X-Leisure chooses Interxion to design and manage new e-commerce platform.
Interxion, Europe’s largest provider of carrier-neutral data centers and managed services, has facilitated the infrastructure design, implementation, and full management of an e-commerce platform incorporating a new online ticketing system for X-Leisure’s, Xscape entertainment destinations.
Xscape combines sport (including a real indoor snow slope), entertainment and shopping, under one roof and is the flagship brand of the X-Leisure Group part of Capital & Regional PLC. X-Leisure is headed up by PY Gerbeau (former CEO of the Millennium dome and Eurodisney).
Interxion has been instrumental in the design of the platform that enables Xscape’s telephone and counter agents – whether they are based at its London, Milton Keynes or soon to open Castleford (Leeds) locations – to quickly and easily process bookings for the company’s central attraction, the Real Snow Slope. This centralised e-ticketing system has also been designed to facilitate online bookings and payments, and has gone live this month (May 2003) Interxion is now hosting and managing this system to ensure it is always working optimally.
“The Real Snow Slope is the number one attraction, so it’s vitally important that all its supporting technology – from its ticketing system to its website – is integrated and up and running all of the time,” said PY Gerbeau, chief executive of X-Leisure. “In Interxion, we have found a partner which we can trust to look after all these elements.”
With 5 million people visiting each Xscape destination per year, the company turned to Interxion to fully manage the online e-ticketing system that could simultaneously deal with multiple customer bookings across all sites. Prior to this, Xscape’s off-the-shelf ticketing system was not centralised and was managed in-house.
Interxion’s brief was to provide a reliable platform for the network and ticketing application, ensuring that Xscape’s customer requests are always dealt with promptly and efficiently. Going forward, Interxion’s Total Performance Management service will be delivering 24/7 network and application monitoring, and reporting. It will also provide Interxion Hands & Eyes for rapid response to faults in order to minimise service disruption. Interxion’s European Service Center is strategically placed to respond to Xscape’s monitoring interfaces and to resolve technical faults through Interxion’s onsite engineering force.
“Interxion’s proactive approach to designing and managing our network and monitoring our applications, together with its customer-focused service level agreement mean that we can always feel confident about the performance of our network,” said Richard Snooks, head of IT at Capital & Regional. “Interxion has hosted our e-commerce platform for ten months now – the proven competence of its experts meant it was an easy decision to promote Interxion from colocation provider to managed service partner.”
Interxion worked in partnership with Quest Computing Ltd who developed the database and ticketing system application, and with Centric Telecom, to ensure multi-homing IP connections.
“Companies like X-Leisure, which are experiencing rapid growth, need flexible IT systems backed up by real experts,” said Anthony Foy, group managing director, Interxion. “In just 3 years of operation, Xscape had already outgrown parts of its IT system. By placing the design and management of its e-commerce platform in the hands of Interxion, Xscape Management now has access to the expertise necessary to keep its IT systems moving at the same pace as the company.”
About X-Leisure:
X-Leisure is the UK’s fastest growing premier leisure brand with to date a portfolio of 18 exciting and innovative entertainment and leisure destinations strategically located around the UK. X-Leisure is committed to prove that retail, leisure and attractions can combine together successfully to bring something innovative and highly appealing to the public as well as outperforming property returns for investors.
The X-Leisure portfolio boasts 4.25 million sq ft of prime space, which is home to the top brand names in the industry. The centres have attracted some of the UK’s most successful cinemas including the largest multiplex in the country and also the largest real snow slope in the UK which is complemented by other sporting attractions such as climbing walls, air parks and ice walls. Furthermore, X-Leisure will welcome the UK’s largest casino to the Midlands this autumn. The portfolio offers a full spectrum of leisure and entertainment, appealing to the whole family which includes bowling, entertainment centres, water parks, bars, restaurants, clubs, health and fitness, bingo, casinos, lifestyle retails, extreme sport retailers and coffee shops.
X-Leisure is split between 2 brands, Xscape and a new brand, X-Space. The X-Leisure team brings operational and marketing expertise for the benefit of all the tenant partners to create a successful trading future and long-term partnership. X-Leisure is committed to penetrating new markets and ultimately increasing dwell time, which in turn boosts turnover for the tenants. The partnership approach brings about the best results for the visitor, the individual operator and our investors
X-Leisure is about providing the ultimate entertainment experience to over 45 million visitors to either an Xscape or Xspace venue annually.
About Interxion:
Interxion is Europe’s leading provider of carrier-neutral data centers and managed services. With 20 data centers across Europe, it supports over 450 customers including enterprises, content providers, mobile service providers, hosting and telecommunications companies. Services such as equipment housing, onsite engineering and maintenance, connectivity solutions and a range of monitoring services provide customers with solutions to better manage their ICT and Internet infrastructure. Interxion’s group of data centers is supported by a central European Service Center with a multilingual team offering technical assistance to customers 24 hours a day.
Since its foundation, Interxion has raised more than €300 million from a leading group of investors around the world, including Baker Capital, Residex, Bear Stearns, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, CSFB, and Morgan Stanley.
Internet Exchanges hosted by Interxion:
Amsterdam NL - NL-ix; Brussels BE – BNIX; Frankfurt DE – DE-CIX; London UK – LINX; Madrid ES – MAD-IX; Paris FR – SFINX; Paris FR – FreeIX; Vienna AT – VIX; Zurich CH – SWISSIX
Interxion also offers connectivity to Amsterdam NL – AMS-IX and Copenhagen DK – DIX via a managed redundant fibre ring.
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