News / Events

Merlin and their Experts attract more at the QEII

Put the date in your diary now, and then come and join your Merlin and Expert Ticket at The Annual National Conference of Visitor Attractions on Thursday 13 October 2011 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. Now in its eigth year, the Annual Conference is run by the industry, for the industry and is firmly established as the key place to meet and network with contemporaries and to participate in an innovative and stimulating programme.

Whatever your interest in the area of Visitor Attractions, if you are an owner or senior manager of a Visitor Attraction, an opinion former or heritage professional, you will be sure to have an informative, interesting and thought-provoking day.

We look forward to welcoming you at the conference.

Merlin and Expert Ticket are exhibiting on stand 5.

Merlin experts back bigger and better than ever!

Merlin and partners are back again with Expert Ticket for the new season at the Museums Association Conference 2011 in Brighton next week. This seaside town will be the event of the year for anyone who works within the museum or visitor attraction sector. It is worth noting that it is 100 years since this conference started and its inaugural event was actually in Brighton, so we’re sure it won’t be an event you want to miss.

Held over 2 days on the 3rd and 4th of October, this event filled conference and exhibition is a must for all people working in the relevant sectors. Expert Ticket are back bigger and better than ever demonstrating even more features designed to help your visitor attraction run smoothly, creating a better experience for visitors and even improving profitability. Available for demonstration at the conference are membership cards, wristband printing, event management, CRM, mobile apps, kiosks, and so much more.

With new clients already on board using Expert Ticket such as Ripley’s! Believe it or not London, the Herbert Gallery, Bressingham Steam Museum and Canterbury Cathedral to name but a few ecstatic customers, our fame is spreading and we are quickly becoming the ‘solution of choice’.

This year Expert Ticket have a new partner Artifax Software Ltd who have combined their "Artifax Event" software into the whole Expert Ticket portfolio. This now offers a fully integrated scheduling and event management system that handles all aspects of space-related bookings, facilities management, staff availability and all other amenities, including tour scheduling.

As you can see, the ‘Experts’ are back, bigger and better than ever, so in order to assess how we can help with your attraction, please come and Visit us on stands 53 & 54 for your free demonstration..

Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce's new Vice Presidents

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce has announced the election of local businessmen Derek Carpenter and Owen Gleadall as Vice Presidents.

Derek has been successful in establishing leading brands in Europe as Managing Director of UK-based, American-owned companies. In recent years he has concentrated on supporting and developing business in South Yorkshire - he was formerly Secretary for South Yorkshire Institute of Directors and SME Ambassador for Yorkshire and the North East on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Owen is Sales & Marketing Director of Merlin Software Ltd and has been involved with the Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years, serving on various panels and committees during that time. He has been a magistrate in Barnsley for nearly 25 years and also served on the board of the Probation Service for over 13 years. Owen is involved with various schools locally, one as a Governor and one as a mentor and he also acts as a mentor for the Enterprise Scheme at Sheffield Hallam University.

Derek said: “Collaboration will be the way forward for everyone over the next few years. None of us achieves anything without the help of others and those capable of co-operating best will succeed best. My role will be to ensure we are fully engaged in the task and prove to members and partners ‘we say what we do and do what we say.’

“We are realistic enough to know it is the members we serve that ultimately judge our value to them. We in turn want them to make their voice heard to us. Barnsley and Rotherham can be sure they will see a very active role from us on their behalf.”

Owen said: “I am very honoured to be voted in to represent this Chamber as Vice President and I am convinced I can work with all concerned to make this a top Chamber in the UK. We have suffered in recent times from some major upheavals at board level and also changes in personnel, so what is required now is a period of stability and growth. I hope that my appointment will help in that process and allow us all to take advantage of the opportunities available to us in Barnsley and Rotherham.”

For more information on Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of commerce visit Brchamber.co.uk

Merlin experts exhibit again.

Expert ticket are already off to a flying start after our launch at the Leisure Industry Week (LIW) show with a lot of interest and buzz being created around our new partnership.

We are exhibiting again, To make sure you don’t miss out on all the buzz, come and see us on stand 30. We will be giving demonstrations and brochures to visitors to show you just how easy it is to use and how we can help you make more money.

About the exhibition

The Museum Association Annual Conference and Exhibition is Europe’s largest museum event with over 1,500 museum professionals coming together to discuss key issues effecting their sectors.

The MA’s exhibition provides an unrivalled opportunity for you to meet the sector’s leading national and international companies.

You can talk directly to expert suppliers and consultants and view the latest innovations all under one roof.

