Ticket Booth Compliments Important N. County San Diego Cultural Venue
Ticket Sales California-Style: Ticket Booth Fabricated by B.I.G. Complements Important North County San Diego Cultural Venue
Innovative ticket booth design at the Moonlight Amphitheatre complex in Vista, California makes a striking architectural statement.
Los Angeles, CA – April 24, 2012 – Since its inception, the vision of the Moonlight Amphitheatre and Moonlight Stage Productions has been to ‘produce theatre productions of the highest quality, while providing educational and cultural opportunities for the benefit and enrichment of our community.’ So when designers and architects required a ticket sales and revenue control booth that would complement both the style and mission of the bustling Moonlight Amphitheatre complex, they commissioned B.I.G. Enterprises, Inc. (www.bigbooth.com) to engineer and fabricate it. The result was The Vista, one of the latest in a series of B.I.G’s innovative, custom designs.
Finished with a stucco façade, arched windows, and a slightly-curved standing seam roof, the design is an understated expression of San Diego architectural vernacular. The Vista is an ideal addition to the amphitheater’s distinctive style. The booth exemplifies architectural harmony, fusing seamlessly with its surroundings.
“This Amphitheatre wanted a ticket booth that complemented the Architecture of its surroundings. We made this beautiful booth with everything needed for high volume ticket sales, creature comfort, and outstanding Architectural Integrity.” said Vice President David King.
Not simply a welcoming interface for visitors, The Vista is equipped with all necessary design features required to handle high volume ticket sales, and it’s built tough to withstand constant use, climate variations, and heavy pedestrian traffic.
The ergonomically thoughtful booth is large and comfortable enough to accommodate the needs of several workers, and comes complete with a high output commercial HVAC, storage units, stainless steel shelves, and full wiring for security cameras, gate controls, and data/communications electronics. All components are fabricated from the highest quality hardware, and designs are ADA compliant.
Like all B.I.G. booths, The Vista is delivered fully prefabricated and ready for installation. Though originally designed to serve as a ticket booth, The Vista can be customized to serve any number of facilities or applications.
About B.I.G. Enterprises:
Since 1963, B.I.G. Enterprises, Inc. of California has engineered and manufactured a comprehensive line of high quality, high-end, prefabricated security and revenue control booths. Their state-of-the-art selection of pre-assembled buildings include: guardhouses, cashier booths, portable shelters, and a variety of custom-made kiosks.
GSN – Special 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial Issue
Government Security News – Special 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial Issue
Improvements in Guard Booths since 9/11 by Dave King
Los Angeles, CA Sept 2011: What has the country done in the decade since 9/11 to strengthen its homeland defense and security, and better protect our people, property and “Way of life”?
This is a great question that can and will create a lot of debate – but in my opinion, we’ve done a fantastic job so far. Homeland security is an enduring concept in both peace and war. The global war on terrorism is a long war and it may take 25 to 30 years because of the nature of the threat.
Our company has seen a tremendous rise in the level of ballistic resistance specified for perimeter security guards booths that we manufacture. Prior to 9/11, there were a few guard booths manufactured to resist threats from super power hand guns. Now many of these same booths are built to resist threats from 7.62 NATO, all the way up to .50 Caliber Armor Piercing weapons.
Additionally, these BR Guard Booths are now equipped with gun ports to allow the responder a more secure way to react to the threat, and more advanced electronics to allow the guard to see the perimeter of the facility using cameras and monitors.
What is most pleasing about many of the guard booths we currently manufacture is the Government is asking the designers of these guard booths to make them more architecturally in alignment with the surroundings.
Guard booths not only have been made more secure, but they are being made to architecturally complement the facility, making them more to our “Way of Life”.
David King is Vice President of B.I.G. Enterprises™ (www.bigbooth.com), a California corporation that has been manufacturing a comprehensive line of security and revenue control booths since 1963. Mr. King has 29 years of experience in the perimeter security industry and is a sought after consultant for government mandated post- 9/11 security upgrades. He works extensively with architects, contractors, government officials, ballistics engineers, and suppliers charged with protecting key infrastructures.
