and league games you could just pay at the turnstiles as usual.

 

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1 hour ago, sneckfan said:

Well, after all the moaning everything seemed to go fine with this system yesterday. Someone should have told the steward this is the new system though as he was helpfully telling everyone which window to go to but also telling them this would be for cup games only and league games you could just pay at the turnstiles as usual.

 

Glad it went well but not sure we can call it a success yet? Crowd wasnt large yesterday compared to other games. 

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9 hours ago, RiG said:

Any idea idea a simple print your own ticket at home would be to implement? I guess it would need to generate some kind of unique barcode which could be scanned at the turnstile?

This is done in the States for some baseball teams but you would then need the turnstiles adapted to accept these I think.

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5 hours ago, old caley girl said:

Glad it went well but not sure we can call it a success yet? Crowd wasnt large yesterday compared to other games. 

It's not crowd size that's the important factor, it's the number of people purchasing tickets on the day of the game.  On that basis, yesterday was a fairly good test....and a bigger one than it should have been due to short notice on the change of system...every cloud!!

In regards to the league; matches against Celtic & Rangers will have no matchday ticket sales for the visiting club so all ticketing sales resource is available to serve home fans (including the potential for 2 additional sales points at the kiosk).

Matches against Ross County, Aberdeen & Hearts offer no guarantee of matchday sales for the visiting club and this means the majority of sales are done in advance and matchday sales are no greater than for any other game (if they happen).

It's only really a busier cup match that's likely to present a noticeably larger test of the resources and how they are deployed, especially if we were to face a short notice replay. Hopefully we're in a position to test that later in the season.

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18 hours ago, RiG said:

Any idea idea a simple print your own ticket at home would be to implement? I guess it would need to generate some kind of unique barcode which could be scanned at the turnstile?

 

8 hours ago, Huisdean said:

This is done in the States for some baseball teams but you would then need the turnstiles adapted to accept these I think.

 

This is done in MLS and I get into the stadium this way every home game with my Toronto FC tickets. At BMO field there are no turnstiles, only gates with security and scanning personnel present. Your ticket, be it a physical one that came with your season ticket package, an electronic one on your phone, or a simple printout from your account manager account (provided via Ticketmaster) is all you need ..... the ticket has a unique barcode and is scanned with a hand scanner not unlike those in the supermarket. It works well but I am sure the infrastructure and software licensing is not cheap as Don has mentioned. It has the ability to instantly check if the ticket has already been used or whether its been reprinted from an account (which voids the original barcode) .. thats the expensive part ......   

 

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17 hours ago, CaleyD said:

It's not crowd size that's the important factor, it's the number of people purchasing tickets on the day of the game.  On that basis, yesterday was a fairly good test....and a bigger one than it should have been due to short notice on the change of system...every cloud!!

In regards to the league; matches against Celtic & Rangers will have no matchday ticket sales for the visiting club so all ticketing sales resource is available to serve home fans (including the potential for 2 additional sales points at the kiosk).

Matches against Ross County, Aberdeen & Hearts offer no guarantee of matchday sales for the visiting club and this means the majority of sales are done in advance and matchday sales are no greater than for any other game (if they happen).

It's only really a busier cup match that's likely to present a noticeably larger test of the resources and how they are deployed, especially if we were to face a short notice replay. Hopefully we're in a position to test that later in the season.

Can't believe we play in a half empty stadium but we can't make any guarantees that fans will be allow in! Have things got that bad?

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Can't see what all the fuss is about personally. Fairly small change, and to a system which many clubs have used elsewhere with success for many years. Should speed up access at the turnstiles for everyone as no queues build up as someone fiddles for change at the 1 cash turnstile. Personally I think the club should be applauded for trying to address the access issues on matchdays.

 

Re: scanner technology, I have experience of these systems at festivals, concerts, etc. and they do work well. For a one off event the whole ticket and access package can be hired, but that's clearly not suitable for a football club. I would imagine the stewarding company the club uses would have contacts and insight into the pro's and con's, as well as costs, of such a system.

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1 hour ago, ictbob said:

Can't believe we play in a half empty stadium but we can't make any guarantees that fans will be allow in! Have things got that bad?

The reason that matchday sales are not guaranteed for visiting fans of some clubs is because they have a history of selling large amounts of tickets in advance....i.e. there's no need for matchday sales OR there being so few tickets unsold that police do not want matchday sales and the risk of large number of fans being outside without tickets once they have sold.

You'd then be moaning that, despite a "half empty stadium", an away fan dared give us money to sit in the home end and demanding they be removed....even if they had been sitting quietly watching their team getting beat.