Take away ideas and inspiration for your museum or gallery.

Exhibitors include suppliers of storage, display, audiovisual, interactive and conservation equipment, together with companies and organisations advising on documentation systems, marketing, fundraising, policy, strategic planning and much more.

Merlin experts exhibit.

This year Merlin Software, along with their new partners Omega Security Systems and TYG were exhibiting at the Leisure Industry Week (LIW) show under their new partner name Expert Ticket. We not only offer our award winning retail management software, but now with the ability to offer online ticketing, and barrier access to venues and visitor attractions we can offer a complete end-to-end solution.

The show was busy from the word go and we had a lot of interest over the three days we exhibited from visitor attractions of all sizes and types. We also had lots of entries into our competition to win a weekend at the Lake District.

The draw was made at 3pm on the final day by the LIW Event Manager Chris Brown and the lucky winner was Hamid Kahn from Whitefield Youth Association. Congratulations to him.

The show was as busy with visitors as it was with exhibitors with over 250 people demonstrating what they had to offer including pole dancers at X-pole and surfers on the Wave surfer.
While at Leisure industry week 2010, we were lucky enough to see Mike Buss, ‘Ultra Endurance Athlete and World Fitness Record Holder,’ complete his most recent unofficial record of 100 marathons in as many days.

Mike raised £35,000 for Help For Heroes, a charity that is close to his heart following his ten year service in the British Army. The gruelling 2620 mile course came to an end inside the NEC arena at around midday on Thursday.

Mike has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon though. He plans to carry a 40lb pack up and down Mount Snowdon for 48 hours in the near future. For more details and to keep track on Mike’s progress you can visit his website at www.mike-buss.com.
We met lots of visitors who were interested in our complete solution, and one even commented “it’s brilliant” when he saw the functionality it had to offer. To read more about the LIW visit www.liw.co.uk and to read more about Expert ticket and what we offer visit www.expertticket.co.uk and feel free to contact us and find out how we can improve your business today.

Attractions To Become Ticket Experts.

Tourist attractions and leisure venues now have no excuse when it comes to providing their customers with a seamless approach to e-tickets, electronic point of sale and access control. Expert Ticket is a new venture established by three market leading companies providing a one-stop-shop for tourism and leisure businesses.

Attractions can cost effectively offer their customers the opportunity to choose and buy their tickets in advance over the internet. Their customers can either instantly download and print out their tickets in the comfort of their own home or have them sent as a text message to their mobile.

On arrival at the attraction their ticket is scanned and validated automatically through an EPOS system which can be linked to access control barriers allowing fast and secure entry to the venue.

At no extra cost Expert Ticket also provides users with valuable market information on their customers and is Data Protection Act compliant.

Owen Gleadall, of Merlin Software and founder of Expert Ticket says “We are delighted that Tyg Ltd’s ticketing software solutions can now not only allow individual businesses to effectively and economically sell their own tickets off their own websites but can also integrate with Merlin® Software’s superb EPOS systems and Omega Security’s excellent access control hardware to provide clients’ customers with a fast, efficient and convenient way to visit attractions, events, festivals and similar with no extra costs or charges over and above the advertised ticket price. Expert Ticket is an exciting new product for the market.”

Expert Ticket is launching at the Leisure Industry Week Show at the Birmingham NEC on Stand A92 between 21st and 23rd Sept. All orders made at the event will receive a 10% launch discount.

ENDS

Contact

Alison Mosley – alison@merlinsoft.co.uk

Tel: 01226 779956

About Expert Ticket

Expert Ticket is a joint venture between three existing companies - Tyg Ltd, Merlin Software and Omega Security.

Merlin Software Ltd has over 30 years experience in the retail sector and is one of the most cost effective and flexible EPOS solutions available on the market today. Owen Gleadall is the Sales & Marketing Director - contact 01226 321213 email owen@merlinsoft.co.uk
Omega Security Systems, based in Bradford, are suppliers and professional installers of integrated barrier security systems and turnstiles and have been in business since 1989. Sherry Ward is a Director Tel: 01274 400 404, email Sherry@omegasecuritysystems.co.uk
Tyg Ltd, based at Muncaster Castle in the Lake District, is run by Peter & Iona Frost-Pennington who have more than 40 years combined experience of running a major tourist attraction. Contact Peter Frost-Pennington on 01229 712504 email peter@tygit.com

LEISURE INDUSTRY WEEK 21st - 23rd September 2010

Birmingham NEC

Leisure Industry Week is the most influential trade show for the UK leisure industry. If you’re in the industry in any way and haven’t been before then you’re missing out. The show covers seven sectors of the leisure industry which are specifically tailored to your needs. Last year the LIW was home to over 350 exhibitors and attracted nearly 14,000 visitors over the 3 days, and this year it is expected to be even busier.

