First US Q-txt contract win

RNS Number : 3580K

Lo-Q PLC

19 April 2010

 



Lo-Q plc

("Lo-Q" or the "Company")

First US Q-txt contract  win

Lo-Q plc, the AIM listed provider of virtual queuing systems for theme parks and major attractions, announces it has signed an agreement to install its Q-txt queue management system at the Lake Compounce Family Theme Park ("Lake Compounce") in Bristol, Connecticut, USA. This is Lo-Q's first US Q-txt theme park installation.

Lake Compounce is operated by Palace Entertainment, part of the Parques Reunidos family of parks.  Palace Entertainment is the largest operator of waterparks and family entertainment centres in the USA with over 14 million visitors annually at 38 locations with seven theme parks, 10 waterparks and 21 family entertainment centres. Lake Compounce itself has over 700,000 visitors annually and attendance continues to grow.

As part of the agreement Lo-Q plc will install and train Lake Compounce employees to use the Q-txt queue management system. The one year agreement (extendable to a four year contract) also covers technical assistance and support as well as software updates and maintenance. The installation will be completed in time for the park opening in mid-May.

Jeff McManus, Chairman of Lo-Q, commented:

"We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with such a major leisure park operator as Palace Entertainment, part of the Parques Reunidos group. This now brings the total number of parks using the Q-txt system to three and furthers our relationship with Parque Reunidos into the USA following the signing of Mirabilandia, Ravenna, Italy who started using our VQ2020 virtual queuing system last year.

"We hope that through the successful deployment of our system in the US, we will be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to enhance a visitor's enjoyment of the Lake Compounce Family Theme Park and so can be used to good effect at other Palace Entertainment and Parques Reunidos sites."

Mr Jerry Brick, General Manager, Lake Compounce commented:

"We are very proud to be the first park in the USA to offer our visitors the Q-txt electronic reservation service to have access to rides without having to wait in the line. We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with a great company such as Lo-Q. I'm sure that thanks to their technology we will give new opportunities to our visitors and it will make their visit to our park more enjoyable".

Contacts:

Lo-Q plc	Jeff McManus, Chairman	Tel: [phone]
	Colin Robertson, Sales Director	Tel: [phone]
Arbuthnot Securities Limited	John Prior	Tel: [phone]
Walbrook PR Ltd		Tel: [phone]
	Paul McManus	Mob: [phone] or [e-mail]
	Ben Knowles	Mob: [phone] [e-mail]

About Lo-Q plc

Lo-Q plc listed on AIM in April 2002 and has active subsidiary companies in the USA and Canada.

Lo-Q designs, installs and operates systems which allow members of the public to make ride and show reservations when they visit a theme park or other attraction. Lo-Q's flagship product, VQ2020, is a true virtual queuing system for theme parks. Lo-Q's proprietary hand-held units, called Q-bots, are used in major theme parks around the world. By the end of 2009 Lo-Q passed its 5 millionth user of the Lo-Q system.

The dynamic virtual queuing concept arose because of a wait in a line by Leonard Sim, the company founder and inventor of the Lo-Q System, and his family in a Florida theme park in the 90's. The ride had mechanical problems, which meant that the almost two hour wait was a waste of time.

Lo-Q's headquarters and development labs are in the Smith Centre high technology campus near Henley-on-Thames, UK, where a team of highly skilled engineers carry out hardware, software and systems design. The USA headquarters is in Lithia Springs, Georgia, near Atlanta where support, financial and installation staff are based.

The first installation went live in March 2001 and with Mirabilandia being installed on the 9^th of April 2009, there are a total of 14 sites across the world using the VQ2020 system, namely:

Six Flags Over Georgia, USA

Six Flags New England, USA

Six Flags Great Adventure, USA

Six Flags Over Texas, USA

Six Flags Fiesta Texas, USA

Six Flags St Louis, USA

Six Flags Great America, USA

Six Flags Magic Mountain, USA

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, USA

Six Flags La Ronde, Canada

Dollywood, USA

Dreamworld, Australia

Legoland Windsor, UK

Mirabilandia, Italy

Lo-Q also owns a Q-txt product which allows mobile phone users to reserve their place in line. Users purchase credits that are used to reserve a time to ride. The user then receives a text with details of their reservation, time and a unique code which is used to gain entry and verify their booking. Q-txt was first used at the London Dungeon and Madame Tussauds in London, and is now installed in:

Flamingo Land, Yorkshire

Parque Isla Mágica, Spain.

 

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