SUMMER | SECTOR FOCUS
David Rothwell Melissa Atherton says . “ Traditionally , installing this infrastructure and technology into events can be tricky , but we have found a way .”
While not so much of a focus for outdoor event operators , in-seat ordering has become an increasingly popular option for arena operators and their customers due to the fact it avoids the need for queuing .
Mobile ordering and cashless had already started to increase in popularity but the pandemic accelerated the need for such technology . Companies such as Realife Tech have successfully rolled out Covid-safe apps for food and beverage orders at sports stadiums and arenas across the country .
AEG ’ s The O2 arena recently signed a multi-year partnership with app-based grocery delivery operation Gopuff for it to become the London venue ’ s food and beverage delivery partner .
Fans visiting the venue will now be able to avoid queuing for concessions and use rapid click-and-collect services in The O2 app , powered by Gopuff .
Software companies such as NOQ Group are also championing this activity but David Rothwell , payments consultant at card payment solutions company Dojo , says the continued use of the systems is simply a hangover from Covid .
“ I can ’ t see them taking off in a massive way ,” he says . “ They were great to get events going through Covid but I can ’ t see that continuing going forward .”
Crow says cashless is one of the biggest upward trends Bar Live has witnessed since before the pandemic . He says that , back in 2019 , Bar Live would typically work with around 10 till stations and 10 PDQ card reader machines but that is now likely to be only two cash tills and 20 hand-held payment devices , or in the case of events such as Nottingham ’ s Riverside Festival the bars are all fully cashless .
Cashless systems such as RFID can bring challenges says Crow : “ A reliable internet system is of course key and you need to ensure that a plan B is always in place . The next 12 months will see vastly improved on-site internet services with the goal to ensure 100 % success , or there will need to be the confidence in PDQs to hold the data they collect until reconnected to the internet .”
Rothwell adds , “ The Wi-Fi connectivity that festivals provide isn ’ t up to the mark and it ’ s so expensive for them to provide it . That ’ s a major issue now because event organisers aren ’ t paying money to allow any other devices to take payments for people .”
Paying the price As in every area of the UK events industry , concessions operators are having to cope with soaring costs . In recent months they have seen the cost of everything from moving equipment to purchasing produce go through the roof . Whiting says the real impact of rising costs is not likely to become fully clear for a year or two : “ Everyone has been so keen to get festivals up and running again after Covid , the increased costs have eaten heavily into profits on all levels of the industry . Organisers have had to take some big hits in this area and staffing has been problematic . We have all taken large pay cuts this year to get the ball rolling again .”
Laurie says the price of cooking oil has gone up by around 40 %, with some traders finding it difficult to access any at all . Among them is Baked Bird director Vimal Arumugam , whose business operates at summer events including the Wimbledon Championships , Wireless and Parklife .
Says Arumugam , “ You ’ d be surprised how many things come from Ukraine , such as wheat and sunflower oil . Those costs have escalated and we ’ re feeling the effects now . Even our chicken prices have doubled since last year .”
Laurie says the events catering sector is also still feeling the continued impact of the pandemic : “ A lot of talented people have left the industry , and we lost two years of people feeding through and getting on that first rung of the ladder in the event sector .”
Crow says the reduced availability of suppliers and what they were able to provide this season impacted Bar Live ’ s operational approach : “[ It ] became the basis of how the operation would be produced for many events , rather than the other way round . It ’ s been challenging , but the events industry is a hardy bunch and known for adapting to a changing landscape . It is what we do best .”
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