Turning a ticket into a connected experience.
How Theatre Royal Sydney used VisitOne to connect ticketing, EPOS, customer messaging and venue information, improving arrival, interval bar services, operational flow and revenue.
Case Study: Theatre Royal Sydney and VisitOne
“In venue management, every event comes down to two equally important groups: the patrons… and the staff who support them.”
Background
Theatre Royal Sydney is one of Australia’s oldest theatrical institutions located in Sydney, dating back to 1833. It has offered a broad range of entertainment including dramas, comedy and especially musicals over the years. Theatre Royal Sydney has undergone an extensive refurbishment through Create NSW, has been heritage listed, and is now operated by Trafalgar Entertainment. Theatre Royal Sydney is committed to providing world class experiences to customers and to maximise their enjoyment at the venue. It is this commitment that was behind the venue’s desire to find a solution that would enhance the experience for both patrons and staff.
Like many popular and busy venues, the team was dealing with familiar pressure points: queues building at entry points, interval demand concentrated into a short window, staff under pressure to convert as many sales as possible but spend per visitor not increasing. The existing customer journey was fragmented, with ticketing, CRM, venue information, point of sale and stock all operating separately.
For audiences, that disconnect showed up in practical ways - a more stressful start to the visit and queues at the bar limiting time to make interval purchases. For the team, it meant less control over demand and service, more pressure on staff and increasingly, missed revenue opportunities.
Case Study developed with support from Zac Bush, Operations Manager and Houri Tapiki, General Manager, Theatre Royal Sydney, June 2026
The Challenge
Theatre Royal Sydney needed a solution that could bring the whole visit together. The venue was not simply looking for another standalone app, QR code or ordering tool. The challenge was to connect the full customer journey so that ticketing, opt-in customer data, membership information, EPOS, stock and venue information could work together in one place and revenue wasn’t lost in the process.
Key challenges were:
- reducing delays at entry
- improving audience flow
- making interval ordering easier
- increasing ancillary revenue
- giving the venue more control over when and how audiences were contacted
- making the experience feel seamless for the customer
We weren’t really engaging our bookers. We couldn’t get people into the venue quickly…and without a bit of luck, we couldn’t get a drink in all their hands, when they wanted it.”
The Solution
Partnering with VisitOne delivered one connected customer journey. Instead of six different systems VisitOne’s platform created one system for the audience experience.
When a guest makes a booking and opts in to communications, a “visit” is created that has all the information the venue needs, including contact details, CRM information, seating details and accessibility requirements. Around three hours before the performance, or immediately if the booking is made inside that window, the customer receives an SMS with a link to their Theatre Royal Sydney VisitOne Digital Wallet.
With the venue branded web-based app audiences can:
- access their ticket(s) and share tickets with others in their party
- pre-order food and drinks
- use card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay
- receive receipts and collection details
- access services based on seating location or access needs
- view useful venue information
“This is the first solution in Australia that brings all of these systems together as one connected live experience journey, delivered on the day it actually matters”
Creating a better audience and operational experience
For the venue team, orders flow through to EPOS and kitchen screens, while Theatre Royal Sydney retains control over ordering windows, menus, stock, service points and delivery options. This means the team can shape demand around what the operation can actually deliver, rather than reacting to a sudden rush at the bar. For the customer, the journey is designed to feel simple whilst being shaped by the venue.
Tickets are delivered when the customer needs them most. Pre-ordering is offered close enough to attendance to feel relevant. The customer can securely forward tickets in the booking, giving the theatre the opportunity to capture details of shadow bookers, creating new audience relationships without adding friction. The system also supports customer access needs by enabling relevant venue information to be shared ahead of time and pre-ordered items to be delivered to accessible seating areas where required.
“You can aesthetically design it, change the language, the button names, the prompts, and create a tailored, personalised experience for each event. Audience communication is most effective when it’s tied directly to the ticket holder’s event journey.”
Theatre Royal Sydney can open and close ordering windows, match menus to location and manage stock more effectively.
Orders can be held at collection points, delivered to specific seating areas or triggered based on ticket scanning, helping avoid over-preparation for no-shows or pouring too early. This gives time back to staff rather than asking them to manage more disconnected processes.
The result is not just a smoother audience experience, but a calmer, more controlled operation for the team.
“So not just a better patron experience…but a smoother operation for the team as well. And importantly, we’re giving time back to our teams, not asking more from them.”
The Results
Theatre Royal Sydney reviewed results from December 2025 through to 1 March 2026.
Average transaction value increased by 8.7% compared to fixed points of sale
Spend per head across the venue increased by 9.4%.
Direct revenue alone covered the cost of the system.
Across nearly 20,000 visits, more than 43% of patrons clicked the SMS link.
The venue also found that almost everyone who pre-ordered for pre-show returned to pre-order again at interval. The VisitOne platform with pre-ordering and seamless payment reducing friction encouraged customers to make additional purchases during their visit.
Another bonus was a dramatic reduction in latecomers, the removal of crowding at ingress and a significant reduction in incidents such as trips and falls during busy entry periods.
Audiences loved the experience
Audience feedback highlighted the value of timely SMS ticket delivery, reminders and pre-ordering.
- “Loved the option to order drinks to pick up during intermission.”
- "Super convenient ticket SMS on show day.”
- “I especially liked the reminder text with the link to tickets.”
- “The prepaid order system was great.”
VisitOne created more than a digital ticket or pre-ordering tool. It created a connected live experience journey. The platform was delivered around the event itself, rather than detached from the visit.
It worked with existing systems, supported venue-specific design and language, reflected seating areas and access requirements and helped the venue shape customer behaviour at the moment it mattered most. By bringing ticketing, EPOS, stock, venue information and customer communication together, VisitOne helped Theatre Royal Sydney create a smoother and more profitable audience journey.