His clients include all divisions of the U.S. military, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the New York Stock Exchange, and hundreds of universities, transportation, chemical, petroleum, agricultural, manufacturing, and corporate facilities.
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High-Tech Solutions to Low-Tech Terrorist Bombs
New Hope from B.I.G. Enterprises: High-Tech Solutions to Low-Tech Terrorist Bombs
Advances in blast-resistant guard booths and barriers can help security guards, soldiers and police survive an initial bomb blast or ramming truck…and help them continue their defense of vulnerable strategic targets.
Los Angeles, CA. – January 21, 2011 – The use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the Middle East and around the world serves as a daily reminder that “low-tech” weapons like homemade explosives and high-speed collisions are key elements in the terrorist arsenal, and to protect against these threats, B.I.G. Enterprises of Los Angeles (www.bigbooth.com) has made recent improvements in the development of the bullet- and blast-resistant guard booth.
High-technology firms are providing an array of blast- and impact-resistant guard booths, barriers and portals that can protect soldiers and citizens from bombs and speeding vehicles alike. Strategically important targets like chemical processing facilities, nuclear power plants and government buildings are already turning to these “high-tech” solutions to “low-tech” threats.
“The structure itself is designed to maintain the life inside it,” says ballistics expert Kelley Elmore of LA-based engineering firm Hopper, Elmore and Associates. The booth enables the guard inside to survive the attack and respond, preventing a truck bomb from reaching its target. “The guard booth can act as the first line of defense—it’s the ‘out there’ center of security people, security electronics, and access control,” says Bill Zalud, Editor of Security Magazine. Dave King, vice president of B.I.G. Enterprises agrees. “A booth that is designed to resist the impact of a blast and remain intact and working not only ensures the guard’s life but also allows the guard to, if required, open the gun ports and return fire.”
The threat is far from theoretical. “Poor physical security has permitted armed terrorists and bomb vehicles to get too close and sometimes to gain entrance inside the target area where they have created the maximum damage,” crisis management expert Charles Runner said in a recent article. The guard and the booth itself act as the first defense preventing a potential attacker from gaining access.
Says one former Marine who protected the Marine Corps Commandant and his family, “One person can provide security for hundreds of people depending upon their environment. Couple that with surveillance technology and you’ve just increased their vision; their eyes can be in many places at once. Link them by phone and radio to a back-up force and you have an on-call army. Basically, this new booth design protects the guard and empowers him to know what is happening within a larger perimeter. It allows rational judgments on the protection of the people and buildings under his watch.”
Marriott Suites’ Guests Benefit from Parking Control
October 2000
October 2000An architecturally-integrated parking booth helps identify the lot and keep non-hotel users from hogging the spaces.
Talk about a balancing act. In every urban area where parking is scarce, hotel managers are faced with the challenge of providing enough convenient parking for guests, without having those precious spots usurped by the employees and customers of neighboring businesses. Most often, management has little choice but to implement revenue control to discourage non-hotel users. Fortunately, through the judicious use of access control structures and systems, variable pricing, and a means of demonstrating value for their parking dollar, hospitality guests can be weaned from the pre-existing expectation of free parking.
In the case of Marriott Suites in Newport Beach, the parking problem posed a particularly acute dilemma. Completely surrounded by office and commercial buildings that mandated paid parking, the Marriott parking structure stood as the one free, car-haven for hundreds of yards. So customers that needed to go to the bank across the street, for example, would park in Marriott’s lot.
“The major users of our lot were from an office building next door,” confirmed Mark Bolten, general manager for the hotel. “Even more frustrating, non-hotel guests would park in our lot and then take our shuttle to the airport. So not only were our guests missing out on parking spots, but they were forced to compete with non-guests for a spot on the shuttle.”
Bolten realized that for the sake of his customers, the days of uncontrolled parking were numbered. Yet, he dreaded the thought of immediately erecting a Gestapo-like guard booth at the entrance to the lot and exacting a steep toll from all who entered.
