Access All Areas April 2018 | Page 34

APRIL | COVER FEATURE freedom is blockchain. BitTicket co-founder Phil Shaw- Stewart says the technology is transparent and allows for fair and secure transactions. “It is very much an emerging technology. It cannot be applied to all problems yet, but it’ll be involved in logistics, sta ng, and will be embedded in all our lives and we won’t know it. It is the future. “ Is there a future challenge to blockchain? Sort of, Revill comments. “Quantum computing technology could in theory unlock anything anywhere, but ‘hashing’ – the method via which blockchain is secured - is still orders of magnitude more di cult too unpick than traditional encryption.” GDPR, Revill continues, has been a game changer for data. “Data breeches historically meant someone getting access to data, stored somewhere. GDPR involves how you are using it, and if it was 28 “EDM artists in particular are pushing the boundaries,” consented to. Not just data, but data and the purpose are in lock step now. “The whole of the EU will be under GDPR, and any activity in the EU. If a person from the US is at an event in the UK, it still counts,” Revill adds. - Graham Miller head of music & touring at Creative Technology ASHL ESS I S AL SO TAK I NG OF BitTicket’s Shaw-Stewart alludes again to the risk/reward balance, this time when handling your cash at festivals. “The idea that you can top up your wristband with money and not lose spare change – and that you can buy anything on site is the future for festivals. But, previous festivals have failed at cashless. It takes a lot of trust for the vendor. “Tomorrowland pioneered a top-up card which enhanced everyone’s experience. You could also associate your card with the wrist band so you don’t run out of Below: Tomorrowland in full illumination money.” He adds that petty crime was nullified because of the bands. But what about the show experience? Graham Miller, head of music & touring at Creative Technology, says the bar is being raised on production, but this is weighted to certain sectors. “Video at events, LED screens, etc, are being pushed forwards, especially at EDM events. Organisers want a better look and feel, and dance artists in particular are pushing the boundaries. Meanwhile, budgets are differing. maller festivals want the same for less, but there will be other sectors putting in newer technology and one of those areas is building more cashless payment infrastructures.” A more holistic look is emerging at festivals, and the technological infrastructure is critical to achieving this. “Fibre networks allow organisers to transmit video all around a site, and handle cashless payments, and cctv for security,” says Miller. “It’s already happening, but we’re encouraging it more in the UK.” Adam Hornblow, CEO, PSL Media Group adds that organisers will try and cut costs and get better value. “We installed holographic video and soundwave field synthesis at Knebworth, and this was the first of its kind. e are looking into creating themed rooms, with projected holographics, and ways to make sound come from a specifified point so maybe in the room you can have people walking around a piano that isn’t even there. It’s a projection.” Sound volume is also an area of contention as local authorities try to keep residents happy, while visitors rave into the wee hours. avefield synthesis doesn’t allow you to increase the volume cost effectively yet. A stadium size venue would cost tens of millions. Therefore, point source is a specialist area for us and we can make sure