Famous International Destination
Gateway Arch Riverfront Launches New Website

Features New Design, Improved Usability and
Enhanced eCommerce Capabilities

January 31, 2007 – Avon, Colo and St. Louis, Mo – RTP Interactive, a division of RTP, LLC, announced today the launch of the newly designed website for the Gateway Arch Riverfront (www.gatewayarch.com).  The new website, designed by RTP Interactive, an award-winning web design and development firm, features a new, more contemporary design, improved usability and improved e-Commerce capabilities.

Visited by millions of visitors each year, The Gateway Arch Riverfront is one of America’s most popular destination attractions, offering a variety of activities, educational programs and event services for daily visitors, group functions, special events, and corporate functions.  In addition to the famous Arch, the Gateway Arch Riverfront has a variety of things to do and see, including the famous Tram Ride to the Top of the Arch, the Historic Old Courthouse, the Museum of Westward Expansion, the award-winning documentary, “Monument to the Dream,” bike rides, and helicopter tours. 

“We are thrilled with the new website,” said Tom Etling, Director of Marketing for Gateway Arch Riverfront.  “RTP Interactive exceeded all of our expectations with their design and usability expertise.  Additionally, the new site is much more scalable, and will allow us to more easily add additional user tools and functionality to the site.”

The main goals of the website’s redesign include a new look and feel, an improved user experience for the various visitor types, and improved ecommerce ticketing capabilities for the numerous activities offered by the Gateway Arch Riverfront.  The new website will be deployed in two phases; the first phase includes the launch of the new design and usability enhancements, and the second phase will include e-Commerce enhancements for ticket and activity sales.   

“It’s a privilege to partner with one of the most popular national monuments in North America,” said Jerry Nichols, Vice President of RTP Interactive.  “The Gateway Arch Riverfront offers a truly unique experience to all of its visitors, and we wanted to ensure that their visitors’ experiences started with a good online experience on the new website, including trip planning, buying tickets to activities and learning more about the unique history of the Arch and all it has to offer.” 

RTP Interactive’s user-centric design approach identifies a site’s numerous visitor types, also known as “personas,” to create a unique user experience for each of the different personas.  The Gateway Arch Riverfront’s website attracts various personas, including daily visitors, tour operators, and educational, corporate and wedding groups, each requiring different information for their specific needs.  The site’s new design enables the users to navigate quickly and easily throughout the site, finding the information that is relevant to them, whether it’s organizing a trip for their school, taking a Riverboat Cruise, planning a dream wedding, or taking out-of-town visitors for a day at the Arch. 

“It’s been over a decade since we’ve done a major update to the website,” continued Etling.  “As a national monument, we wanted the new website to be of the same caliber of other famous monuments.  The new site truly represents the uniqueness of the Gateway Arch Riverfront, and its unique place in America’s history.”

About Gateway Arch Riverfront

The Gateway Arch Riverfront, located in the center of downtown St. Louis, includes one of America’s favorite destinations, the Gateway Arch. The campus draws millions of visitors each year from around the world. The Gateway Arch Riverfront allows people to connect with the past and present by strolling through the Old Courthouse or Museum of Westward Expansion, riding to the top of the Gateway Arch, witnessing the award–winning documentary about the building of the Gateway Arch or admiring the area’s natural beauty.

Contact Information:

RTP Interactive:  Laurie O’Connell, 970.477.4857, laurieo@rtp.com
Gateway Arch Riverfront:  Tom Etling, 314-982-1528