The search for a solution
Like many large hospitality properties, Marriott Suites of Newport Beach contracted out the maintenance of their parking structure to an outside service. Mile Hi Valet Service, based in Denver, Colorado, handled the structure for this particular Marriott and a number of other Marriott properties throughout the country. As such, they represented the most logical place for Bolten to begin his search for a solution.
“Marriott first came to us about a year ago, with a request to lock down a facility that had previously been wide open,” recalled Jason Williams, Regional Manager of Mile Hi. “They explained that they wanted us to contain and control all the revenue collection at the site, yet they didn’t want a square, white, parking booth that looked like it was just slapped down.”
Early on, Marriott’s Bolten recognized the wisdom of utilizing a parking control structure that clearly identified the parking structure with that of the hotel. This would make it evident to unauthorized users that they would be trespassing onto hotel property. For that reason, he insisted that the parking collection booth must match the hotel architecture as much as possible.
Presented with this mandate, Valley Hi teamed up with Sentry Control Systems of Sun Valley, California. Their expertise could provide Marriott with the means of distinguishing hotel guests and convention visitors from unauthorized users, and provide an automatic assignment of the corresponding parking fee to be charged. However, the selection of the revenue collection structure turned out to be a joint venture.
“Ordinarily, the parking operator looks for a particular company to team up with to do their booths,” noted Doug Bonnell, Sales Executive for Sentry Control. “But Valley Hi already had someone in mind, and that made the selection process that much easier.”
“For the past few years we have mainly used booths manufactured by B.I.G. Enterprises, Inc™ [El Monte, California] for all of our projects, because of the quality of their booths,” said Valley Hi’s Williams. “The owners of the Marriott hotel were very picky. They wanted a parking-control booth that looked like it was built with the hotel: the same stucco, the same color scheme, etc. We knew that B.I.G. could meet these demands because of their demonstrated flexibility on other parking projects of ours.”
“The owners and I wanted something that was aesthetically pleasing,” said Marriott’s Bolten. “So the folks at B.I.G. gave me a catalog with more booths than I’ve ever laid eyes on. “We picked one part of one booth, another part of another, the body of one, the roof from another, and then we asked them to modify the windows all to fit our architecture.”
Installation
Once a final design was decided upon, construction of the booth began at a rapid pace. However, little needed to be done at the hotel site, since these booths are delivered to any site as fully approved, pre-fabricated structures. Once mounted on a cement pad and connected to available utilities, they are immediately ready for occupancy.
In June of 2000, the booth was ultimately installed on the exit side of the parking structure, with a card-swipe reader mounted on the side of the booth for motorists to reach from the driver’s seat.
By that point, Sentry Control Systems had stepped in to complete an equitable means of ensuring that hotel customers were accommodated first and foremost, and secondly, that the hotel could gain revenue.
“We implemented a system for hotel guests as well as single-day visitors who were going to attend a convention or a one-day seminar,” said Sentry’s Bonnell. “Guests just pay a per-night charge and can have unlimited in and out privileges with a guest card, which is a bar-coded ticket. Non-hotel users pull a ticket for revenue control upon entering the lot. They pay the maximum upon exit.”
“We decided to charge $8 per 24 hours for our overnight guests,” said Marriott’s Bolten. “We do have lower rates for shorter parking stays. Additionally, people who visit our restaurants and bars have two hours of complimentary parking. For seminars, conventions, and things of that sort, that’s all negotiated up frontÑso the parking charges have not changed that aspect of the business.”
Results
For twelve years, parking had been free at the Marriott Suites in Newport Beach. So management was prepared for some resistance from their regular customers during the transition. From the outset, Bolten and his staff communicated to their guests a sense of “value added” from the parking revenues.
“We believe that our customers will reap the benefits of the improvements we will add to the facility, thanks to the revenue we gain from the parking fees,” noted Bolten. “We now have extra funds to put in new furnishings, new health club equipment, more plants, etc. Just as important, parking control has freed up additional parking for our associates and guests. They no longer need be inconvenienced.”
