Case Study

Secure Hot Spot Wireless Access for Cinema Visitors and Employees

Organization:

Kronverk Cinema

Location:

St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Murmansk Russia

Type of Business:

Multiplex operator with 9 facilities, totaling 47 movie screens

Products Used:

USR5453 Professional Access Point

The Challenge

Kronverk Cinemas holds a leading position in St. Petersburg’s cinema market and ranks second among cinemas in Russia. The company operates nine multiplexes with a total of 47 screens, more than half of the city’s total number of screens. In addition to basic theater offerings, each Kronverk Cinema multiplex features a complete café with snacks, beverages, and seating for guests. To extend the time visitors spend in the café and theater area, and to attract new customers, Kronverk Cinemas wanted to deploy wireless Internet access for guests in the café.

Wireless access would provide guests with access to the web, e-mail, and chat applications, as well as provide a direct link for guests to view entertainment and contest information on Kronverk’s Web site. Access to those applications before and after a movie would allow guests to research the movie they’re about to see, to read reviews of upcoming films, and to submit entry information for one of the many contests offered by the Kronverk Cinema chain.

The Solution

Professional Access Point Kronverk Cinemas came to USRobotics looking for a wireless networking solution. USRobotics’ regional team provided a combination of wired and wireless networking products that would provide guests at each of the six Kronverk Cinemas multiplexes with Internet access.

Using USRobotics’ Professional Access Points (AP) the team built a powerful wireless network upon each facility’s hard wired connection. The AP provides network operators with customizable features and landing pages, meaning anyone accessing the Kronverk network must visit the Web page selected by network administrators – the Kronverk contest page, in this case.

The Benefits

The customer experience at Kronverk Cinemas now exceeds that of other cinema chains. With a wireless network available, guests are more likely to linger in the Kronverk Cinemas’ café, more likely to enroll in a contest provided by the multiplex chain, and more likely to return for future films and spend additional money in the café.

“It’s not a secret that show business is quickly changing. We wanted to give our customers access to as many additional interactive services as possible, and with the wireless network in our cinemas, we are able to do just that,” says Evgenia Barkanova, Kronverk Cinema’s representative to the team. “Visitors to our network of cinemas can not only watch trailers of upcoming films, but they can spend time on the Internet until their movie begins, and they take advantage of the interactive opportunities on our Web portal.”