TY - JOUR T1 - Priority Systems at Theme Parks from the Perspective of Managers and Customers JF - Technology Innovation Management Review Y1 - 2016 A1 - Gilda Hernandez-Maskivker A1 - Gerard Ryan KW - innovation KW - managers KW - priority queues KW - theme parks KW - tourism KW - tourist behaviour KW - waiting time AB - Waiting times are becoming an increasingly important customer-experience challenge in theme parks. The seemingly ever-present problem of long queues for rides and attractions is being tackled by the development of priority systems. These innovations allow customers to join an alternative queue that bypasses the congestion faced by regular customers. In other words, by paying extra, customers can purchase the right to be served sooner. Such systems are becoming prevalent, but there is a lack of empirical research into priority systems at theme parks in the academic and management literature, which suggests that in-depth empirical analysis is necessary in order to understand the consumer decision-making process when making this purchase. This article examines priority systems at theme parks both from the viewpoint of park management and of customers. To address this gap, we surveyed nearly 1,000 customers at a major theme park in Spain and conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 theme park managers to assess both customer and manager attitudes towards waiting generally and priority systems specifically. Our results reveal that these priority systems facilitate market segmentation. When theme parks offer this "wait or pay" option, different groups of customers are identified based on their attitudes: those who wait in regular lines and those who are willing to pay to avoid lines. Thus, this innovative system creates an important source of new revenue while also improving the customer experience by reducing waiting times and minimizing congestion. Following a discussion of our results, we offer practical recommendations to managers who need to address the challenges of waiting times in theme parks and wish to improve both profits and customer experiences by implementing a priority system. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa VL - 6 UR - http://timreview.ca/article/1034 IS - 11 U1 - Rovira i Virgili University Gilda Hernandez-Maskivker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Management at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain. She has a PhD in Tourism and Leisure and a Master's degree in Analytical Techniques and Innovation in Tourism, both from Rovira i Virgili University. Her main research line is on waiting times in tourism services and tourist behaviour. Gilda has also collaborated with the Maldives National University Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies in Malé, Maldives; HTSI-ESADE in Barcelona, Spain; Ostelea-EAE in Barcelona; and the European University School for Tourism in Milan, Italy. U2 - Rovira i Virgili University Gerard Ryan is an Associate Professor and accredited Full Professor (ANECA, Spain) in Marketing at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain, and he is a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University in Ithaca, USA. He is a founding member of FHOM, which is part of the Catalan government’s map of official research groups. He is on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, la Revista Escritos Contables y de Administración, and the Irish Journal of Management. He is a regular reviewer and an award recipient of the Emerald Group for his research. His main research interests are consumers, time, and waiting. ER -