Vista Entertainment Solutions

Auckland company Vista Entertainment Solutions is one of the world’s leading producers of software for the cinema industry, providing user friendly products that do everything from internet ticket sales to the popcorn inventory.

Vista has more than doubled turnover in the past two years to $10 million, mostly in exports, and has also doubled customer numbers, says CEO Murray Holdaway.
 
In 1995 when Vista started building software for the cinema industry it was the first to do it using the modern computer environment,” says Mr Holdaway. “We were the first with a Windows interface for box office and food and beverage systems. All our competitors were out there with old products, and we came out with something new and fresh.”

Vista’s software products now number 15, developed in response to technological advances and customer requirements. They include such things as film scheduling, employee rostering, plasma signage, print at home tickets, loyalty programmes and most recently a product that will enable people to buy cinema tickets on their mobile phone.
 
Vista’s software is installed in cinemas in more than 30 countries, with revenue spread evenly across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Major markets are Canada, India, Taiwan, Australia and the UK.

“A key point for us is not only our growth in site numbers,” says Mr Holdaway, “but also the geographic spread of our installs. This insulates us from problems in any one market and makes us truly the only global player in this high value niche.

“About 75 percent of leads come from trade shows, through our website and referrals, as we are now one of the top names in our chosen markets.”

Mr Holdaway says if a sizeable opportunity presents itself, Vista will put someone on a plane to go and win it.

“I am eternally optimistic, I always think if we can get in front of a customer with our product we’ll sell it. You’ve got to be positive in exporting and look at the upside. You can spend a lot of money trying to break into new markets but you’ve got to have the confidence and optimism that you are doing the right thing.”

Currently Vista is making a big investment in gaining traction in China, India and Eastern Europe, the three main markets where large numbers of new cinemas are being built.

“Our strategy is to be first to market so that as our customers grow we grow, and as the market matures we already have a market leading position that makes entry by our competitors more difficult as the major players are already using Vista software.

“In India we have achieved a dominant position with over a 60 percent market share in the multiplex market and nine of the top ten cinema chains using our products.”

The 30 staff in Vista’s Auckland office includes a team of about 18 software developers.

The company is led and managed by software people, says Mr Holdaway. “That’s an extremely important component of the company’s culture - almost all great software companies are led by software people.”

Vista has also opened an office in the UK to provide sales and support in that market and across Europe and has appointed local business partners to extend its worldwide sales and distribution reach.

The company’s competitive advantage has evolved over time, says Mr Holdaway.

“Initially it was exceptional technology and product, for example the first Windows-based point of sale for cinema, and agility that enabled us to modify our product to do what almost any given prospect wanted.

“Now our greatest competitive advantage is our customer base, our international spread and our ability to continue to deliver additional functions that have value to the cinema operation – for example first with choose your own seat on the web.”

Mr Holdaway says almost more important than its product is Vista’s flexibility and openness to what the customer wants.

“Many of our European or US competitors have tried to go to markets like India or Vietnam and walked away because their way of doing business is so different. New Zealanders don’t expect anyone to do business like we do, we just say ‘OK, that’s the way they do business, so let’s make our product do that’.

“I really think our key strength is our service and reliability. Our customers trust us to do the right thing. We had one customer in Detroit who shifted to us from his Chicago supplier. He now gets all his support out of Auckland and said it’s in order of magnitude better than he used to get out of Chicago. We hear that from customers all around the world.”

With only a small percentage of the world’s cinemas hooked into software, Mr Holdaway says there is big potential for ongoing market and product development. Vista is also extending into the wider entertainment industry, developing products for the live theatre and theme park markets.

Contact: Murray Holdaway, CEO, Vista Entertainment Solutions, phone 09 984 4573, email murray.holdaway@vista.co.nz, www.vista.co.nz