APRIL | OPINION
Safe-topia
Jason Thomas, global CEO of Tappit, says festivalgoers expect
more from their event experience than ever before, from engaging
immersive experiences to a safe and friendly environment
W
hilst there are
countless elements
that contribute to
the overall success of a festival,
fan safety should be the number
one concern for organisers. With
ever-increasing competition
for consumer spend, the rapid
pace of innovation means that
every event must be innovative,
memorable and safe to ensure
the sustainability for the next
decade.
Taking RFID to the next level
2020 will undoubtedly see
the rise of new and essential
technological safety features
such as child trackers that emit
an audible alarm if the child
wanders over 30ft away, as
well as wearables such as RFID
wristbands. RFID wristbands
can help solve the problem of
kids wandering off at a busy
festival by retaining emergency
contact information of a parent,
guardian or friend. These
emergency details will then be
stored digitally on the RFID chip
in the wristband when attendees
arrive on site. This functionality
isn’t just restricted to children
- as it can contain emergency
contact details when a person
is unresponsive as a result of
alcohol or drug misuse, or from
another medical emergency.
Supporting responsible
consumption and improving
safety is a big challenge
for event organisers. Some
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cashless and RFID systems can
also incorporate technology
which enables vendors to
block further payment from
wristbands if they feel it isn’t
safe for attendees to keep buying
alcohol, ensuring the safety of
bar staff and fans alike.
Facial recognition scanning
One advance which has benefits
around safety but has been
notoriously controversial
is facial recognition. First
implemented in the UK at
Download 2015 where attendees
were checked against a live
database of wanted criminals,
it has since proven to be a topic
for furious debate. Biometric
surveillance companies
identified music festivals as a
huge potential market for such
technologies, applying them as
a way to limit illegal activities
as well as slash queue time.
Whilst the technology has good
intentions for the industry, the
execution and accuracy have
come into question in recent
years.
Artists and activists alike
have voiced their concerns
regarding the inaccurate bias,
lack of privacy and targeted
adverts from the scanning
system, with musicians such
as Rage Against the Machine
guitarist Tom Morello saying,
“I don’t want Big Brother at
my shows targeting fans for
harassment.” Ticketmaster
themselves have also recently
taken a step back from a
surveillance technology
company that it invested in
last year, proving that the jury
is still very much out on this
development.
With a focus towards
harnessing the unrealised
positive outcomes of facial
scanning - and limiting the
negatives - 2020 could be the
year to prove that this tech
really can change festival safety
for the better.
5G will transform live events
5G will play an instrumental
role in boosting fan engagement
and enhancing their festival
experiences. With Glastonbury
spearheading this new wave
of data provision by trialling
5G network from EE this year,
capacity for fan engagement
will continue to accelerate next
year. The increased use of 5G
will enable the thousands of
attendees to use immersive
technologies such as Augmented
and Virtual Reality, and
360-degree video, which will
not only encourage attendance
in the first place, but also give
the festival-goers a unique and
captivating experience like no
other.
The ease of access to social
media will also make it
particularly easy for festival
fans to share their good
and bad experiences across
social, allowing organisers
to pinpoint and rectify them
before they get out of control.
The safety benefits of 5G rollout
are also significant, allowing
clear communication lines
throughout the weekend and
avoiding issues associated with
inevitable group separation and
communication limitations.
When it comes to festivals
of the future, the fundamental
mentality should be the safer
the better. By harnessing new
technologies and developing
pre-existing ones, 2020
festivals will be more secure,
more seamless and even more
memorable, for all the right
reasons.