Hamilton Cinema is the council-run central cinema for Southern Grampians Shire in Victoria, Australia. In fact, Hamilton Cinema’s 121-seat screen is the only cinema in the shire, making it a gathering point for the community not only in Hamilton, but for neighboring towns as well.
Reaching such a wide audience is no small task, especially when some travel an hour or more to visit the cinema. With a small team and limited resources, finding a way to achieve these goals effectively and efficiently was paramount for Hamilton Cinema.
A static presence in need of revitalising
An online presence works wonders for reaching a far-ranging audience, but for busy independent cinemas the goal of a new, modern website can often seem a distant dream.
Previously, Hamilton Cinema’s website was largely static, a space to show their screening schedule for the week and highlight special events for their moviegoers. Purchasing tickets via the website wasn’t an option, and with some moviegoers coming from far afield, not knowing whether a session was running out of seats posed an issue.
To really reach their community in new ways, they needed more, and Veezi Web provided a golden opportunity. Creating a new, customized website to suit their branding and bring it into the modern world with the direct help of the Veezi team was easy and highly exciting for Hamilton Cinema.
Now, Hamilton Cinema enjoy a refreshed, refurbished website with modern branding and functionality, including mobile responsiveness and an intuitive interface. Not only that, but the move to Veezi Web opened them to the realm of digital ticketing.
“We're very excited to come up to the 21st century with our website,” said Amanda Hurley, Cinema Manager at Hamilton Cinema, “and start our online ticketing.”
Embracing digital ticketing
With the rise of digital ticketing over the past few years—nearly doubling in popularity since 2019, and becoming the majority-preferred way to engage with ticketing—introducing the ability to sell online tickets on Hamilton Cinema’s website was a game changing opportunity.
With V-Tix powering their online ticketing, Hamilton Cinema easily offer a seamless online experience, letting their audience book in advance or on-the-go on their mobile.
Operationally, it’s a big help as well. “We have a small staff,” Amanda explained, “so being able to see how many tickets have been bought in advance will really help us to roster.”
Their new website and online ticketing mean Hamilton Cinema’s moviegoers can not only easily catch up on what movies are available, but book in advance and ensure that long drive to their favorite local cinema has a seat waiting just for them at the end.
It’s a solution that delights both Hamilton Cinema and their moviegoers, connecting their community with the big screen and empowering Hamilton Cinema with modern accessibility.