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Vue

Vue Entertainment need their rapidly expanding online booking system to always be available whenever a customer wants to see what's on and where. It is here they turned to Rackspace to ensure their web site and online system is always available.

Vue Entertainment exists to help people go to the movies. Comprised of an amalgamation of state of the art multiplex complexes from Warner Village Cinemas, SBC International Cinemas, Cinemark and Ster Century, Vue has been growing dramatically since 2003 to meet the increased demand from ardent movie goers.

Roland Jones is IT Director at Vue Entertainment,
“We are absolutely passionate about films. It’s all we do. We want people to come to the movies and to thoroughly enjoy their visit to one of our modern cinemas. The new Vue UK cinema circuit has 49 cinemas, over 490 screens and over 25 million attendances per year. Vue Entertainment is now the largest operator of modern multiplex cinemas in the country and is the market leader in the influential London market.“

New culture
Roland revealed, “Vue are focused on being the best but not necessarily the biggest in the business. Apart from upgrading and increasing the infrastructure, we’ve concentrated on building a new culture within the company. The aim is to consistently provide the best possible cinema experience, delivered by friendly and knowledgeable staff across the circuit and to be the first choice for cinema entertainment in the UK. As you can imagine the task of catering for such a vast audience requires huge investment in locations and technology, not least being our rapidly expanding online booking system. In the world of cinema this is class leading.

Online booking
Roland added, “Class leading means we have to keep abreast of technology and ensure our online booking site is always available whenever a customer wants to see what’s on and where. Our website is the key to booking tickets at the cinema of your choice – a local search facility for the closest venue and a what’s on guide are instantly available – customers can select the film they want to see and immediately book seats where and when they want them. No queuing, no waiting, no disappointment because the cinema is full. It is without doubt the future for ticket purchase as all the uncertainties are completely removed. Seats are reserved online using a secure credit card booking service or customers can link with the cinema of their choice using the automated telephone system. The facility is a huge benefit for disabled customers as they can prearrange their visit and obtain additional help if needed through customer services.”

Perfect match
Roland Jones went on to say, “To ensure the system is always available I have centralised our server hosting function at Rackspace®. I discovered the company a number of years ago when a colleague suggested they would be a suitable managed hosting provider. The thing I like about Rackspace is that they only offer managed hosting. All they do is look after servers and the allied technology, nothing else. It makes for a very good match with Vue philosophy. When we set about reconfiguring our websites and server network I chose to move everything to Rackspace.”

“They fit very well into our scheme and offer the levels of service and support that are normally very difficult to come by. 100% network uptime, 1 hour hardware replacement and a passion for hosting that borders on the fanatical. Little wonder that they brand their Support as ‘Fanatical Support®’. As a media company we exist solely for entertainment. Our passion for films is matched by Rackspace’s commitment and dedication to hosting.”

Flexibility
“At present we operate 9 servers at the Rackspace secure data centre and the flexibility and scalability of our configuration allows us to expand to meet seasonal or extraordinary peaks of demand (the latest Wallace and Gromit adventure being a case in point – we sold the same volume of tickets online every day of half term as we usually only do on a Saturday) without the need to invest in more servers or additional bandwidth to meet unusual demand.”

Understanding
“As a direct result of hosting with Rackspace we now have a better understanding of how our systems operate and the needs for expansion to meet increased demands. Previous hosting suppliers could not offer anything like the levels or complexity of reporting that I can obtain at the touch of a button. I now have full control of hosting costs and get no unpleasant surprises at the end of a month. Having my own account management team is a refreshing change from previous suppliers, where ‘hunt the manager’ was a common game. I now have more control. Everything is visible, faster and available on demand and I can fully understand through the statistics where further investment is needed. Fanatical Support is absolutely right – they do care. I would totally recommend Rackspace to anyone needing a managed hosting service, particularly those companies that do not have the luxury of large, in-house teams to take care of the many and varied aspects of complex hosting. Rackspace is an extension to my team and essential to our smooth operation.”

Marketing Director at Rackspace, Fabio Torlini, said, “It is a great pleasure to be the hosting partner of such a like-minded customer. Vue has a passion for films and we have absolute commitment and dedication to hosting. It’s a great match.”

For details of Rackspace hosting solutions please call 0800 988 0100 or visit the Rackspace website at www.rackspace.co.uk