Part of what makes this formula work, is the fact that the parking booth now identifies that parking structure with the hotelÑencouraging guests, while discouraging non-authorized persons.
“I always thought a booth, is a booth, is a booth. But to my surprise, I have gotten a lot of compliments on it,” said Bolten. “Even though it is closer to the office building next door, the booth is clearly identified as ours because it matches our architecture. I was pretty amazed that they were able to do that very quickly and within budget.”
“This booth certainly solved the problem for Marriott,” concluded Sentry Control’s Bonnell. “Everyone seems to like the design. We absolutely plan on using more B.I.G booths in the future for other parking projects.”
Prefab B.I.G. Booth at Temple Station is Just the Ticket
New ticket kiosk design for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) showcases custom details, and right-out-of-the-box convenience.
Los Angeles, CA – When SEPTA wanted a “special” booth for their new Temple Station ticketing facility, they turned to B.I.G. Enterprises, Inc. (www.bigbooth.com). Many companies represent they build “special” booths, but only B.I.G. Enterprises met the rigorous standards required by SEPTA for this prefabricated booth—one that would meet strict construction and superior architectural standards, and be both bullet-resistant, and ADA compliant. These features and benefits were only available in a B.I.G. booth. Many have tried to copy; none have matched B.I.G. Enterprises’ reputation as the leader in the Pre-Fab Booth Industry.
Both SEPTA and Temple University support transit-oriented construction projects that are secured against threat, and which maintain attractive, stylized architectural elements. Thus, against a vibrant backdrop of public art, The SEPTA ticket booth combines frank utility with smart urban design, right at the foot of the university’s train platform.
Inspired by B.I.G.‘s popular Convincer model, The SEPTA booth sports a slightly arched standing seam roof, and custom colors applied using B.I.G’s proprietary paint system. The booth’s stainless steel floor is covered with hard-wearing industrial rubber tile, and a stainless steel ramp and landing means that the heavily-traveled access areas are both durable and ADA-compliant.
Construction is bullet-resistant throughout (including bullet-resistant pass through tray), contains attractive laminate interior shelving, and is fully wired for communications, interior and exterior lighting, HVAC, and all telephone and data services. Each and every booth is made with the highest quality materials available, and B.I.G.’s customers have said that the manufacturing and engineering expertise is second to none.
Like all B.I.G. booths, The SEPTA is delivered fully prefabricated and ready for installation, so setting up The SEPTA was a snap; shipped in one piece, the unit was placed on its concrete pad, three wires were plugged in, and the booth was ready for use.
Though originally designed to serve as a ticketing booth, The SEPTA can be customized to serve any number of facilities or applications.
About B.I.G. Enterprises
Since 1963, B.I.G. Enterprises, Inc. of California has engineered and manufactured a comprehensive line of high quality, high-end, prefabricated security and revenue control booths. Their state-of-the-art selection of pre-assembled buildings include: guardhouses, cashier booths, portable shelters, and a variety of custom-made kiosks.
Washington D.C. Transit Ticket Office Improves Customer Security
The Anacostia Metrorail Station in Washington D.C. announces the installation of a large ticket booth to accommodate about 20,000 daily ticket buyers as well as addressing safety regulations for money handling. After choosing a prefab booth that employs ballistic technology, the head of WMATA’s Architectural Department indicated that their choice not only helps passengers feel safe but also promotes a positive image of the city’s mass transit system.
Los Angeles, CA. – September 29, 2010 – Given the task to create a large ticket booth for the Anacostia Metrorail Station in Washington D.C.’s 8th Ward, B.I.G. Enterprises (www.bigbooth.com) produced a bullet-resistant stainless steel booth to accommodate about 20,000 daily ticket buyers. Ed Riley, Head of WMATA’s Architectural Department said, “Our Anacostia sales office is more important for appearance’s sake. It helps passengers feel safe and it is a place that passengers want to visit. A well-designed and well-constructed sales office plays an important marketing role for us because as you know, Washington D.C. hosts events all the time.”
