Global Village - Innovation in Business Utility Apps
Company: Global Village
Entry Submitted By: MSL
Company Description: Global Village is the first family destination for multicultural entertainment, dining, shopping and attractions in the Middle East and amongst the most visited worldwide. This unique and integrated open-air destination offers guests the largest and most varied range of events, shows and activities in the region. Global Village takes guests on a journey rich in culture, cuisine and entertainment.
Nomination Category: App Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Award for Innovation in Business Utility Apps
Nomination Title: Global Village
Provide the date on which this nominated app was first publicly distributed: 2018/2020
For 25 years, Global Village has been committed to elevating guest satisfaction. As the leading multicultural family destination for culture, shopping, and entertainment welcomed its Silver Jubilee anniversary this past October, another milestone in this direction was met with the highly anticipated launch of the Global Village mobile app.
With pandemic-related digital transformation acceleration, every business has turned its attention to digital with heightened interest, eager to capture technology's far-reaching benefits. From a Global Village perspective, this meant offering visitors a new digital experience, one that made life easier and provided a host of digital services through an exclusive customer-centric platform.
For those unfamiliar with the destination, the vast outdoor space would take time to become acquainted with in years gone by. Moreover, it has also been a challenge for frequent visitors, with new outlets opening and attractions re-locating. Together with seven million guests visiting on average every season, these factors led to Global Village management prioritising park navigation sustainability, something that has since been facilitated and upheld through the winning combination of innovation and technology.
In line with its guest navigation aspirations, Global Village partnered with MobiiWorld to design the most accurate GPS-powered venue navigation system in today's market. Tailored to the park's blueprints, it accommodates end-user requirements and has transformed how guests move from place to place inside Global Village.
This was paired with the Global Village app, which was introduced to provide guests with a whole new digital experience. External collaboration has always been integral to Global Village operations, a principal behind the involvement of several key players from the outset. The app is seamlessly integrated with VGS, a leading ticketing and software company, plus Salesforce and Eloqua, to ensure smooth backend connectivity.
In the months since launch, the application has been met with critical acclaim by industry professionals and park enthusiasts alike, introducing users to simplicity and convenience. For starters, the app – which can be downloaded via the App Store or Google Play – ensures guests can make the most of their visits to the park. Global Village has ushered in cashless technology through the app, promoting digital payments now expected under “new normal” conditions.
Secondly, guests are effortlessly making their way around the park, locating every outlet with the best possible accuracy. As a centralised platform for all Global Village-related updates, the latest information concerning new announcements, show timings, customer offers, upcoming events, and much more are provided.
The mobile app’s positive impact has been profound. The first three months saw over 33,000 new users and 100% growth in online ticket sales. Furthermore, a 127% app store improvement rating was recorded compared to the same period a year prior and a 163% increase in app downloads.
Optimised ticket-buying is one of the many enhanced features. Users can open the app on their smartphones to manage VIP packs and make payments for entry tickets, parking permits, and entertainment passes, with transactions completed in less than 10 seconds using Apple Pay. A strong indicator for the coming years, negative VIP Parking feedback has already dropped by 55% and overall feedback by 44%. Furthermore, users are benefitting from contactless entry with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology and they can change their vehicle details whenever necessary.
The Global Village mobile app's response and reception is a testament to its influence and impact on guest experiences. With a host of valuable benefits accessible and available at all times, the platform has set a benchmark for others to emulate in the regional and international travel, tourism, and hospitality sector.