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The global event management industry was worth 1,135.4 billion US dollars in 2019 and is expected to reach 1,552.9 billion US dollars by 2028 according to Allied Market Research. The top events market stakeholders include corporations, public organizations, and NGOs.
Event industry statistics suggest that the sector will see full in-person events recovery sometime in 2023, after the devastating effects the Covid-19 pandemic had on this industry during 2020 and 2021.
The pandemic and the fear that worse pandemics could appear in the future has accelerated the adoption of biometric technology, especially when we discuss large-scale events.
Event venues, event planners and event managers are looking to apply contingency measures to protect them from future pandemics. Among these measures includes contactless access for control, ticketing, and payments.
Thus, large events are most likely to experience a surge in biometrics implementation in the coming years. As of today, early adopters report successes in their experiences with biometrics, and there is a growing number of potential customers.
However, although now ticketing, payment and control access are the most common applications of biometrics, there are many other benefits that biometrics can offer to the events industry:
Usually, registration is a must to gain access to an event. Traditionally, attendees need to sign in (print or digital); identify themselves by showing some sort of ID and show a proof of purchase, like a ticket or admission form. With biometrics, event registration is streamlined for attendees and organizers. It only requires the biometric patterns of the attendee (fingerprint, face, iris, etc.) The technology can be implemented in the preregistration process or during in-person registration.
Biometric authentication avoids printing tickets to access the event’s venues. All the attendees need is using their fingerprint or face to be identified. Additional benefits are that purchased tickets can’t be lost or damaged; tickets can’t be falsified; and as no printing process is needed the whole process is much more sustainable and friendlier to the environment.
Using biometric authentication for registration speeds-up the check-in process and alleviates the staff that have the task of checking-in guests. The overall process is smoother, quicker and much more accurate.
At any event there are restricted areas either for staff only or VIP areas. Using biometric authentication for access control secures that only the people who are supposed to be in these areas get in as well as offering an audit trail that shows who has entered the restricted areas.
The technology for crowd analytics is still in development, and the concepts are at a testing stage. However, the main idea is that by using face recognition event organizers can obtain data on what the attendees enjoy most about the event and use that information to offer better experiences. Thus, they can avoid carrying out surveys to optimize their experiences offer.
Enhancing security by implementing biometric authentication is the greatest advantage for organizers. Not only by eliminating the use of fake IDs or false tickets. Biometrics grants that only registered or authorized people can access the venue, and/or restricted areas and face recognition can be used to allow payments for food, beverages, and merchandising charging purchases on a pre-registered card.
Data obtained through crowd analytics can help marketers to better understand the attendees’ experience and target their marketing to the objective audience that would benefit or enjoy their events. Nevertheless, it must be said that organizers need the prior consent of attendees to both collect and hold their data for processing, in order to ensure GDPR compliance.
Last August, as sponsors of Klaas Zwart’s Car Team, B-FY piloted our no-passwords access system in the VIP area at Jack’s Racing Day 2022 (Netherlands). It was the first time ever that a car racing event used such innovative access technology.
B-FY invited volunteers to download the mobile application that would allow them to use the secure B-FY technology to enter and enjoy the VIP zone. Over 100 volunteers at TT Circuit Asse downloaded the event app on their mobile phones and followed the indications given by the B-FY team.
They had the opportunity to experience first-hand how fast, easy, and precise access to a venue can be: No usernames, no passwords, just the person and his/her mobile phone. Their biometric data remains in their mobile phone, so data privacy risks and fraud become a thing of the past.
B-FY is the most modern authentication technology, that identifies people through their mobile devices in the fastest, easiest and most secure way.
Volunteers were rewarded with access to the private Jaguar team box on Sunday, for a meet & greet with the team. They had a great user experience accessing the VIP area with B-FY, as well as a fantastic opportunity to come as close to a car racing team a person can ever get.
The test was a great success. If you want to know more about how B-FY can help in securing your event with our unique solution, ask for a free demo.