WMATA officials knew the security requirements for the sales office, but equally as important, they knew this structure could act as an instrument to promote the image of the city’s mass transit system. In 2005, the Anacostia Metrorail Station redevelopment first began as a way to revitalize Washington D.C.’s 8th Ward by creating a multi-modal transit facility and mixed-use hub for shops, apartments and government offices. The Mayor’s office headed the initiative as a way to revitalize the area, increase job opportunities and stimulate growth.
The unique design had to accommodate several specific factors, designing around a vaulted ceiling, and creating a structure that is easily maintained, durable, washable, secure, does not require paint and has ‘plug and play’ capabilities. There also had to be plenty of room for employees to work, the structure had to employ ballistic technology due to safety regulations for money handling, and it needed to safeguard the employees.
WMATA struggled with ideas for the sales office for many years due to the unusual conditions in the Metro Station. WMATA’s Riley commented, “The environment inside the stations is very harsh—brake dust comes off the trains and it gets all over the place. People and equipment knock things around, so durability is a necessity. Plus, it’s not like the sales office is inside a shopping mall where you can control HVAC. We rely upon the piston action of the trains to move air through the stations and the temperature is pretty stable because we’re deep underground. Even so, the environment is impacted by the winter and summer’s extreme temperatures flowing inward from exit doors,” added Riley.
“The Anacostia Station has served a valued purpose in helping to revitalize the 8th Ward and create new opportunities for its citizens,” said Mayor Adrian M. Feny.
Smokers Coming in From the Cold with “Smoke-Out” Booths
The requirement for smoke-free workplaces has led to a market for smoking booths—either indoor or outdoor enclosures that provide ventilated air and safer, weatherproof areas where smokers can take smoking breaks while neither leaving the premises nor exposing coworkers to secondhand smoke.
Los Angeles, CA. – October 20, 2010 – B.I.G. Enterprises (www.bigbooth.com), a California-based manufacturer of prefab structures, announces the availability of smoking booths, which allow smokers to come in from the cold—or heat—at work.
Because of the health dangers of secondhand smoke, workplaces in many states no longer allow smoking on work premises. A 2000 Gallup poll found that 95 percent of Americans, smokers and non-smokers, agree that companies should either ban smoking in the workplace or restrict it to separately ventilated areas. According to Danny McGoldrick, vice president for research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, “About 80 percent of people are nonsmokers, and they prefer to be in a smoke-free environment.” Currently in many workplaces smokers are relegated to outdoor spaces.
According to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication, a new low of 19.8 percent of adults in the U.S. smoke, compared to 25 percent in 1997. Thus, while smoking rates are declining, it seems apparent that discouraging smoking does not deter a “hard core” baseline of smokers. And even where smokers are required to go outside for a cigarette, consumption drops by only 10 percent.
While employers have a legal right to restrict smoking in the workplace or to implement a totally smoke-free workplace policy, some employers are deciding it’s better to keep smokers nearby rather than ban smoking. In some workplaces, workers who sneak cigarettes create hazardous conditions, and companies also worry about lost productivity.
One plastics plant, Formosa Plastics, completely banned smoking when the plant opened. In an environment where cigarettes and volatile chemicals could cause an explosion, this seemed to make sense. But a considerable number of the company’s employees, contractors and vendors smoke, and they were often caught sneaking cigarettes.
Ron Thomas, assistant manager of quality assurance, explains that they installed booths in safe areas instead of choosing to “fire and discipline people.” Violations have disappeared now that workers have ready access to safe smoking booths. Thomas feels the money spent on booths is far outweighed by neutralizing the risk of an explosion.
Employers can choose from B.I.G.’s indoor smoking shelters, which vent smoke either through exhaust or “smoke eaters,” and external smoking shelters, which provide smokers with protection from the elements.
Smoking booths can also ameliorate the problem of large numbers of cigarette butts strewn around outside smoking areas.
