Step 1 - Read the following descriptions of two cinemas.
Kinepolis in Brussels is one of the largest cinema complexes in the world, with 28 screens, a total of 8,000 seats and four showings of each film every day. It is equipped with the latest projection technology (large screens, THX sound, Dolby stereo, Cinema Digital sound and Imax). All the film performances are scheduled to start at the same times every day: 4 pm, 6 pm, 8 pm and 10.30 pm. Most customers arrive in the 30 minutes before the start of the film. Each of the 18 ticket desks has a networked terminal and a ticket printer. For each customer, a screen code is entered to identify and confirm seat availability of the requested film. The number of seats required is entered and the tickets are printed, though these do not allocate specific seat positions. The operator then takes payment by cash or credit card and issues the tickets. This takes an average of 19.5 seconds; a further 5 seconds is needed for the next customer to move forward. An average transaction involves the sale of approximately 1.7 tickets.
The UCI cinema in Birmingham has eight screens. The cinema incorporates many 'state-of-the-art' features, including the high-quality THX sound system, fully computerized ticketing and a video games arcade off the main hall. In total the eight screens can seat 1840 people; the capacity (seating) of each screen varies, so the cinema management can allocate the more popular films to the larger screens and use the smaller screens for the less popular films. The starting times of the eight films at UCI are usually staggered by ten minutes, with the most popular film in each category (children's, drama, comedy, etc.) being scheduled to run first. Because the films are of different durations, and since the manager must try to maximize the utilization of the seating, the scheduling task is complex. Ticket staff are continually aware of the remaining capacity of each 'screen' through their terminals. There are up to four ticket desks open at any one time. The target time per overall transaction is 20 seconds. The average number of ticket sales per transaction is 1.8. All tickets indicate specific seat positions, and these are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. A central pre-booking facility is offered where customers can call a freephone number and order their tickets by credit card, for collection at their local cinema. There is a small charge for this service.

Step 2 – Reflect on the main differences between the two cinemas from the perspectives of their operations managers.
In other words, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the two different methods of scheduling the films onto the screens?
Step 3 – Find out the running times and classification of eight popular films. Try to schedule these onto the UCI Birmingham screens, taking account of what popularity you might expect at different times. Allow at least 20 minutes for emptying, cleaning and admitting the next audience and 15 minutes for advertising before the start of the film.
Step 4 – Visit your local cinema (meet the manager if you can). Compare the operations with those at Kinepolis and UCI, particularly in terms of scheduling.