Integration planning for ticketing, CRM and EPOS

Map what you have before you plan what you want

Write down every system that holds guest information: ticketing, membership, CRM, EPOS, order-and-pay, access control, email, donations and any spreadsheets quietly doing important work.

For each one, note who owns it internally, who supports it externally, when the contract ends and whether it has an API. That single page will shape your integration plan more than any architecture diagram.

Sequence by value, not by tidiness

Connecting everything at once is expensive and slow. Connect the one or two links that change a guest or team experience immediately, prove them, then extend.

For most attractions the first useful connection is between the booking and the guest experience, so an arriving visitor is recognised and does not have to re-enter what you already know.

Agree the unglamorous details early

Integrations fail on detail, not ambition.

• Which system is the source of truth for each field?
• How often does data move, and is a delay acceptable?
• What happens when a record does not match?
• Who is alerted when a connection stops, and how quickly?
• What is the fallback during a busy day if the link is down?

Plan for provider change

Attractions change ticketing and EPOS providers more often than they expect. Favour connections built on documented APIs and exportable data over bespoke arrangements that only work with one supplier.

Ask any partner how a provider change would be handled, and what it would cost.

Involve operations from the first conversation

The people who run admissions, retail and guest services will know immediately whether a proposed flow survives a wet Sunday in August. Their scrutiny is worth more than another supplier workshop.