From Reactive to Controlled
How Ilkley Pool & Lido improved peak demand management with Xn Ticket Hub
Ilkley Pool & Lido is one of the region’s most popular outdoor swimming destinations, welcoming up to 1,500 visitors per session during peak periods.
But with demand driven by weather, seasonality and special events, managing capacity was a daily challenge.
The team needed a better way to plan ahead, manage entry and give customers more certainty before they arrived.
The Challenge
Before using Xn Ticket Hub, the team had limited visibility of daily demand. That made it difficult to plan staffing, manage capacity and prepare for busy sessions. As Josh, Duty Manager at Ilkley Pool & Lido, explains:
“We didn’t know what we were going to get day to day.”
On peak days, customers could travel from far away, queue for long periods and still not know whether they would get in.
“We had people travelling from a long way, queuing… and we still couldn’t guarantee they’d get in.”
A Turning Point
A power outage during a peak period exposed how difficult manual processes could become.
With on-site transactions and refunds affected, the team had to verify receipts individually and issue refunds by cheque.
“I had to verify every receipt and issue refunds manually… by cheque.”
It highlighted the need for a more structured and resilient approach.
The Solution
Ilkley Pool & Lido introduced Xn Ticket Hub to support bookings, session capacity and customer flow.
The system helped the team:
See demand in advance
Set clear session capacities
Plan staffing and stock more accurately
Manage entry more efficiently
Validate tickets quickly on arrival
Smarter Staffing
With advance bookings, staffing can now be planned around confirmed visitor numbers rather than guesswork.
“Without knowing what we were going to get, we had to staff for the busiest possible day.”
“We can optimise staffing levels a lot better now.”
Now, busy sessions can be properly resourced and quieter periods are no longer overstaffed.
A Better Customer Experience
Customers now arrive knowing they have a space.
Pre-booked tickets help reduce uncertainty, improve entry flow and make peak sessions feel more organised. Tickets can be scanned quickly across multiple devices, helping staff move visitors through more efficiently.
“Customers now know they’ve got a space before they arrive.”
Reduced Operational Pressure
By managing capacity in advance, the team has reduced:
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Overcrowding risk
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Last-minute staffing pressure
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The need to turn customers away
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Uncertainty at the point of entry
The result is a calmer, more controlled approach to busy days.
More Than Daily Swimming
Summer Solstice Swim
SEN sessions
90th anniversary celebrations
Dog Day weekend
The Results
Ilkley Pool & Lido has moved from reactive day-to-day management to a more planned and controlled way of operating.
Key results include: