LONDON (10-November-2014) – accesso Technology Group plc (AIM:ACSO), the premier technology solutions provider to the global attractions and leisure industry, today announced that it has acquired VisionOne Worldwide Ltd, a leading provider of ticketing solutions for casinos, fairs, sporting events, arenas, theaters, performing arts centers, and tours. VisionOne operates ShoWare™, a customizable cloud-based Software-as-a-Service ticket sales and distribution solution used by more than 475 venues and leisure organizations throughout North and South America, and processes more than 19 million tickets annually.
The acquisition brings together two major adjacent markets in the ticketing industry – leisure/attractions and entertainment – and firmly establishes accesso as a leader in that space.
VisionOne’s ShoWare platform provides box office and online ticketing solutions to theaters, sports stadiums and music festivals, and was the first ticketing solution to allow venues, promoters and artists the ability to sell tickets through Facebook.
“By developing a platform that improves collaboration between venues, promoters and entertainers, VisionOne has capitalized on a unique opportunity within the live entertainment industry,” said Tom Burnet, accesso CEO. “By offering an affordable self-service ticketing solution backed by 24/7 support, ShoWare is well positioned to continue their rapid growth in an underserved marketplace.”
Headquartered in Fresno, Calif. with operations across North America, Mexico and Brazil, the company of 66 employees has been providing a wide variety of e-commerce, consulting and software services to global roster of clients since 1999.
“We’re excited to be joining a company as respected and progressive as Accesso,” said Bruno Boehi, VisionOne CEO. “By combining our technology with Accesso’s award-winning solutions and established relationships, we can significantly accelerate our shared vision of leveraging technology to build better connections between venues and consumers around the world.”
Under terms of the deal, VisionOne will retain its Fresno headquarters and Boehi will serve as president of the VisionOne division of accesso. All VisionOne employees will join accesso group, growing the organization’s workforce to more than 250 fulltime employees. Not included by this transaction are the former subsidiaries of VisionOne Worldwide in Chile, Argentina, Switzerland and Austria.
The acquisition is the third major transaction for accesso in as many years. In December 2012, the virtual queuing company known then as Lo-Q, acquired accesso, the attraction industry’s leading ticketing and e-commerce innovator. Last December the company purchased Siriusware, a leading ticketing and guest management point-of-sale technology provider to the attractions and leisure industries, with a particularly strong presence in the ski and snow sports sector.
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About accesso
accesso (AIM: ACSO) is the premier technology solutions provider to the global attractions and leisure industry. The company’s patented and award-winning solutions drive increased revenue for attraction operators by significantly improving the most important part of an attraction visit: the guest experience. accesso solutions add value to operators at every point in the guest journey:
- We drive attendance
The accesso PassportSM ticketing suite is a comprehensive, easy-to-use cloud solution that processes many millions of ticket and season passes every year, enabling operators to maximize up-sell and cross-sell with ease to drive greater revenue.
- We handle payments
Our payment gateway carries level 1 PCI security certification and 24/7 support. It provides the tools, security and support operators need to drive sales and has so far processed more than $5 billion in transactions.
- We take guests out of line
Since 2001 over nine million guests have used a patented accesso LoQueueSM solution to queue less, ride more, enjoy a better experience and increase their in-attraction spend.
- We increase engagement
accesso enables operators to engage more deeply and profitably with guests: pre-sale, in-attraction or post-visit. Our mobile apps have provided more than 2.75 million people with rich iOS and Android content to better plan their visit, buy their ticket on-the-go and unlock new experiences within an attraction.
More than 400 attractions worldwide currently employ accesso technology – from theme parks, water parks, cultural attractions and sporting events to ski and snow parks. We are proud that our solutions are trusted by the majority of the leading names in the leisure industry, including Six Flags Entertainment, Cedar Fair Entertainment, Merlin Entertainments, International Speedway Corporation, Palace Entertainment, Compagnie des Alpes, and Herschend Family Entertainment.
The company’s Siriusware division is a leading ticketing and guest management point-of-sale technology provider to the attractions and leisure industries. Siriusware solutions are used at more than 270 amusement and water parks, museums, ski resorts and attractions in six countries. In addition to ticketing, Siriusware offers membership, retail, food and beverage, group scheduling, reservations and a host of other solutions all completely integrated into a seamless package.
accesso is a public company, listed on AIM: a market operated by the London Stock Exchange. For more information visit: www.accesso.com.
About VisionOne, Inc.
Established in 1999, VisionOne has redefined how facilities and event planners sell tickets to their patrons. With offices in California, Nevada, Maryland, Mexico and Brazil, VisionOne has allowed a variety of national and international facilities to regain control of their ticketing services and improve patron satisfaction and revenues with superb customer service and cutting edge technology. VisionOne’s solution ShoWare™ powers the sale of 19 million tickets a year for more than 475 entertainment venues in over 10 countries.
For more information, visit www.ShoWare.com.