Occupancy and Capacity Management for Buildings and Public Venues
A cinema chain reduces its operating costs with Axper’s occupancy management solution.
An occupancy management solution, based on real-time data captured by Axper’s high-precision 3D stereoscopic cameras, has helped one of Canada’s leading cinema chains reduce its annual labor costs by over $60,000 per cinema.
Challenge
An independent cinema chain in Canada wanted to eliminate manual ticket validation (ticket tearing) at the entrances of its screening rooms, which represented an annual labor cost of $60,000 to $80,000 per cinema. They needed a system capable of automatically monitoring live occupancy against real-time ticket sales to ensure compliance while removing the need for dedicated staff for ticket validation.
The tech-forward cinema chain aimed to improve visitor flow and enforce ticketing rules in the theaters of Eastern Canada. They needed a real-time occupancy management solution to help:
- Manage staff scheduling and reduce labor costs
- Increase revenue by ensuring that room occupancy corresponds to ticket issuance
- Enhance overall efficiency and safety by knowing the exact number of visitors in the screening rooms
- Provide real-time alerts for discrepancies between expected ticket sales and actual occupancy, which was crucial for immediate action. To achieve this, the occupancy management solution needed to extract real-time ticketing data from a ticketing system, Vista. The quality and accuracy of the data were critical for the cinema chain.
Solution
The cinema chain decided to use Axper’s application, powered by AI 3D sensors, to address its unique occupancy management challenges. In the first phase, 3D sensors were deployed in 10 screening rooms in a city in Ontario. With updates every five minutes, the cinema could automate ticket checks for each room, eliminating the need for staff to manually validate tickets. The company selected the Axper solution because of:
- Real-time occupancy tracking with up to 99% accuracy
- Instant access to reliable KPIs
- Constantly evolving AI features
- Technology that uses anonymous data collection methods compliant with privacy laws
The Axper solution provided staff with real-time occupancy data, which could be used to verify ticket sales recorded in the Vista system. The solution immediately notified managers of discrepancies between ticketing and occupancy, which could be verified by staff as needed. Axper’s fully automated solution, with automatic account resets after each screening, relying on highly accurate data from the 3D stereoscopic cameras, gave the cinema chain’s staff and management the confidence needed for quick and effective decision-making.
Benefits
Axper’s solution allowed the company to better mobilize its staff by dedicating them to other value-added tasks. Annual labor cost savings were estimated between $60,000 and $80,000 per cinema, representing a significant reduction in operating costs. Demographic data also provided cinema management with valuable insights, compliant with privacy. Data on gender, employees, and adult/child differentiation based on size gave the group a clearer view of who was watching movies and when.
The result:
- Automated monitoring of occupancy against tickets sold ensures compliance, safety, and efficiency
- Automation of resets between screenings ensures accuracy across multiple daily showings
Transparent and real-time occupancy measures add an extra layer of security by keeping cinema operators informed of the exact number of visitors in the screening rooms. This information can be crucial in emergencies.
Conclusion
Axper’s occupancy management solution has proven to be a valuable asset for the cinema chain, transforming its operations and significantly reducing its operating costs. Through advanced 3D stereoscopic sensor technology and a real-time data-driven approach, Axper has not only optimized staff allocation but also enhanced safety and operational efficiency. By offering a solution that ensures compliance and accuracy, Axper establishes itself as a key player in the field of occupancy management, ready to meet the growing needs of entertainment businesses and improve visitor experiences.