Bow Tie had a problem: they were constantly battling data issues, they were missing data, and timely delivery of data analytics was anyone’s guess from week to week; in essence technology woes abounded and were a major inhibitor to their business. Sometimes owner Ben Moss found himself waiting until Tuesday before he could analyse the all-important weekend numbers.
Meanwhile in the corporate office Bow Tie would often struggle with Film Rental accounting. Reporting to the studios within a reasonable timeframe was becoming more challenging – an unpalatable and unsustainable situation for Ben and for their suppliers.
Apart from the woes, Bow Tie also had in their mind’s eye more enriched functions for their customer’s such as streamlining the online ticketing process, reserve seating and enhanced loyalty offerings. Making matters worse, their current POS provider seemed not to take enhancement requests seriously and these were needed to help prepare the business for planned growth.
It was time to make a change or their expansion plans (and as important, their customer’s and their supplier’s) were going to be compromised.
Shortly after purchasing Vista, Bow Tie acquired Clearview Cinemas which resulted in eye-watering growth from 18 to 59 cinema locations. Never more apparent was the criticality of a robust system that had an enterprise solution that allowed their IT team to easily manage the circuit.
Bow Tie selected Vista to help them. They immediately took advantage of Vista’s (Head Office) Circuit Stats iPhone app and as a result, their managers were never more than arm’s length away from the data. Bow Tie has implemented an aggressive rollout plan installing several sites each week. They have enlisted Vista to help with their hyper-galactic pace and their rock star cinema software gurus have been deployed out into the new Bow Tie cinemas for weeks at a time to assist and make sure their schedule is met.
Once Bow Tie completes this process they plan to begin to initiate the new functions such as a new website and reserve seating. And they are considering introducing Staff Scheduling.
We weren’t just looking for a vendor to supply a new technology for our Point of Sale system. We were looking for a ‘partner’ for our growing technology needs. With the advanced tools that Vista offers such as Cinema Stats and Head Office Dashboard, Vista is not only a leader in the technology space, but a welcome partner to help achieve our goals as we grow.
Joseph Masher, COO, Bow Tie Cinemas
Ben Moss is hungry for comprehensive data and he is looking forward to Vista’s upcoming Head Office Dashboard tool.
Vista's real time reporting and highly advanced analytical tools are simply exceptional. Vista's technologies are an integral part of Bow Tie Cinemas' growth plans and have quickly become indispensable in the day to day management of our business.
Ben Moss, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Bow Tie Cinemas
About Bow Tie
Bow Tie Cinemas is a four-generation, family-owned company that began in 1900 in the Greater New York City area with nickelodeons. Moving into Vaudeville and the movie palace area, the company's growth continued until it was the largest independent exhibitor in the NYC DMA. Today with close to 400 screens and 58 locations operating in 6 states, including the flagship Chelsea Cinemas and the iconic Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan, Bow Tie Cinemas growth has continued, to make it the eighth largest exhibitor in the US. The company is also the oldest exhibitor in the nation and is headquartered in Times Square and Ridgefield, CT.
OUR SINCERE THANKS TO BEN MOSS, AND HIS TEAM, FOR PARTNERING WITH VISTA AND FOR WORKING WITH US ON THIS CASE STUDY.
