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PRESS RELEASE

Kinepolis Cinema Group Chooses Elo's Touchmonitors
for Quick and Easy Ticketing Vending!

04 November, 2002 -  The Kinepolis Group, a company founded in Belgium, grew over the last decade from a small family business owning a few local movie theatres, into Europe's most technologically advanced cinema group. Today, they have more then 20 multi and megaplexes in 7 European countries and they continue to grow (331 screens / 95,358 seats). As a forwardthinking company, Kinepolis developed KineTicket, an innovative ticketvending concept. It harnesses the power of touchscreen technology to reduce queuing at the cashiers' desks visitors can now enter the complexes with the touch of a finger on Elo TouchSystems monitors. Elo TouchSystems, Inc., is the global leader in touch technology and a unit of Tyco Electronics.

Queues at the Cash Registers of Kinepolis are Eliminated
The Kinepolis Group has installed a series of touchmonitors, printers and pay terminals in all of their Kinepolis multiplexes with the introduction of KineTicket, a new concept in ticket sales. The moviegoer now has the choice of either buying a ticket at the cash register, as before, or using the KineTicket service via the touchscreen and paying with their credit card. With KineTicket, the printer delivers a proof of payment with a unique barcode that can be exchanged for a film ticket at any checkpoint.

From a Family Business to a Unique Concept, or How it all Began
At the end of the '80s, going out to the movies wasn't seen as exciting an experience as it once was. With the everincreasing alternative leisure pursuits, improved film offering on TV and video rental as competitors, movie theatres lost a lot of their "magical attraction". At the same time, many theatres had become old fashioned and no longer met the visitors' expectations.

At that time, Albert Bert and Rose ClaeysVereecke, cochairmen of the family business, decided to focus the energy of their organisation on initiatives that would lead to the "ultimate film experience" for every visitor. Christian Nolens, spokesman Kinepolis Group, comments: "Easy access, comfort and state of the art technology were their first concern; so Kinepolis built large complexes outside the city centres with plenty of parking spaces. And with an average of 16 screens (even up to 24 in some complexes), they can show all popular movies simultaneously at any given time of day!"

"Secondly, they looked at providing more comfort for the visitors. They decided to make their seats very comfortable, with plenty of legroom, and to provide a perfect view, even from the front row. It was also clear they needed to offer an experience not available at home. Kinepolis was the first to introduce the THX digital sound system as well as digital image to their theatres. They installed wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor projection screens. It was a hit from the start."

Touch made its entry to solve Stress Factors
Christian Nolens: "At some point we realised the modernisation program had to go even further. Kinepolis already had a positive experience with touch technology as our staff operated ordering system was based on Elo's AccuTouch 5wire resistive technology. That's when we started to investigate how technology could take away some of the "stress factors" involved in going to the movies long waiting lines at the cashiers was definitely a major one we wanted to solve, and we did it with Elo's touchmonitors".

Entuitive Touchmonitors with IntelliTouch Technology
Kinepolis needed touchscreens for their KineTicket concept. After extensive evaluation of the technologies from the major touchscreen manufacturers, Kinepolis opted for Elo's Entuitive touchmonitors. "We'd heard that IntelliTouch surface wave technology had a good reputation," says Christian Nolens, "and our tests confirmed it for a number of reasons. These included its elegant design, and its inherent reliability and stable operation. The cables, controls and speakers are fully integrated and the touchmonitor is easily bolted onto the tabletop. This fully integrated touchmonitor remains tamperproof, even with heavy and aggressive use. And, last but not least, all these advantages came at the right price."

The intuitive nature of the Touch System
"When the KineTicket system was installed, a promotion team assisted the moviegoers when using it for the first time. We soon realised they needed very little guidance and intuitively understood how to select and to pay for their movie" says Christian Nolens.

"As soon as the touchscreens were introduced, the staff at the cash registers had more time for reception and for customer service in general. Now, the cash staff focus on welcoming moviegoers and improving their experience with a friendly smile and a clear concise answer to their questions. A major asset for Kinepolis".

Why Elo's Entuitive 1525L touchmonitor was the right choice
For their project, Kinepolis chose Elo's 1525L 15inch desktop LCDs with IntelliTouch surface wave touch technology. The touchmonitor with IntelliTouch technology offers driftfree, precise performance and operates with a finger or gloved hand, and comes with a 10year warranty for the touchscreen. The Entuitive touchmonitor has a slimline desktop case that is engineered for quick and simple installation and includes twin loudspeakers with video, touchscreen and power connectors within the base of the unit for an elegant touchmonitor solution.

Video formats supported include VGA/SVGA/XGA, max. resolution of 1024 x 768 at 72Hz. Panel brightness is 300 cd/m2. Additional features are digital onscreen display (OSD), a removable base, sealing and VESA mounting. In addition, the touchmonitor is available with options of serial or USB interfaces. Support is provided for Windows 9X/2000/NT, WinCE and Macintosh operating systems, and it meets all popular worldwide standards, including CE, TüV, UL, FCC and cUL.

A Big Success
According to Kinepolis' International Marketing & Sales Manager, Jan Huyghe, "Kinepolis in Belgium has more than 13 million visitors, using Elo's touchscreens. The implementation of the touchscreens can be seen as a true success, nevertheless, the Group is not willing to rest on its laurels. The question we constantly ask ourselves: "Is there something else preventing the filmlover from visiting the cinema?" Queuing for snacks? Looking for a close parking space? Even here, we have a solution through touch. Ordering drinks in advance and picking them up in the fast lane, reserving a parking space or even a favourite seat, booked in advance, are the next developments Kinepolis is planning for the use of Elo's touch technology."

ABOUT ELO TOUCHSYSTEMS
Elo TouchSystems, Inc., global leader in touch technology, is a unit of Tyco Electronics. Elo develops, manufactures and markets a complete line of touch products that simplify the interface between people and computers in both public-access and employee-activated applications. Founded in 1971, the company is headquartered in Fremont, California, with manufacturing sites in the U.S., France and Japan. Elo's main regional offices are in Kessel-Lo, Belgium and Yokohama, Japan, with additional sales and technical support offices worldwide.

ABOUT TYCO ELECTRONICS
Tyco Electronics is one of the major business units of Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE:TYC, LSE:TYI, BSE:TYC). Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, Tyco Electronics is the world's largest passive electronic components manufacturer, and a world leader in cutting-edge wireless technologies, fiber optic active components, and complete power systems. The company has facilities located in 51 countries serving customers in the aerospace, automotive, computer, communications, consumer electronics, industrial and power industries. Tyco Electronics provides advanced technology products from over thirty well-known and respected product brands, including Agastat, Alcoswitch, AMP, AMP NETCONNECT, Buchanan, CoEv, Critchley, Elcon, Elo TouchSystems, HTS, M/A-COM, Madison Cable, OEG, Potter & Brumfield, Raychem, Schrack, Simel and TDI Batteries.

(Note:) Elo TouchSystems, AccuTouch, IntelliTouch, iTouch, SecureTouch, CarrollTouch, COACh, COACh IIs, SmartSet and Entuitive are trademarks of Elo TouchSystems, Inc. All other products and company names referred to herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.

  

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