EXHIBIT 2025
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`EXHIBIT 2025EXHIBIT 2025
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`2005 Computerworld Honors Program
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`Page 1 of 4
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`Wf,f,;‘f,§g; Ameranth Wireless
`Ameranth Wireless's Improv Comedy Club Solution
`Carmel, Ny
`USA
`
`Year: 2001
`Status: Laureate
`Category: Media Arts & Entertainment
`Nominating Company: Microsoft Corporation
`
`SUMMARY
`
`LONG SUMMARY
`
`The Improv solution integrates Ameranth's software for Windows CE 3.0
`wireless handheld computers, Windows NT Server, and SQL 7.0 Server
`with Ameranth's 21st Century Communications middleware and a
`Symbol 802.11 FH Wireless LAN. The solution, based on Ameranth's 21st
`Century Restaurant vision, provides Internet ticketing and payment
`processing, traffic school reservations, food ordering, phone—based
`ticketing and payment processing, and wireless handheld ticket
`authorization and seating assignments. By integrating the Web, the Wired,
`and the Wireless, the Improv Comedy Clubs are able to take full
`advantage of the benefits of cutting edge
`technology.
`
`Immediate improvements in efficiency and speed
`of service have increased revenue and dramatically enhanced the
`customer experience at the Dallas Improv. A new interactive Web site
`allows customers to pre—order and pre—pay for food and tickets for faster
`service at the theater since staff can quickly process their reservations
`and assign tables using a wireless handheld computer. When the
`customers arrive for the show, the kitchen has already prepped their food
`and it comes to the table on time.
`
`The Ameranth
`Advantage
`Tom Castillo, owner of the Improv Comedy Clubs, first
`came across Ameranth in Chicago at the National Restaurant
`Association's annual tradeshow. At that point he told Ameranth that, “the
`Improv needs to move its systems into 21st Century technology,” and he
`was ”won over by the company's demonstration." Looking for a total
`solution, Castillo was particularly impressed with the fact that Ameranth
`could develop and install the entire Web, PC, and wireless
`system-something no other company could match. Because Castillo
`was basically starting from scratch, this provided a great
`advantage.
`
`“At the time, the Improv was a very low—tech and
`inefficient operation, where phone—based reservations were noted with
`pencil and paper and the table management was done with a grease
`pencil and a laminated seating chart,” Castillo recalls. The company did
`have a Macintosh for accounting and running an antiquated POS system,
`as well as a promotional Web site with no interactive capabilities. And
`there was no database housing customer information.
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`Page 2 of4
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`2005 Computerworld Honors Program
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`Castillo
`immediately saw Ameranth as a way to increase sales by ramping up the
`company's efficiency and speed of service throughout the entire customer
`cycle and e-commerce enabled the Web site. The solution would also
`provide a way to create a customer database. “Using Ameranth's 21st
`Century Restaurant, I believe the Improv will be able to increase sales
`and increase both the efficiency and speed of service," he says. “We are
`predicting costs will be recovered within a year.”
`
`Ameranth's
`core technology is the 21st Century Communications“ middleware,
`which routes data, regardless of programming language, across a variety
`of platforms, facilitating the data synchronization required for integrating
`different systems, included Web—based, Wireless LAN and PC—based
`client/server systems. The Improv solution integrates Ameranth's
`software for Windows CE wireless handheld computers, Microsoft back
`office servers, and an interactive web site with Ameranth's 21st Century
`Communications middleware over an 802.11 FH Wireless LAN. This total
`solution provides Internet ticketing and payment processing, traffic school
`reservation and food ordering, phone-based ticketing and payment
`processing with instant database input, and wireless handheld ticket
`authorization and seating assignments. A new self—service Web site
`enables customers to pre-order and pre-pay for tickets and
`food.
`
`Show Biz. Benefits
`The best seat in the
`house is where everyone likes to sit, but it's not the only thing that
`contributes to a great evening out. Patrons at the Dallas Improv benefit
`from the Ameranth solution from the moment they pick up the phone, or
`log on to the Web site to book their tickets. Over the phone, the Ameranth
`desktop ticketing/reservations software enables staff to process orders
`more efficiently with automated table seating assignments. Now that
`agents can also enter customer information directly into the SQL Server
`database, and management can track sales, implement a frequent
`customer program and produce mass e-mails.
