As part of an ongoing commitment to enhance the overall customer experience it provides, Vue Entertainment commissioned Evoke to design and manufacture state-of-the-art self service ticket kiosks for their rebranded multiplex cinemas in the UK. Evoke’s response is a set of visually-striking ticketing kiosks featuring 32” touchscreens set in either free-standing or wall mounted units, with the roll out continuing at Vue Cinemas across the UK. The kiosks allow customers to purchase or collect pre-booked tickets quickly; streamlining the customer journey and allowing more time to browse the extensive food and beverage offering.
The brief included a compact printing solution with a large paper roll capacity and Evoke looked to Star for such a highly flexible solution, taking advantage of the modular design of the TUP500. Incorporating simple paper loading, fully adjustable paper widths (45mm to 82.5mm), multi position adjustable paper sensors, bi-directional reporting on printer status, an adjustable horizontal or vertical mounted control panel as well as optional presenter and document capture function, the TUP500 is the ultimate in printing versatility.
This open frame printer can be reconfigured to suit the enclosure, making it ideal for even the slimmest of kiosk designs. In particular, the main control board housing can be mounted either horizontally beneath the unit or vertically on the side while the Paper Near End Sensor with an 11 position width adjustment is infinitely height adjustable. Furthermore, the sensor is supplied with overlength cable assembly allowing the paper supply to be flexibly positioned up to 85cm away from the main printer mechanism. If this is not required the excess cable can be conveniently coiled inside the main control board housing.
With a print speed up to 220mm per second (with standard 15cm paper roll) and capable of printing on media up to 0.15mm thick, the TUP500 is ideal as a fast, reliable receipt or ticket printer for kiosk environments or for unattended printing applications. In addition, the TUP500DP Compact Chassis Option for the TUP542 or TUP592 offers a more compact open frame solution taking up to 25% less space.
Evoke Creative co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Neil Clark said: “It goes without saying that digital technology in a retail and leisure setting has to be intuitive and genuinely useful to consumers who are increasingly tech-savvy. It also has to blend seamlessly with, and enhance, the overall store design. For generations of digitally aware cinemagoers, raised on smartphones and tablets, clunky metal boxes simply don’t cut it.”
Taking pride of place at the entrances to Vue Entertainment’s flagship cinemas in Leicester Square and Bristol Cribbs Causeway, the self service ticketing machines are popular with customers, reducing queue time and increasing the amount of time to browse confectionery concessions.