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On 22/07/2016 at 0:28 PM, Naelifts said:

I'm sorry.........I don't want to be negative as we face , yet another, new dawn........but I have to agree..............I smell trouble. We do not have a good record when it comes to organisation around the stadium; whether it is the stewarding, the car-parking or the club shop. I fear the worst. We are supposed to be providing an attractive product for the customer...............a customer who has many alternatives these days. It MUST be hassle free. Whlist I am aware that the club is not run for my benefit...this could be another nail in the coffin for home visits from me. The A9 is scheduled to be pretty much a no go area for the foreseeable; After a 3 to 4 hour drive I like a pint with my mates in the Innes.........I don't wish to head straight for the end of a very long queue. If this is a cost saving exercise I fear it may back -fire. It is looking increasingly likely that, on the morning of home games, I will be getting the golf clubs or the fishing rod out.

 

G. Loomy

Spot on, Naelifts. I could understand this if we had 20000+ turning up but there can't be more than 1000 paying at the gate. If there's an issue with cash turnstiles, why not just make it exact amount only? Works fine on Lothian buses. 

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On ‎25‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 1:56 PM, ictbob said:

Can't believe we play in a half empty stadium but we can't make any guarantees that fans will be allow in! Have things got that bad?

Like your earlier post about this being a cost saving exercise, you seem to be totally missing the point on this. Who saying fans will not be allowed in? Ironically this might be an issue if more supporters started to attend on a walk up basis but unlikely this will happen. This is really a non issue with folk jumping onto something which could have been an issue but was not. Once league fixtures kick in, the issue will be even less as season ticket holders use their season ticket books.

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It may work best being semi autonomous for now by issuing cards, fobs or payment keys for Season Ticket holders it's then simply a logged form of access into the stadium.

They don't need to be interlinked via a PC, some could have a lock out time after activation so you can't enter then pass back for the next person to use. When our company use these each one has a unique no linked to every user so if there is any funny business it's logged anyway.

A word of warning, there are no guarantees how long your supplier/ manufacturer will provide you with the units or cards so you will have to buy extra to cover breakages or faults.

Should be simple enough to implement 

I noticed it's just a push button to operate the turnstile so it's just a case of wiring it in parallel with the switch 

You then have an access system instead of a payment system.

And keep selling tickets for the cash/ card payers. 

 

 

 

Edited by 12th Man
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12 hours ago, 12th Man said:

It may work best being semi autonomous for now by issuing cards, fobs or keys for Season Ticket holders it's then simply a logged form of access into the stadium.

They don't need to be interlinked via a PC, some could have a time delay so you can't enter then pass back for the next person to use. When our company issues cards each one has a unique card no linked to every user so if there is any funny business it's logged anyway.

A word of warning, there are no guarantees how long your supplier/ manufacturer will provide you with the units or cards so you will have to buy extra to cover breakages or faults.

Should be simple enough to implement if it's just a case of an output activating an electrovalve to open the turnstile.

You hen have an access system instead of a payment system.

And keep selling tickets for the cash/ card payers. 

I have an idea...Why don't we sell all our tickets over the phone/internet or at the ticket office.  then all you have to do is walk up to the turnstile, where a youth player or development squad member exchanges said ticket for entry into the stadium.  I have a sneaky suspicion this may work quite well....      :hiding02:

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15 hours ago, Alex MacLeod said:

Celtic - no cash gates

Rangers - no cash gates

Aberdeen - no cash gates

Ross County - no cash gates

I'm not hearing any complaints from any of them.

I don't care what these clubs do, to be perfectly honest. 

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11 hours ago, ictfcsince94 said:

I have an idea...Why don't we sell all our tickets over the phone/internet or at the ticket office.  then all you have to do is walk up to the turnstile, where a youth player or development squad member exchanges said ticket for entry into the stadium.  I have a sneaky suspicion this may work quite well....      :hiding02:

If Caley D mentions it then it's a being looked into. 

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8 hours ago, bughtmaster said:

Concessions entry fee for Arbroath game please ?  Main stand, so that I can have the right money ready.

BETFRED CUP v Arbroath - Sat 30th July - Kick Off 3pm
Adults £15 - Concessions £10 - U16s £5
Season Ticket Holder Advanced Purchase
Adults £10 - Concessions/U16s £5

The advanced purchase price for STH applies only to 1 seat per STH.  Additional seats are charged at the full price.
The advanced purchase prices for STH will be valid up to 4pm on 29th July only.

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