The Ambassadors Theatre Group's entertainment centre in Woking has chosen Saturn Communications Group’s Cinemavision system to drive concession sales for information screens throughout the Ambassadors Cinemas six screen cinema complex cinema in the single largest deployment of Connectvision to date.

The Ambassadors Cinemas is part of an entertainment centre which also includes the leading regional New Victoria Theatre and Rhoda McGaw Community Theatre. Cinemavision is used for multimedia messaging on plasma and LCD screens in the box office and throughout the cinema to schedule and zone concession advertising, film trailers along with film and auditorium timings.

“We want to maximise the advance bookings for the cinema  and theatres as well as concession sales opportunities for customers, Connectvision gives us the flexibility to communicate in a variety of ways as customers move through the cinema,” says the business manager of the Ambasssdors Cinema.

At the box office, dot matrix displays above each of the eight box office sales positions have been replaced with 15” LCD screens showing film times and seat availability. A further five LCD screens between the box office positions are used to show film and theatre advertising trailers.

Within the concessions area there are four, 42” plasma screens: two screens are showing forthcoming film trailers and theatre shows, while the other two screens advertise concessions and prices. In addition there is a 42” screen in the 'pick n mix' area showing prices and advertising for Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Concessions sales innovation

In a concessions sales area innovation, The Ambassadors has replaced the clear counter frontage normally showing popcorn with a further four 19” LCD screens showing prices, meal deals, and advertisements for Pepsi and Seven Up, for example. At the entrance to each of the six screens there is also a 19” LCD screen showing the screen number, time, film being shown and certification.  

Connectvision is integrated with The Ambassadors box office system, showing film information and screen times as well as indicating limited availability as seats are sold,  4 x 42” plasma screens in the box office area.

The business manager and his team are using Connectvision's zoning and scheduling functions to target audiences with advertising and film and theatre trailers, as well as concession deals. “Customer feedback on Connectvision has been excellent. Our staff find it very easy to use. At the moment we prepare schedules weekly but we have the flexibility to change them more frequently should we so wish,” he noted.