JULY/AUGUST | SECTOR FOCUS
SECONDARY ISSUE
RFID RENAISSANCE
Simon Carpenter, business development
manager at Gigantic, strongly believes
radio frequency identifi cation (RFID) is
the next big trend for the industry.
“If you’ve walked through the gates at
some of the UK’s biggest music festivals
recently, including Standon Calling
and Eastern Electrics, you’ve probably
experienced RFID technology. Using
radio signals, the ‘smart bracelet’ has
been dubbed a badge of honour for many
festival fans who love the concept.
“As it fast becomes a tangible
technology for small and grassroots
festivals to use as well, I’m certain it’s
40
going to take off . It’s not just about
shorter queues and cashless payments,
which I am sure is something everyone
will be on board with. If developed and
managed correctly then RFID technology
can truly enhance the festival experience
for the fans, as well as improve the
event operation for the organiser. RFID
technology can help create a safer
festival site by eliminating fraud. Unlike
traditional paper tickets, RFID wristbands
are impossible to copy or duplicate, so
if the fan loses theirs, real-time control
of ticket data means the wristband can
quickly be deactivated.
“This all sounds amazing, right? But
working out the strategy can be tough
and many things can also go wrong if
the RFID infrastructure isn’t developed
correctly. Poor internet connectivity can
bring the whole operation to a halt, so load
testing and coverage needs to be planned
accordingly; managing data securely and
in line with new GDPR regulations must
be fi ne-tuned; and staff and contractors
must be trained in how to deal with the
advance in technology.”
After 20 years in the industry,
Mo Jones (director at
TheTicketSellers) believes one of
the biggest problems facing the
ticketing industry is still ticket
fraud.
“When it comes to sell out
events, the secondary market
of onward sales is an on-going
challenge for ticketing agencies
and event organisers – through
more sophisticated technologies
and new ticketing applications
we are trying to reduce fraud
related to our client’s events.
“We issue tickets as close to
the event date as possible, and for
those that have tickets they can
no longer use, we off er a resale
platform where individuals can
get their money back and the
tickets are sold onto a waiting
list. On top of this, we have been
investing in new technology and
a forward-thinking solution that
we plan to launch early next year
aiming to reduce the likelihood of
fraud – so watch this space.”
When asked how the
sector is changing, Jones
highlighted the increased
use of smart phones to
gain entry to events.
“It goes without saying
that we’re in a digital
age and approximately
50% of event attendees
at our client’s events last
year presented their ticket
at the gate on their smart
phones as opposed to paper
form. This means that scanning
devices needs to be very effi cient
in reading screens as well as
paper to avoid long queues. Last
year, we invested £300k in new
scanning kit that is not only fast
but also NFC.