Geheimdepot is an attraction venue in Dorsten, Germany, offering guests a range of dynamic group activities. Owner Marvin Reuter opened the business with the idea of developing a unique, immersive escape room concept with actors playing the role of characters in the experience. He then expanded the venue to include challenge room and laser tag experiences to better engage repeat visitors.

Managing these diverse offerings in a single platform presented logistical challenges. Marvin tested many booking systems but found that they would typically only suit the escape room format or laser tag, but would rarely cater to all of the venue’s experiences. He recounts the frustrating and expensive process of trying different platforms, such as Regiondo and bookingkit: "I tried eight different booking systems in one year; it was awful. It was always a huge process to switch all the bookings manually over to the new software.” The need for an all-in-one software solution became apparent, leading Marvin to ROLLER. After researching the platform and finding other German venues successfully using ROLLER, Marvin made the switch. “We searched for software like ROLLER that could help us handle everything in a single platform,” he says.

It's not just software, it's a living system.

Marvin Reuter

Owner

Making the most of new products and features

The ongoing release of new products and features has ensured that the platform continues to meet Geheimdepot’s evolving needs. Marvin notes that this is one of the top advantages of using a cloud-based system like ROLLER, where the flexibility of the platform supports frequent enhancements. “It’s not just software, it’s a living system,” he comments.

Marvin’s enthusiasm for ROLLER’s continuous improvement is evident as he eagerly participates in beta testing new features. This has allowed Geheimdepot to work closely with ROLLER’s product team and have a say in the development of features that directly impact their operations. “I love testing features. I think I’ve tried every beta that has come up,” says Marvin.

In addition to engagement with the product team, Marvin has also benefited from the 1:1 support he received from the onboarding team during the migration process. “We had many meetings with our onboarding manager, who guided me through the process. He made the process so smooth, and he would always help us find the answers to our questions. We even got the recordings from our onboarding meetings, so I can watch them again if needed. I have never experienced that with any other booking system.” Having access to these onboarding recordings also enables ROLLER customers to easily train new staff, which is especially important for those venues with a high volume of casual staff members.

Marvin adds that he also loves the online resources he can search through whenever he has a question. “I love your Help Center. The documentation is brilliant.”

No more manual reporting

Before Analytics, we had to download Excel files to do our reporting, which took up so much time. With Analytics, ROLLER has some of the best reporting of all booking systems because you have everything you need in a few clicks. We use it daily to see what’s working and what’s not working. Now I don’t have to spend three hours each week on reporting because I can find the information I need so much faster.

Marvin Reuter

Owner

“With ROLLER, I save time daily with everything I do,” says Marvin. One of the ROLLER products that has saved him the most time is Analytics, an in-built business intelligence and reporting tool that provides easy-to-consume visual dashboards on business performance metrics. This has been a game changer for Geheimdepot, especially in streamlining their reporting processes. Before using Analytics, Marvin and his team faced cumbersome reporting routines that consumed considerable time—they had to export ROLLER data to Excel and manually analyze it to get the insights they wanted. Often, they didn’t have the time to prioritize reporting, so they would go months without doing any analysis. Now, with ROLLER's Analytics, they have all of the revenue, guest, party, and membership insights they need at their fingertips. 

"Before Analytics, we had to download Excel files to do our reporting, which took up so much time," says Marvin. “With Analytics, ROLLER has some of the best reporting of all booking systems because you have everything you need in a few clicks. We use it daily to see what’s working and what’s not working. Now I don’t have to spend three hours each week on reporting because I can find the information I need so much faster.”

Analytics has also enabled Marvin and his team to gain deeper insights into their business performance, providing actionable insights into everything from customer demographics to product strategy. Marvin has been using the tool to deep dive into specific areas of the business to understand where there’s an opportunity to improve. “We used Analytics to analyze why our party bookings are not having the impact we want them to. And now that we know our guest age range, we can do more targeted marketing.”

30% increase in online bookings

One of the most remarkable impacts of implementing ROLLER was the increase in online bookings and overall revenue. Thanks to the insights provided by Analytics, Marvin knows that 70% of their income comes from online bookings. They don’t take bookings at the venue, so the remaining 30% comes from phone inquiries, mainly for corporate bookings they don’t handle online.

Marvin attributes this split partly to the ease of online bookings with ROLLER’s online checkout, which reduces the need to phone the venue. “In the past, we had booking systems that weren’t so clear, so we had more calls,” he says. The feedback they’ve had from guests in their post-visit surveys confirms this. “They say it’s really easy to use, a fast process, and a fast checkout,” adds Marvin.

This ease of use translated to an almost instant bump in revenue. Sales rapidly increased after the switch to ROLLER, even though they didn’t change anything in their online product offering or marketing strategy. “Since implementing ROLLER, we gained much more revenue than every other booking system we’d used before. We increased revenue by around 30%,” says Marvin. 

Since implementing ROLLER, we increased revenue by around 30%

Marvin Reuter

Owner

Marvin also attributes this 30% increase to the broader range of food and beverage options they’ve been able to offer with an integrated point of sale system. “We’ve introduced so many new food and beverage items to sell because we can easily add products and sell them in-store. It’s definitely increased our on-site revenue,” says Marvin.

By choosing ROLLER, Marvin has not only streamlined operations but also enhanced the overall online and in-venue guest experience, ultimately driving significant revenue growth. This is a testament to the importance of investing in comprehensive, adaptable venue management technology.

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