`Both on—line
`and phone orders are the first step in speeding up table management at
`the theater. Using wireless computers and the Symbol Spectrum 24
`Wireless LAN Access Point, staff can wirelessly process each customer
`either through scanning the bar code on tickets they printed out when
`purchasing online, or by inputting the authorization code they received
`over the phone. Using the handheld computer to access the database,
`table assignments are quickly and efficiently given to customers.
`Internet-ordered food expedites the wait staff's job as orders can be
`started upon the customer's arrival, leaving them more time to sell
`revenue-generating drinks and desserts. Theater management also
`benefits from the use of Ameranth's 21st Century Database Wizard for
`updating the Web site prices, menus show listing and comedian bios and
`photos — without any knowledge of HTML.
`
`“Thanks to the
`database system, we now know who our customers are. Thanks to the
`wireless integration, the ticketing system, and the Web site, we now have
`a few minutes to get to know our customers”
`-Tom Castillo, Owner
`
`The Improv project has helped customers receive better service, has
`helped the Improv managers to run their clubs more efficiently, and has
`helped club staff members to better handle the busy periods of the night.
`The Improv Comedy Clubs differ from restaurants in that all their
`customers arrive and place food orders at the same time. This places a
`huge burden on the club's staff. Now, reservations and food orders can
`be placed online, allowing the kitchen to prepare the food in advance.
`Ticketing is automated and done faster at the door with a handheld
`computer, and the manager is able to change menu items or show
`schedules and arrange seating intuitive back office software, which
`communicates with the Web site and the handhelds computers in real
`time.
`
`We believe that the Improv system has significantly
`increased efficiency and improved the customer experience. At each
`stage of the customer's evening, from planning what show to see, to
`making reservations, to buying and presenting tickets, to ordering drinks
`and food, the process has become automated and less susceptible to
`errors. In addition, service is faster and the burden placed upon
`
`BENEZF'i"l“S
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`

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`2005 Computerworld Honors Program
`
`Page 3 of4
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`employees is lessened.
`
`Let's walk through a typical
`experience using the Ameranth system:
`
`1) Planning the
`evening: Previously, customers logged on to the Improv Web site to find
`outdated information and no method for making reservations. With
`Ameranth’s integrated system in place, customers can not only see
`current scheduling (as it is integrated with the manager's own schedu|er,)
`but they can also make online reservations, print tickets, and even
`pre—order and pay for their meal.
`
`2) Arriving at the Improv: The
`night of the show is an exciting one, but previously it also meant waiting
`on a long line despite having purchased a ticket in advance. Now, thanks
`to Ameranth’s software and the Symbol PPT 2740 handheld computer,
`attendants at the door can either scan customers’ tickets or look up their
`reservation by name or code number and present the customer with their
`seating assignment. This efficient way of accessing the database gets
`people to their tables faster and “busts the line" at the front
`door.
`
`3) Placing an order: With the whole restaurant sitting
`down to eat at one time, competition for a server's attention could be
`fierce. Savvy customers have already ordered their meal online and have
`gotten their order into the kitchen before others have even opened their
`menus.
`
`From the owner's point of view, by increasing the
`efficiency of club operations, he is able to 1) decrease labor needs, 2)
`improve customer service, and 3) keep track of valuable customer data.
`
`The Improv project helped seed Ameranth’s new product, the
`21st Century Restaurant®. The 21st Century Restaurant product
`integrates legacy point—of—sa|e systems in restaurants with wireless
`handheld software. This system, which will roll out in March 2001, will
`give restaurants the ability to use handhelds for tableside ordering and
`payment processing. This will revolutionize the way that data is recorded
`and communicated within restaurants. Typically, restaurant staff has to
`record each order twice—once at the table on paper, and then again at the
`computer touch screen terminal. This inefficiency leads to inputting
`errors (resulting in unhappy customers,) an unnecessarily long delay
`before the order reaches the kitchen, and a poor allocation of labor
`resources (servers should be on the restaurant floor, not standing in front
`of a computer.) Ameranth believes that wireless ordering and payment
`processing will be an inevitable improvement in restaurants across the
`world.
