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| A Vue cinema |
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Vue is one of the UK's largest cinema chains, with 49 venues housing almost 500 screens.
The opportunity
In 2003, the company recognised that its core audience was concentrated in the 16-24 age group and defined an aim to expand this customer base. Vue saw the commercial advantage of making its venues more accessible to disabled people in particular, as well as increasing the appeal of its cinemas to a broader age group. The chain recognised that taking on digital technology would contribute to achieving their aims.
The initiative
Vue set out to embed diversity into the corporate culture and to introduce changes in three main areas:
Venue interiors
Screenings for customers with sensory impairments
Customer website
How it works
The adaptations Vue has made to its cinemas and business include:
- consulting disabled groups on seating in the auditoria, so that cinemas now offer wheelchair users a wider and more comfortable choice of seating positions.
- improving physical access to cinemas by installing automated doors to the entrance area and lowering box office counters.
- training staff on disability awareness and the Disability Discrimination Act.
- redesigning the Vue website to make it simpler and more usable. The site offers a text-only option and is compatible with screen reader software for the visually impaired. Vue also posts listings on yourlocalcinema.com, which has helped to reach key audiences.
- increasing screenings offering audio-description and assisted hearing technology that tunes into hearing aids. Vue has now installed audio-description and soft subtitling equipment in at least one screen in each of its venues.
- redesigning cinema interiors in softer colours and adding café bars to appeal to a mature audience, families and young people.
- installing an enhanced telephone booking system, which offers personalisation features such as automatically recognising the number a customer is calling from and identifying their nearest cinema.
- widening their recruitment practices to increase recruitment of older workers, ethnic minorities, women and mothers returning to work.
- continuing to make improvements, including designing one-level venues for new buildings and lowering ticket windows as standard.
Results
Customers have responded positively to the enhancements Vue has introduced.
The chain was highly commended by the RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind) at the Simply The Best Awards 2005 for the adjustments that it has made to provide enhanced facilities for customers with visual impairments.
Further information
Phone: 020 8396 0100
Fax: 020 8396 0199
Email: customerservices@vuemail.com
Website: http://www.myvue.com
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