If you operate any sort of play or attraction business (play centres, museums, historic sites, theme parks, bowling alleys, farm parks, laser tag, paintball sites, holiday parks, etc.) then you will find everything you need to help improve your business – all under one roof.

Merlin Software will be attending the show in the Play & Attractions section and will be teaming up with two other companies to offer one total ticketing solution, from online tickets to walking through the automatic gates and everything in-between. This new product is to be launched at the show and will go under the brand name of Expert Ticket.

The leisure industry has been affected by the recession, although for once, in a good way. In 2009 the UK theme parks market grew by 2.4% with admissions growing by more than 3% to 14 million. This was due to the fact that more people enjoyed “staycations”, a term coined from people preferring to have vacations in the UK as opposed to leaving the country. So this is the reason a slight ‘boom’ has been seen in this sector.

If you want to see how you can maximize your attraction and take advantage of this increase in visitor numbers you can’t afford to miss this show and see what Expert Ticket has to offer. We can show you how to increase turnover and also how to reduce expenditure. In addition, we can also show you ways in which your visitors can be encouraged to spend more during their visit to you.

As mentioned before, Merlin Software is teaming up with two other companies to create a whole new ticketing and access control solution. We will be on stand A92 along with our partners and would welcome your visit to us.

Expert Ticket provides a ticketing solution from booking tickets on-line for an attraction or individual event, (your ticket vouchers are actually printed for you at home), to arriving at the chosen venue and presenting your e-ticket. The Merlin system scans the voucher, checks its validity, prints out the correct tickets and allows entry. In addition, there is also an integrated access control system which is not only linked to the Merlin system, but also allows you to present your ticket directly at the ‘gate’ and gain immediate entry. This is for ‘Fast Track’ entry requirements at larger venues or for automatic pass-outs and re-entry.

ASSOCIATION OF CHARITY SHOPS 5-6 July 2010.

Keele conference park , Keele

On Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th July the association of charity shops will be holding their annual conference, which is the only national event for charity retail. It is set to be a great opportunity for you to meet new people and network with people in your sector, be inspired and increase your knowledge.

The conference is set to provide two days packed full of useful and interesting information and guidance on how to prepare for the changing world of charity retail. Plenary sessions include BBC radio 4’s Peter White on working better to overcome challenges. Focus sessions include New formats for charity retailing, the future of reuse, Facilitating a culture of innovation in practice, marketing for small chains, minimizing future property legal costs, developing your retail offer and a whole lot more.

Merlin Software will be exhibiting on stand 29 and demonstrating their specifically developed Gift aid Charity module on their EPOS software. Merlin helps make the capture of Gift aid donations easier than ever and keeps track of your donors for marketing purposes. Merlin makes it easier to reach your targets with Gift Aid and reclaiming 28% more from your donors.

On the Monday night from 6.30 for 7.30 there will be an awards ceremony for Charity retail which will be an exciting event and the compere is by the BBC’s Robin Ince, better know for His radio and TV shows such as ‘Just a minute’ and ‘Nerdstock’ although some people only know him as Ricky Gervais’ much bullied support act to his stand up shows. Robin is a charity shop devotee and will be warmly welcomed on the evening.

The Charity retail conference is held at Keele conference park, Keele, Staffordshire on both days and Merlin^® Software will be on stand 29.

Charity shops conference

AIM CONFERENCE 3-5 June 2010.

Heritage Motor Centre , Gaydon

The AIM conference is an event held in the Heritage Motor Center on the 3rd to the 5th of June. The conference is aimed at independent museums of all sizes with Keynote speaker Dame Fiona Reynolds, Director of the National Trust.

Dame Fiona will be followed by a series of case studies looking at the way various museums work within the tourism agenda and the evening will end with the legal update focusing this year on Trustee responsibility.

On Friday the 4th Merlin software will be exhibiting at the Heritage Motor Center in the conference hall from 11am to 4.30pm and we would love to see you there and let us show you what we can do for your business and how we can help you maximise profits.

There will be the usual very popular social events; on Thursday evening our Dinner, held at The Heritage Motor Centre , and on the Friday evening an informal pub supper with quiz in Warwick. On the Saturday there will be a fascinating behind the scenes tour to Chedham's Yard (winner of the BBC Restoration 2006 ) and to Stratford on Avon where we will be hosted by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

MUSEUM & HERITAGE SHOW 12-13 May 2010.

