Embracing Technology: How Aquarium of the Bay Enhanced Guest Experience with RocketRez

A shining example of this transformation is the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, which has successfully integrated technology into their operations and guest experience.

The driving force behind this change? Their partnership with RocketRez.

The Quest for a Better System

When Jaz Cariola, General Manager of Aquarium of the Bay, began her search for a new Point of Sale (POS) system, she had a clear vision in mind: a cloud-based solution that minimized paper usage. This is when she discovered RocketRez.

When we were searching for POS systems and RocketRez came up, we were looking for an all-in-one cloud-based, as little paper usage as possible, and it really has worked well for us.

RocketRez's all-in-one system was the perfect fit. It not only aligned with the aquarium's sustainability goals, but also streamlined the ticketing process, making it more efficient and user-friendly.

The Impact of RocketRez

George Jacob, President and CEO of Aquarium of the Bay, shares how RocketRez has significantly impacted their operations. The seamless and quick ticketing process has directly influenced their bottom line.

We've realized that technology is a solution, you know, the payment system, the seamless and quick way of, you know, securing a ticket and walking into the aquarium, all those things eventually impact the bottom line. 

Moreover, the system's ability to capture demographic information of visitors has enabled them to understand their audience better and offer personalized experiences.

The use of QR codes in their galleries, which are multi-lingual, has made the aquarium more accessible to international visitors. This enhancement in customer experience wouldn't have been possible without RocketRez.

Dealing with ticketing systems like RocketRez, you know, actually directly helps us track our demographics. So whether we have visitors coming in from China or Germany or Korea or elsewhere, that demographic capture happens very easily with our ticketing system and the use of our QR codes in our galleries, which are multi-lingual.  

Embracing the Post-COVID World

The pandemic accelerated the need for digital solutions. As people started pre-buying tickets and showing QR codes on their phones, Aquarium of the Bay was ready to adapt swiftly thanks to RocketRez.

When post-COVID world happened and people were pre-buying tickets and showing QR codes on our phones, like we leaned really hard into that because we were like, that's what we've been going for and trying to achieve for so many years, and with RocketRez, we were really able to do that.

The accessibility of phone technology has made the world more connected, and RocketRez has played a significant role in making the aquarium more accessible to its diverse audience.

An Eye on the Dashboard

RocketRez's real-time dashboard has been instrumental for George and his team. With just a click on his cell phone, he can track daily sales and visitor attendance, helping him make informed decisions based on data. This feature has allowed them to react quickly to various situations, weather-related or otherwise.

For us as users of that system, you know, it's a click on my cell phone to figure out what our daily sales have been, you know, how to react to certain conditions, whether it's weather-related or otherwise. We can see the spikes in the dips in our visitor attendance just by looking at the dashboard supply by RocketRez.

The collaboration with RocketRez has marked a significant shift in how Aquarium of the Bay operates today. As George puts it, these "small injections of technology" have only strengthened the experience they offer to their guests.

Are you ready to transform your tours and attractions business? Book a demo with RocketRez today and see the difference for yourself!

Transcript 

Jaz Cariola: When we were searching for POS systems and RocketRez came up, we were looking for an all-in-one cloud-based, as little paper usage as possible, and it really has worked well for us.  

George Jacob: We realized that technology is the solution, you know, the payment system, the seamless and quick way of, you know, securing a ticket and walking into the aquarium, all those things eventually impact the bottom line. 

Jaz: With our previous ticketing operators, we had a lot of hardware that we required for their system. One of my goals was to find a new POS system to kind of get us away from that.  

George: Dealing with ticketing systems like RocketRez, you know, actually directly helps us track our demographics. So whether we have visitors coming in from China or Germany or Korea or elsewhere, that demographic capture happens very easily with our ticketing system and the use of our QR codes in our galleries, which are multi-lingual.  

Jaz: When post-COVID world happened and people were pre-buying tickets and showing QR codes on our phones, like we leaned really hard into that because we were like, that's what we've been going for and trying to achieve for so many years, and with RocketRez, we were really able to do that. 

George: For us as users of that system, you know, it's a click on my cell phone to figure out what our daily sales have been, you know, how to react to certain conditions, whether it's weather-related or otherwise. We can see the spikes and the dips in our visitor attendance just by looking at the dashboard supply by RocketRez. So it's a huge shift from, you know, what we've been subscribing to previously to how we are operating today. These small injections of technology will only strengthen the experience. 

Jaz: I think our world just needs to be able to be more accessible and the phone technology just gives that to us.  

George: We have a diversity of audiences engaging with a system that is so easy to operate and use and that is so useful to the fundamentals of running a public-facing institution.