Recycling Facilities Increase Operational Efficiency
In the current tough business climate, recycling centers must maximize efficiencies in their operations at the same time they must address issues of security and equipment maintenance. Installing prefab scale houses provides up-to-date technology as well as necessary security measures for employees, customers, cash and physical property. Scale houses provide climate control, traffic control, and safety for vendors, suppliers, visitors and drivers as well as increasing attendants’ productivity.
Los Angeles, CA. – July 21, 2010 – Recycling facility operators are reporting an increased trend in the use of scale houses and control cabins to assist with operations at the front line, such as those manufactured by B.I.G. Enterprises (www.bigbooth.com), a California-based prefab booth builder.
With today’s fluctuating metal prices and increased labor, insurance, fuel, and equipment operating costs, the investments made when structuring and maintaining a recycling facility must be thoroughly calculated.
As in any industry, a vital aspect for recycling companies to consider during a tough economy is how to best manage operating costs. With hundreds of vehicles frequenting recycling facilities each day, the need for up-to-date technology and operational efficiencies is key in maximizing business potential in for-profit environments and skillfully utilizing taxpayer dollars in government-managed organizations. Necessary security measures for employees, customers, cash and physical property also become crucial.
The primary issues faced by facilities without a scale house are security and equipment maintenance problems. The security of company assets in an unconfined space as well as the threat from dust and weather can create an environment that is detrimental to necessary electronics such as computers and communications systems.
Uncontrolled environments that once plagued the operational efficiency at many facilities can now be eliminated with the purchase of a prefabricated scale house. Unlike manufacturing a structure onsite, prefabricated options avoid retaining an architectural firm, going through a lengthy permit process, finding a competent builder, and then waiting for a protracted construction process to play itself out.
In the case of Hennepin County Environmental Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota the primary functions found to be the most helpful were the climate control offered by the HVAC, traffic control, and safety for vendors, suppliers, visitors, drivers and attendants.
“It provides the same things a building would—security, safety from the elements, and it’s clean. Our employees keep saying that it’s so clean. They are also more productive with a climate controlled scale house, especially with our harsh weather,” said a representative.
“Now we have everything centered where we can greet our customers without having to leave the counter area where the computer displays the weight,” says a recycling manager.
“We can handle a few more trucks now because they aren’t kept waiting as long,” sums up one of the control cabin operators from the inbound side. “I’d say we save as much as 35% more time.”
9/11 Requires a Fundamental Change in Perimeter Security
The world changed for the Port of Houston Authority on September 11, 2001. Making one of the world’s busiest ports safe and secure requires a fundamental rethinking of security.
Los Angeles, CA. – March 2, 2010 – The concept of “security” changed in a fundamental way after 9/11 for ports around the world, and to address this challenge, the Port of Houston Authority selected Los Angeles–based B.I.G. Enterprises (www.bigbooth.com) to manufacture and deliver thirteen guard booths for all major points of entry.
The security challenges facing the leadership of America’s port authorities scarcely resemble the issues that confront managers of single buildings, skyscrapers, or even industrial parks. Most major ports are the size of small cities; they encompass a complex tangle of public and private enterprises, conflicting regulations, and varying agendas. Most challenging of all, ports are designed to make entry and exit easy and efficient, making site security especially challenging.
Houston’s issues are particularly difficult. A 25-mile complex of public and private facilities, just a few hours’ sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico, the port is ranked first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in total tonnage, and tenth in the world in total tonnage. In 2006 more than 200 million tons of cargo moved through the facilities. It’s also home to a $15 billion petrochemical complex – the largest in the nation and the second largest worldwide. All of it – despite its size and porosity – had to be made secure in a whole new way.
As the Port of Houston Authority examined its vulnerabilities, hardening the perimeter became a major issue. “That included things like increased fencing, closed circuit TV, card readers – a whole slew of products,” Managing Director Wade Battles recalls. Those types of infrastructure investments, more than personnel or procedural changes, made the most difference most quickly.
