NOQ had the privilege of attending the European Tour’s Scottish Open, whilst enjoying the moment with the top golfers in the world.
Earlier this summer, NOQ had the privilege of attending the European Tour’s abrdn Scottish Open, partnering with the food concession group &Munch and bar operator Hickory.
From the 8th to the 11th of July, the NOQ team had a daily backdrop of the stunning Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.
&Munch brought on 11 traders serving a variety of different cuisines, from delicious cakes and coffees to hot dogs and toasties, and even fresh seafood. Hickory had a total of 4 bars across the event, varying in size, based on the expected foot traffic. The event took place across the entire golf course, but the catering was focused in 4 main areas: The Championship Village, Hole 9, Hole 15 and Hole 17.
To ensure the app was clear to understand from a customer’s perspective, and taking the scale of the venue into consideration, a couple of different features were implemented on the app. 1. Different zones were created within the app, matching the catering zones of the event, to avoid customers ordering from the wrong vendor, and 2. A sitemap feature was added, so that customers were fully aware of the locations within the app, without needing additional on-site maps or staff assistance.
Unlike most events, for the Scottish Open, NOQ took a team of 25 staff to ensure smooth operations and clear communication with the vendors and customers was taking place. The team were spread across the different catering areas and other busy locations, providing individual support to all the traders.
The European Tour provided NOQ with designated collection points between traders, to ensure that customers were aware of where to direct themselves once their order was ready. The NOQ staff was always on-hand and easy to locate through their uniform, and had a designated manager per area, to further assist customers with the app and collection points.
The app is simple to use and most people now associate QR codes to an ordering system, and as Vanessa Gilpin, Director of &Munch states “customers are now jumping on to using technology at events”. However, the Scottish Open attendees had a specific demographic of customers, and some of the older crowd was more reluctant to use the app, and often opted for queuing up. That’s where the NOQ team came in and assisted some of these customers. Once they saw the use case for it, many of them made this their preferred method of ordering throughout the rest of the event.
At the Scottish Open, customers were given the option of queuing up and placing their orders directly with the vendors, or they could order through NOQ. By implementing the NOQ ordering system, queues were significantly reduced, and customers were able to enjoy the golf while their food was being prepared. Those who preferred queuing up, had the option to do so too.
A clear example of the app’s use case in this kind of environment, was when Rory McIlroy was making his way towards Hole 15. At this point, the bar was already receiving a healthy flow of orders as the crowds were nearing the location. Customers were placing their order whilst on their way to the hold and were notified when it was ready for collection. Within a few seconds, they were back to immersing themselves in the golf.
NOQ allowed customers to make payments from a distance, as easily as clicking a button. The use of the app naturally resulted in reduced cash transactions, and the benefits of this are multifold.
From a customer’s perspective, many people have now become accustomed to carrying just their phones, leaving behind their wallets, and as Callum Johnson, Championship Manager at the European Tour mentions “people very rarely carry much cash on them nowadays”. Being able to transact through their mobile devices, with Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit or debit cards, only simplified their experience.
From a vendor’s perspective, they were able to have full control of how much money was come in through the app orders, without having the constant concern of where the cash was being placed and whether their staff was storing it correctly. Furthermore, through mobile payments, vendors could skip the payment entirely and focus solely on preparing the orders and maximising their revenues.
The number of traders and different cuisines available at a large site like that of the Scottish Open can be overwhelming, and customers have no way of truly knowing what’s on the menu until they’re nearing the end of the queue. NOQ allowed customers to easily view what was on offer, where the vendors were located within the course, the allergen information for each menu item, and the pricing, without having to stand in long queues.
As for the vendors, this also resulted in enhanced visibility from their end, without having to be dependent on how prime their location within the event was. Additionally, they could easily manage their stock on a live basis, allowing vendors to showcase exactly what was available.
It is important for all relevant stakeholders at an event to understand the purpose and benefits of NOQ. We are keen to discuss our solution and clarify any questions with everyone involved to ensure the operations are smooth.
The NOQ team is always on hand, whether at the event or off-site. We are available to support the event organisers, vendors and even customers with any issues they may have.
Prior to any event, we always provide our clients and key stakeholders with bespoke marketing assets. Whether that is information for their websites, email newsletters, social posts, or printed artwork, NOQ produces all the marketing in-house and bespoke to each event.
We know that having clear communications and marketing pre-event, as well as the event entrance is key. This is successfully achieved through timely reach outs to ticketed customers, clear messaging on social media and visual assets on-site. Once customers knew that the system was available for food & drinks purchasing, they were instantly aware that their experience would be further enhanced.
We had an overall excellent experience at the Scottish Open, working with key organisations, food concession groups and bar operators. It was exciting to see the app being used at a large-scale and renowned sports event, and “a step in the right direction” as Callum Johnson of the European Tour states.
We received incredible feedback from customers who stated that NOQ was an “absolute time saver” and an “excellent, efficient and really helpful tool for ordering drinks and food at the Scottish Open”.
We are looking forward to covering many more events, and to continuously streamline our products and operations, to further enhance everyone’s event experience.