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LN’s Appetite For Mobile
Fans at 32 Live Nation venues nationwide will spend less time in line and more in their seats taking in events thanks to a deal with Appetize, a cloud-based point of sale service provider that streamlines concessions and merchandise sales and provides valuable analytics instantly.
It’s already been happening at 25 amphitheatres. Seven theatre venues came online in the last month. While the Appetize platform was already in use, winning the RFP formalizes and confirms the relationship.
“For a company that’s definitely been growing before the deal, working with Live Nation and at this scale is something we’re really proud of,” Kevin Anderson, Appetize co-founder and VP of business development, told Pollstar.
The contract includes the installation of more than 4,400 fixed and handheld points of sale units in 25 amphitheatres and seven indoor venues that was done over the summer, with five more venues coming online in the months to come.
Appetize offers more than just ease of purchasing for consumers. It also provides cloud-based instant analytics, inventory, reporting and timekeeping tools for the venue operator. Concessionaires and cashiers operate the system with either fixed or handheld iPads at stands outfitted with cash drawers, printers and card-swipers. Food and beverage or merchandise can be ordered, paid for and either delivered or picked up. Hawkers can handle purchases directly in the stands.
Luxury suites can have ordering kiosks. And there’s an app for that, too. Sheds such as
“Through the RFP process, Live Nation asked if we would turn around a point of sale solution for them at their Masonic location in San Francisco they had just renovated,” Anderson said. “We’ve worked with them at Music Midtown [in Atlanta] and a number of their other festivals. “We were able to be part of the RFP process and they had experience with us through the the Masonic, which went incredibly well, and where we turned around these units in just a couple of weeks’ time.
Their operators ended up loving it. “Fans were happy because lines were shorter, operators were happy because transaction times were less, which increased revenue. From an operators’ perspective, they finally had live analytics and looks going on at every edge of their payment ecosystem of their building,” Anderson said.
The field of cloud-based point of sale systems is a fast-growing one. The mobile POS market is expected to grow by 400 percent to more than 54 million units by 2019, according to 451 Research.
And unsurprisingly given its focus on technology, Live Nation was quick to get on the ground floor with Appetize. “Live Nation is always looking to elevate the fan experience at our live events,” said Mark Campana, co-president of North America concerts.
“Appetize makes concession payment faster and easier, allowing people to spend more time enjoying the show they’ve come to see. We are happy to be working with them to help enhance the concert-going experience.”
Live Nation may be among the first to embrace Appetize, but it’s not alone. The company has installed its platform at more than 250 entertainment properties, including