`
`As new technology continues to be developed, integration becomes an
`ever-growing concern. The Improv owner, Tom Castillo, had looked
`around for a company that could provide his clubs with online ticketing,
`reservations, and food ordering is such a way that the Web site would
`actually interact with his back office software. Furthermore, he wanted to
`incorporate some of the new handheld technology into the system.
`Ameranth was the only company that could accomplish such reasonable
`goals.
`
`
`
`IMPORTANCE
`
`ORIGJ NA wry‘
`
`The integration of Web/Wireless/and Wired is a natural
`evolution of technology, which Ameranth has brought into the workplace.
`The Improv project is just the beginning...with the 21st Century
`Restaurant system, wireless, wired and Web integration will become
`accessible to virtually every restaurant in the nation.
`
`The
`technology behind the Improv’s innovative ticketing solution is a
`combination of e—commerce Web design, back office database
`management, and a wireless interface to the databased information. The
`project is unique in its ability to route and synchronize data across the
`three platforms——from the Web site (running on Microsoft Distributed
`interNetwork Architecture) to the Windows CE handhelds to the back office
`server (Microsoft Windows NT Server or Microsoft SQL Server 7.0.)
`
`As stated above, Ameranth’s Improv project is unique in its ability to route
`and synchronize data across the three Web/Wireless/Wired
`platforms-—from the web site (running on Microsoft Distributed
`interNetwork Architecture) to the Windows CE handhelds to the back office
`server (Microsoft Windows NT Server or Microsoft SQL Server 7.0.) This is
`the only application of its kind.
`
`

`
`2005 Computerworld Honors Program
`
`Page 4 of 4
`
`The Improv project continues to
`evolve into Ameranth’s vision of the 21st Century Restaurant. Ameranth
`now offers wireless ordering and payment processing through the
`wireless handheld computers. This system interfaces with a restaurant's
`legacy point—of-sale system, and is set for full—scale rollout in March 2001.
`
`Tom Castillo, owner and manager of the Dallas Improv Comedy Club,
`described the club's old way of doing business. “The Improv was a very
`low-tech and inefficient operation, where phone-based reservations were
`noted with pencil and paper and the table management was done with a
`grease pencil and a laminated seating chart.” There was a promotional
`Web site, with no interactive capabilities. There was no database
`housing customer information, and the long lines at the door were
`indicative of the inefficiencies behind the greeting station.
`
`“Using Ameranth’s 21st Century Restaurant, I believe the
`Improv will be able to increase sales and increase both the efficiency and
`speed of service,” he goes on to say. “We are predicting costs will be
`recovered within a year." The value of this integrated system goes beyond
`simply improving customer service. With orders placed ahead of time, the
`Improv is able to increase the capacity of the kitchen. Internet
`reservations provide access to a whole new customer market, and the
`increased knowledge of the Improv’s customer base lets manager
`Castillo target his events and promotions.
`
`“Thanks to the
`database system, we now know who our customers are. Thanks to the
`wireless integration, the ticketing system, and the Web site, we now have
`a few minutes to get to know our customers."
`—Tom Castillo,
`Manager/Owner
`
`Working with emerging technologies always provides its share of
`difficulties. As the hardware and operating systems developed, not only
`did Ameranth have to keep up with the changes, but also we were placed
`in a position of testing, not only our software, but outside hardware as
`well. Plus, the system is dependant upon this emerging hardware, which
`places many of the difficulties outside of Ameranth’s realm of control.
`This, in itself can be extremely frustrating. Luckily, Ameranth’s strong
`partnerships and the excellent quality of the technology used, reduced
`these difficulties to a minimum.
`
`E S
`
`UCCESS
`
`DH‘-'F3C.ULTY