OVERVIEW
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, Langley Compass Group were commissioned to build a solution for Worcestershire County Cricket Club that enabled spectators to order drink, food or retail item[s] from the comfort of their seat and get their order delivered in a fast and efficient manner.
THE CHALLENGE
The COVID-19 pandemic proved incredibly challenging for sport stadiums and, under Government restrictions, sport stadiums were allowed to re-open in May 2021 as long as spectators could order any food, drink and retail items from their seat within the stadium via a mobile device. However, there was no solution available in Worcestershire.
THE BRIEF
Worcestershire County Council appointed Langley Compass Group to develop and install a tech-based solution at Worcestershire County Cricket Club that would enable them to operate within the restrictions and take into consideration the following key points:
- Due to the demographic of supporters, the solution needed to be accessible and easy to use
- Orders needed to be processed quickly to help increase speed of service and resulting Food, Beverage, and retail revenue
- To ensure a seamless experience, the club wanted supporters to be able to scan a QR code to identify which stand and seat they were located at, so they could easily process and pay for their order[s].
- The web-based ordering solution needed to fully integrate with the Club’s existing Android Smart Volution EPOS software system and Food & Drink and Retail terminals, which were installed by Langley in early 2021, so the orders processed by supporters printed at the relevant bar, kitchen, or retail outlet depending on their location and requirements.
THE SOLUTION
‘Order to Seat’ is a fully integrated web-based solution that enables spectators to order any food, drink and retail item[s] from the comfort of their seat within a sport stadium via any mobile device.
The technology was developed in response to Government restrictions on the reopening of sport stadiums in May 2021 which required spectators to remain seated and only enabled venues to operate a ‘seat based’ service.
The ‘Order to Seat’ solutions was written using open-source tools including JQuery, Javascript, PHP scripting language, mySQL database and employed JSON for data transportation.
The finished product assembles an eCommerce application with bespoke modules to integrate with Smart Volution’s Register EPOS system and Star Receipt Printers to enable seamless communication between the spectator and the club to ensure a fast and efficient service.
THE IMPACT
Following installation, Worcestershire County Cricket Club was able to re-open its doors to spectators on 26th May 2021 as planned. Langley Compass Group engineers were onsite throughout a ‘Go Live’ event to support staff for the opening game, which all ran without a hitch. The solution resulted in the following benefits –
- Improved customer service and experience – eliminating lengthy queues without missing any parts of the match
- Increased Food, Beverage and Retail revenue, as spectators can now order with ease and without the hassle of leaving their seat
- Increased operational efficiency, productivity, and output amongst staff
- Supported the Club’s new ‘cashless’ strategy, after Langley took over acquiring in early 2021
- Langley won the award for ‘Best Use of Technology at a Sporting Event’ at the prestigious Event Technology Awards 2021.
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