Ice Rink, Königsbrunn (D)
Wanzl optimises access to the Hydro-Tech ice rink in Königsbrunn
Queues in the entrance area, an irritated crowd, stressed staff – an unsatisfactory situation for all involved. The solution for the Hydro-Tech ice rink in the Swabian town of Königsbrunn in Bavaria was found by the operator, BVE Königsbrunn (operation and management of the Königsbrunn ice rink), in Leipheim, 70 km away, with Wanzl Access Solutions. As part of various modernisation measures in the summer of 2018, the company invested, among other things, in a high-tech access system for more convenience and efficiency.
In 1984 the ice rink in Königsbrunn was rebuilt and since then it has been available to clubs, schools and private individuals – all year round: skating sessions open to the general public, ice disco, ice hockey in winter, inline hockey and outdoor events such as concerts and fairs in summer. Maximilian Semmlinger, board member and head of the BVE, adds: “As a municipal company of the city of Königsbrunn, we are responsible for the administration, organisation and operation of the ice rink. Of course we attract the most visitors mainly in the autumn and winter months. From October 2018 to March 2019, we even had a new visitor record with around 32,500 guests. But the arena is also used regularly during the warmer seasons.” Until recently, all visitors had to physically pay for their tickets at the box office. During busy periods, this is an enormous effort for those paying and staff, and in quiet times a waste of manpower. “On the one hand, long waiting times are never pleasant – not for the guests and not for our staff. On the other hand, smooth access must be ensured throughout, even during quiet times. For this reason, we wanted an automatic access system to fundamentally ease the workload in the checkout area and decided on Wanzl as our partner here,” explains Maximilian Semmlinger. The choice fell on a combination of a V21 ticket vending machine and Galaxy Gate access gate.
The principle is simple. When there is little activity, only the ticket machine is in use. This saves the BVE resources and also eliminates the need to create separate POS accounting. The ETISS ERP® management software from Wanzl, which is integrated in the V21 ticket vending machine, automatically handles the revision-proof processing and full logging of payment transactions. This reduces the workload of the cash desk during busy periods. Visitors can purchase their tickets at the ticket machine and enter the arena directly through the Galaxy Gate without having to queue. Thanks to the QR code readers in the handrail of the Galaxy Gate, access authorisation is verified in an instant and access is granted. “It was important to us that the entry system would work reliably in practice and be easy to operate. The modern design was an additional bonus,” says Maximilian Semmlinger. The V21 ticket vending machine welcomes visitors like an oversized smartphone. An interactive menu navigation then guides the guests through the tariffs for the various offers in an easy-to-understand way. Each individual step is displayed on the clearly arranged 21” touchscreen, and LED light strips signal the operating status of the respective action fields in the machine housing. If these flash, they are ready for operation. In this way, visitors can immediately see what needs to be done. Payment is in cash. “Wanzl suggested various payment options from cash, EC/credit cards, to NFC (Near Field Communication). However, the amounts we are currently charging are so small that a cash payment option is sufficient at the moment,” reports Maximilian Semmlinger. The machine’s touchscreen is also interesting from a business perspective. It serves as an attention-grabbing presentation area. Whether videos in standby mode or messages via a split screen in operation, the display offers various possibilities to communicate about one’s own company and its partners.
