An in-theatre app and public WiFi for the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline
Alhambra Theatre
A night at the theatre has three parts, and guests need different things in each.
The Alhambra has been entertaining Dunfermline since 1922, with touring comedy, music, tribute acts, musicals, family shows and the annual pantomime. Before the show its guests want to know how long they have, where the bar is and what else is coming up. At the interval everyone wants a drink at once. Afterwards it’s all about getting home. And the theatre wants every visit to sell the next one, from future shows to VIP packages and the Royal Box.
It had to be quick for guests, as few people will download an app for one night out. It had to be simple for staff, with no developer needed on the night. And it had to cope with hundreds of phones in one room at the interval, which is where the WiFi comes in.
We’d already built the theatre’s website, so the app reads the same show listings and the theatre enters each show’s details once.
- QR codes on the seat backs open the app in the phone’s browser, with nothing to install and no account to create
- The app finds tonight’s show in the theatre’s own listings and moves through the evening by itself
- Before the show: a countdown to curtain up, Order drinks, venue information, games, the Win the Royal Box competition and what’s on next
- At the interval: drinks again, taxi firms to call for a lift home later and a quick “How’s it going?” rating
- After the show: getting home by taxi, train or bus, a rating for the show and what’s on next, as drinks, games and the competition step aside once the bar service has finished
- Three games for the wait, Raise the Curtain, Spot the Show and Poster Pairs, with leaderboards to see how the rest of the audience is doing
- What’s on and Shows like this put upcoming shows in front of guests, and the app promotes the panto in season, VIP packages and the Royal Box, signs people up to the mailing list and gives the theatre a sponsor spot to sell
- A control page for Front of House, with their own login on a phone or tablet, to switch drinks on and off, use a simpler mode for events that aren’t in the listings, preview the next stage and show notices such as a strobe warning
- QR codes the theatre can point at the app, the What’s On page or any other page at any time, without reprinting a single code
- Two business-grade WiFi 6 access points covering the auditorium, each rated by its manufacturer for more than 250 connected devices at once
- Separate private WiFi for the theatre’s team and guest WiFi for the audience, so guests never share a network with the theatre’s own devices
- A fully managed network, so the theatre doesn’t need anyone in-house to look after it
- Every scan, screen and stage of the evening recorded in Google Analytics 4, show by show, for guests who accept analytics cookies, with seat numbers never collected
- Star ratings sent straight to the theatre’s audience feedback database with the show and the date, with low scores flagged
- A monthly report bringing it all together with the website’s figures and the audience survey
- WordPress, Bricks Builder and Core Framework for the theatre’s website and the app
- JetEngine for the show listings and performance dates the app reads
- Custom code for the app’s stages, games, leaderboards and staff controls
- QR codes on the seat backs
- Google Analytics 4, with SureCookie handling cookie consent through Google Consent Mode v2
- Teable for the audience feedback and show ratings database
- Two business-grade WiFi 6 access points on a fully managed network, with separate private and guest WiFi
“Allan took the time to understand how a busy venue actually runs, explained everything in plain English and was always quick to reply. He's since built us an in-theatre guide that audiences open from a QR code on the night, too.”
Planning an app or guest WiFi for your venue?
Do guests have to download anything?
No. The QR code opens the app in the phone’s browser on iPhone and Android, with no download and no account.
Does the app need the WiFi?
No. It works over mobile data too, and the guest WiFi gives people in the auditorium another way to get online. We installed the network and look after it for the theatre. More on our managed IT services.
Can our staff change it themselves?
Yes. Front of House use the control page on the night, and the venue can change where the QR codes point at any time.
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