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To delight millions of Disney park guests each year, Launch partnered with Disney to develop xConnect—the system powering MagicBand, an IoT-enabled wearable that unifies park access, payments, personalized experiences, and real-time data.
Everyone knows if you want a magical experience, you go to Disney parks. In the U.S. alone, 76 million people visit Walt Disney World and Disneyland every year.
A key component of the magic for millions of those guests? Convenience and up-to-date information, which means having their park tickets, hotel room keys, payments, and PhotoPass information constantly (and conveniently) at hand. Literally.
Guests use Disney’s MagicBand, an IoT wrist wearable that provides personalized information, to organize, drive, and enjoy their vacation experience. And Launch built the system that makes it all possible.
The challenge was Disney needed to create a reliable, real-time way to connect millions of guests to services across sprawling park environments. With increasing expectations for convenience and personalization, Launched needed to figure out a way to unify payments, park and hotel access, guest identity, and PhotoPass data into a seamless, magical experience—all without friction or lag.
Launch helped Disney engineer the experience behind the MagicBand, bringing real-time personalization and convenience to millions of guests worldwide.
Launch built the xConnect system, which completely reimagined how connected experiences could work and scale during busy times throughout the enormous parks. The xConnect platform allowed for:
xConnect manages all MagicBand events: contact readers, long-range readers, mobile payments, and the Administrative xConnect Dashboard. We built all these with Disney’s goal of easing pain points for guests while adding delightful new opportunities:
These added conveniences not only make for better experience at crucial touchpoints for guests—they also reduce friction and enhance points of potential extra revenue for Disney.
One huge feature MagicBand creates for guests is personalization. Wearing a MagicBand makes for more magical interactions, with cast members and characters being able to call guests by name and celebrate special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, etc., increasing brand loyalty and stickiness.
Finally, the xConnect Dashboard, designed and developed by a separate Launch team, uses analytics and AI to disseminate all that MagicBand data into insights the Disney team can use to make smarter park management and guest experience decisions.
The MagicBand has been a smash hit for Disney. It’s recognized as one of the largest and most successful launches of consumer wearable technology in a connected ecosystem. Since its launch in 2013, millions and millions of visitors have experienced the xConnect system.
Launch and Disney collaborated to bring the magic to life through data, creating:
With xConnect and MagicBand, Disney created a seamless, intelligent guest experience that delights millions and sets the gold standard for hospitality-driven innovation.
MagicBand has continued to scale with demand, integrating new smart features and special designs. It is truly a brand hallmark for Walt Disney World and Disneyland—and it has paved the way for brands across Sectors to add some hospitality to their products and services, too.
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