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event access control

Streamline Event Access Control with Facial Authentication

When you’re in the business of running events, delivering a thrilling environment with a wide variety of activities is the recipe that brings attendees back time and time again. Of course, while these often involve expensive investments to create premium experiences, there are many practical realities of managing traffic and access that can kill the magic if they aren’t handled well. 

One key place where event organizers need to be on the lookout for annoying gate-checking processes with frustrating lines for attendees is at internal access points. In addition to feeling redundant—especially the third or fourth time someone’s forced to fish for a badge—these processes often affect patrons who have invested a lot of money for exclusive interactions and backstage passes.

Fortunately, there’s a technology that’s revolutionizing event access control and enhancing the overall event experience. Facial authentication systems can confirm attendee information with a simple scan while adding a celebrity-status vibe to the process. Not only does it make it easy for operators to save money and space, but these flexible platforms can be used for a range of other use cases.

“Don’t You Know Who I Am?”

Unlike a politician at a traffic stop, this is a perfectly understandable question from an event attendee who’s already shown their ID multiple times inside the same building. People seeking premium experiences are paying to be treated like they’re special—because they are! In many cases, someone who’s standing in line to meet an artist after a concert has paid more for that one opportunity than everyone else. 

When these favored guests are stopped by every security guard and asked to prove they are allowed to be where they are, it creates a sense of separation, toleration, and indignation between attendees and a premium experience, even when these checks are completely necessary. 

Conference Congestion

Event access control problems aren’t just limited to the most restricted areas, either. Conferences and nonprofit events often have multiple speakers, activity areas, and meeting rooms that all have to be monitored. These may experience high volume foot traffic, and manual badge checking can quickly lead to congestion, delays, and impatient attendees. 

Worse, traditional solutions usually involve many staff members, and it’s an expensive proposition that can actually make the problem worse. Space is often a significant concern, and injecting more people into the problem can create diminishing returns at the bottleneck. 

How Facial Authentication Works

The ideal solution for event access control issues should make verification a quick and easy process for attendees that also delivers reliable credentialing for staff. Facial authentication systems take care of both concerns while adding an additional benefit: 

They save event hosts money. 

The technology achieves this by offering attendees the option of linking a selfie to their ticket information. When they pass by any access point equipped with a facial authentication platform, a quick scan by the tablet recalls their ticket and access details from their biometric data in a fraction of a second. They never have to be stopped by security and produce an ID, and the 2-factor authentication linking their face to their credentials means there’s no question who a badge belongs to. 

This allows event organizers to make the most of their space, resources, and personnel, all while delivering a sensational technology interaction for attendees. And while it’s a fast and secure system for managing event access challenges, that’s only the beginning of what facial authentication can deliver. 

Enhancing Premium Experiences

People who invest in special access at events want to be blown away with immersive and personal experiences they simply can’t get anywhere else. Promoters spare no expense delivering on that promise, and it starts the moment these valuable guests walk through the door. 

Facial authentication systems make event access control feel less like a security checkpoint and more like a runway with a unique and dazzling tech interaction that won’t leave them stuck in line. Plus, their status follows them throughout an event, allowing staff to recognize and greet them with benefits and extra perks at every access point instead of another irritating badge request. 

Reduce Space, Redeploy Staff

Nobody wants to be stuck in a mass of humanity when they’re waiting to get into an event, and traditional ticketing and internal access strategies can actually exacerbate the problem. More staff checking tickets and badges means more people clogging up an entry point, and space is often already at a premium. 

Facial authentication speeds up lines throughout the venue by 300% or more, and it allows operators to reduce the footprint for lines and people management. That frees up event staff to focus on enhancing the attendee experience and opens up more space for vendors and kiosks. 

In fact, the identical platform that helps inside can make its biggest speed and cost-saving impact at the front door where the biggest crowds often form. By leveraging facial ticketing, event organizers can set and fun and vibrant tone from the moment attendees arrive. 

ID Verification

One of the slowest parts of traditional event check-in platforms is the need to individually verify each attendee’s ID. If there are age-restricted activities inside, like alcohol sales, this can be an unavoidable line-forming process and a potential liability. 

With facial authentication, guests can also choose to add an ID along with their selfie which is instantly verified upon arrival. That means guests will be in the door, browsing vendors, and enjoying everything an event has to offer instead of wasting time with manual ID confirmation. 

Make Navigating Your Next Event a Breeze

With facial authentication, everyone who comes to your next event will feel like they’re first in line. Whether it’s delivering a richer environment with organic traffic flow or facilitating unparalleled access for guests seeking ultra-premium experiences, facial authentication platforms will streamline every event access control point with state-of-the-art accuracy and reliability. 

These are just a few ways that facial authentication can benefit event organizers in the sports, conference, nonprofit, and event industries. Find out more about how these systems can shorten lines and boost revenues from the front gate to every point of sale. 

About Wicket

Wicket Software is a privacy-first facial authentication platform provider with patented computer vision AI technology that enables sensational event experiences for fans, guests, and employees with frictionless touchpoints that delight users and strengthen security.

Wicket has been in use since 2020 and deployed for facial ticketing, credentialing, access control, and payments in numerous sports stadiums, at major conferences, and in corporate office environments.

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