Lions implement new ticket technology
This year, Orlando City went paperless. Next year, it will “tap and go.”
The club announced an extended multiyear partnership with Ticketmaster earlier this week, which includes rolling out new ticket technology for 2018 that chief revenue officer Chris Gallagher called a “game changer.”
“As the fans are entering the stadium, they will simply just tap on what Ticketmaster is calling an enclosure — think of it like a kiosk — and there’s a screen on this device and they just tap their phone and they’re in,” Gallagher said. “So there’s no handheld scanner that has to worry about if there’s a weather issue if the sun’s shining on it. They just tap their phone and go.”
By the end of the 2017 Major League Soccer season, 65 percent of fans attending games used mobile tickets to enter Orlando City Stadium, according to Gallagher. The remaining 35 percent used physical tickets received at the stadium or season-ticket member cards.
Stadium employees at each gate used handheld scanners to scan the QR codes on mobile tickets or bar codes on the cards.
Gallagher said the new “tap and go” technology can be compared to what stores now use for credit-card payments or Disney’s entry system minus the fingerprint recognition.
“Think of a flat surface and a screen looking up; that’s where you tap and that screen will give you the green light or red light to go in,” Gallagher said. “We’ll probably program the screen to say, ‘Welcome to Orlando City’ or whatever it may be.”
The screen will be the size of a large cellphone and can be placed at the gates when needed and removed when events end. Gallagher said fans may not even have to physically tap their phones, despite the name used to describe the tech, because it may work when their mobile devices simply get the screen.
For 2018, season-ticket holders will need to opt-in if they want physical cards, which will now be RFID (Radio-frequency identification) cards so that they also work with the “tap and go” system.
The club expects the new technology to significantly speed up lines. Long lines and slow entry were an issue last season, but Gallagher said it had more to do with working out logistics in a new stadium and security backups due to the league’s clear bag policy, things he said the club will continue working to improve.
Employees will still man the gates on game days, but they will now serve more as greeters and troubleshooters.
“Orlando City SC is one of the most tech-forward organizations in MLS, paving the way for other venues and sports teams in North America to appreciate the immense benefits of adopting new ticketing and event management technology,” said Greg Economou, chief commercial officer for Ticketmaster North America.
The extended partnership also includes bringing concerts and live entertainment events to Orlando City Stadium, according to a statement released by the club Tuesday.
And digitizing tickets allows the club to further understand its fan base and identify everyone entering the stadium for events.
“Because of Ticketmaster’s technology, we can leverage the insights gleaned from our ‘smart stadium’ to better understand who’s entering the venue, what’s happening during an event and how we can use this information to improve fan engagement,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher expects the technology to be tested at other professional sporting events across the country over the next few months before rolling out at Orlando City Stadium when the 2018 MLS season begins in March. close to