Levy ’ s Tap + Go retail offering
being launched at other ASM Global venues in North America .
ASM Global has also been at the forefront of using artificial intelligence ( AI ) to enhance security and reduce queues at its venues . In July , it partnered with Evolv Technology to roll out a security screening system that uses AI to scan guests in real-time . Its AO Arena in Manchester became the first arena in Europe to use Evolv Express technology , which screens guests as they arrive at the arena , without them having to stop or remove items from pockets or policycompliant bags .
ASM Global director of safety security and risk Gary Simpson said , “ The detection technology has been used for some time in America , but this is the first such deployment
at an arena in Europe . Given the positive experience at the AO Arena we are planning a further roll out to other venues in Europe as part of our VenueShield programme .”
Alongside cashless payments , the use of QR codes became ubiquitous during the pandemic and are now regularly used for event ticketing . Ticketing service provider TICKETsrv has developed a mobile system for outdoor events that enables ticket QR codes to be scanned , tickets to be issued and payments to be made all via one small portable device .
The integrated on-the-day sales and event admission system records card and cash payments , and produces a QR coded ticket and / or receipt that can be set to scan at a separate checking point . It can also be used for ticket validation of advance online sales , QR coded badges and hard copy tickets .
“ Our USP is that we offer incredible flexibility in terms of the scanners we use , they can work anywhere , you can literally just walk up and start using them in the middle of a field ,” says TICKETsrv head of sales & marketing Sally-Ann Jay .
“ When it becomes necessary to open more gates , change venues or use an additional area of an existing venue in order to accommodate space requirements , the flexibility of the system really helps .”
As well as being multi-functional and mobile , Jay says there has been considerable investment in making sure the technology can speed up attendee access : “ We ’ ve worked really hard to make sure that our software is really good at grabbing the QR codes in order to speed up the process of checking tickets on the gate .”
NFTs in action Blockchain ticketing has been around for some time but the use of blockchainbased NFT ( non-fungible tokens ) ticketing is still in its infancy in the festival and wider events industry .
An NFT is a physical asset that has become digitised , with its value largely based on the fact it is unique data stored on blockchain .
This year saw Lost Village become one of the first UK festivals to deploy NFT technology at scale , working alongside NFT event ticketing service SeatlabNFT .
According to SeatlabNFT , its app was downloaded more than 4,500 times during this year ’ s 15,000-capacity weekend event . Attendees were encouraged to do so by the promise of an NFT membership card that provided access to an exclusive area of the festival site .
“ We ’ re excited to bring this innovative technology to the UK ’ s festival scene and show people that ticketing can be much more than just a form of access
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