Earls Court , London

Merlin on stand D7

On the 12th and 13th May we will be exhibiting at the Museum and Heritage show on stand D7, which is the UK’s leading trade exhibition for the world of museums, visitor attractions and cultural and heritage sites.

This show is set to be a great opportunity to showcase our award winning EPOS software to a diverse crowd all expecting our software to tailor to their individual needs, and we know that Merlin has the power to do so. We already have many clients in this sector such as Bressingham steam museum and Canterbury cathedral.

The Museum and Heritage show is set to offer an extensive programme of free seminars and expert advice, this show really is a must do for anyone in this industry and gives the opportunity to keep one step ahead of the game.

Why not come along and see what new advancements and innovative ideas can help your business grow, Merlin Software Ltd are on stand D7 and will be happy to have a chat with you and demonstrate just exactly how our EPOS software can make your business more money and bring back more customers than ever before. We are expecting this show be quite busy and that you probably won’t remember everything at the show, so to help you we will be handing out information packs at the show

Merlin 7

The new Windows^™ 7 release is nearly upon us, with some great new features and a new look. We have been listening to your comments and working hard to implement them.

Here are just a few features youve been asking for:

Windows^™ 7 Pro, Enterprise and Ultimate are supported
E-Commerce link
News enhancements including, reports, customer statements, customer account payments
More modern look and feel
Windows Server 2008 and Windows server 2008 R2 supported
Still XP Pro and Windows server 2003 compatable but adds support for 64 bit versions.

Keep checking back for more information and the long awaited release date of Merlin 7.

Take the Microsoft Windows^™ 7 tour here

The New Merlin Software Blog

Have something to say? Got an opinion? Want to share your views with others? If so Merlin Software Ltd wants you!

Go and visit our new blog we have recently launched and keep up to date with what's happening here at Merlin Software Ltd. In order to keep up to date with our developments, we thought we would throw it open to you the users, after all you're the most important people to us and to help us keep you happy, using our blog to comment is the best way to do it.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the blog now by clicking the navigational bar or the image above now!

Convenience Retail Show NEC

Install Merlin^® and you’ll very quickly get more out of your business and more out of your life. Merlin^® saves you both time and money by managing your business for you – 24 hours a day 7 days a week!

When you’re running a shop, it can sometimes feel like it runs your life, but Merlin^® can help make running a busy shop a little easier by offering you an extra pair of hands.

Merlin^® will automatically maintain your news accounts and effortlessly take control of your returns and credits. It will free up your time pricing individual products by producing shelf-edge labels displaying the product and price. Spending Sunday afternoons calculating your VAT returns will be a thing of the past as Merlin keeps your VAT records up to date all the time.

Make sure your shop is fully stocked at all times
Quickly process transactions and keep queues down
Track all sales for automatic re-ordering and reporting
An extra member of staff that never phones in sick or takes holidays
Keep on top of customer and news accounts and reports
Keep your shop running smoothly and your customers happy

Always know the exact profit you are making
With Merlin^® you will always know exactly how much you’re making from each product in your shop. Never again be left wondering why the profit margins were not as expected. Instant, accurate, up to date information is always available with Merlin.

With competition from big supermarkets becoming a daily issue, Merlin^® can give you the tools and information you need to maximise your profit and maintain a loyal customer base.

By installing Merlin you can create additional sales opportunities, minimise shrinkage and identify costly slow-moving lines.

This all ensures the smooth running of your CTN or convenience store and keeps you and your customers happy!

Direct Product Profitability on ALL items
Unlimited numbers of special offers
Create and run special loyalty schemes
Track all sales for management information and re-ordering

CRS logo easy
Up and running straight from the box
With Merlin you can be selling within minutes of installing the system. With its preloaded stock file and Windows™ based operation it’s so easy it’s child’s play. Need help? The on demand help facility makes sure you are never left wondering what to do.

Merlin is a user friendly system that has been designed to make running a busy CTN or Convenience Store easier. With a simple touch-screen interface, Merlin® has been designed with the user in mind to make day to day tasks easier and less stressful in a busy retail environment.

Merlin^® comes complete with a pre-loaded stock and publications file to help you get up and running quickly and smoothly with minimum disruption for you or your customers.

Easy to use touch screen terminals with simple graphics

On-screen help available at any time

Full staff training available

Keep your shop running smoothly and your customers happy

Complete system

Merlin ‘POS-in-a-Box’ is a ready to use EPOS system with fully loaded software that you can pick off the shelf, plug it in and be up and running within minutes.

There are no hidden costs to pay, for just a one off payment of £1,995.00 plus VAT you can have a complete EPOS system which will save you time and money and make running your busy shop much easier.

POS-in a box includes:

Full copy of Merlin^® software module
Touch Screen Retail Terminal
Desktop Style Cash Drawer
High Speed Thermal Receipt Printer
2 Line Customer Display
Metrologic ‘Fusion’ Laser Barcode Scanner
WindowsTM ‘XP Pro’ Operating System
12 Months Manufacturers Warranty

Convenience Retail Show NEC

Merlin^® can be found on stand F284 and are exhibiting at the show as part of a joint venture with one of their newest resellers ITP Panorama Ltd. The CRS has been running for 15 years and is one of the top shows in the convenience sector attracting the whole of the convenience retail market, from independents to supermarkets.

ITP Panorama Ltd became resellers of Merlin earlier this year and represent the products in the North West region. They also sell the Ezeecopy range of products and are well suited to understand the needs of the convenience retailing sector. Merlin also have many years experience of the CTN and convenience retailing sector and feel this partnership with ITP will be a fruitful and long-lasting one.

Proud Patrons

On Friday 15th January, Merlin Software Ltd were suited and booted to accept the award for 'Most Outstanding Patron of the Year' from the Barnsley Junior International Chamber.

Merlin staff alongside members of the local business community, dignitaries and JCI associates braced the wet winter weather to celebrate the JCI's annual awards dinner held at Ardsley House Hotel.

The JCI's success and achievements were combined with a night of dinner and dancing and was proudly sponsored by Patron Merlin Software Ltd.

The JCI is a network of active and ambitious people between the ages of 18-40 who strive to create a positive change in Barnsley and beyond. It is a voluntary organisation where members can develop skills to boost their confidence and reach their full potential in life and work. There are 35 local chambers thriving in the UK and Northern Ireland helping to encourage members and change communities.

This years awards dinner welcomed renowned CEO Graham Honeyman of Sheffield Forgemasters International as guest speaker to offer wise words for JCI members and saw the new 2010 President, Gemma Fletcher, elected.

2010 will see the JCI Barnsley build on their accomplishments and continue to give local members new and improved skills such as personal development, project management, training and leadership along with fun packed social events and charitable ventures.

Merlin Software Ltd and JCI Barnsley started the year as they meant to go with their first charitable venture on the evening raising over £600 for local charity Barnsley Riding for the Disabled. The money raised will help the charity who work hard to constantly adapt to meet the needs of the disabled residents of Barnsley.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the JCI Barnsley or would like more information visit www.jcibarnsley.org.uk/

MAGIC MOMENTS

In the current economic climate times have been tough for the retail industry. Many independent businesses and large and small organisations have disappeared from the high street as the recession strikes. The threat of the credit crunch means retailers are going back to basics and retail managers, owners and consultants are just some of the people attending seminars and courses looking to pick up some tips and advice to survive in these troublesome times.

Owen Gleadall, Sales and Marketing Director, has over 30 years experience in retail and wanted to give retailers practical advice and innovative ideas to improve their businesses in the form of a one day workshop.

On 12th October 2009, Merlin held its first workshop of 'Retail Magic' at The Source centre of Retail Excellence. In conjunction with Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, the day ran from 10am-4pm and it focused on a five key elements. The five useful categories included 'Putting the Customer First', 'Visual Merchandising', 'Managing Stock including Preventing Crime', 'Maximising Profit' and 'Making the most of technology'. The aim of each aspect would help to ensure that retailers keep more of the money they take an ethos Merlin Software Ltd abides by. In order to help retailers thrive and survive, Owen was aided by three other retail experts, George Elliott (Business Communication Executive, The Source at Meadowhall), Helen Goodwin (Visual Merchandiser, Made You Look!) and Eamonn Larkin (Crime Reduction Officer, South Yorkshire Police).
retail magic

The day was a huge success for the 27 attendees and retailers across South Yorkshire, where everyone left with a more retail knowledge. Of the 14 people who completed feedback forms 8 rated the choice and style of speakers as excellent and both content and materials delivered on the day also received a rating of excellent. It was even suggested to make the length of the course longer as the content was so valuable.

The success of 'Retail Magic' means Merlin Software Ltd is making plans to hold more events like this in the New Year. Merlin Software Ltd is currently in talks with both Chamber Skills Solutions and Business Link about incorporating this event into their training and seminar programmes. Keep your eyes peeled to the website for more information.