Press

“But the biggest win that facial authentication delivers is the ability to handle large groups more easily. One person can redeem tickets for their entire group, and everyone can walk right through versus having to scan a ticket for everyone…”

Facial authentication systems at stadiums like First Energy Stadium in Cleveland, Citi Field in New York and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta are showing early positive results, with venue operators scheduling expansion plans after successful trials.

A podcast discussion with some of the foremost experts in the field, including our very own Jeff Josephson, on the way payments has changed and the future of biometrics in payments.

“One customer during the test pilot said every time he came up, there never was any line,” said Brandon Covert, vice president for information technology at the Browns.

Fans 21 and older can now opt into Wicket’s digital age verification by uploading a selfie and picture of their government-issued ID to the Browns’ mobile app.

Manandhar talked with SportTechie CEO Taylor Bloom at the AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium about the increasing acceptance of facial-recognition, and what teams should think about when consider whether to use it.

“It has greatly reduced the amount of time and friction that comes with entering the stadium.” “It’s so much faster,” Covert said… “We’ve had really good feedback from this.”

Wicket’s facial recognition ticketing system has been adopted by 20% of fans at Lower.com Field for entry into Columbus Crew MLS games.

Wicket CEO Sanjay Manandhar said that his company has thus far never had a case on its system inaccurately ID-ing a fan entering a stadium. “The Browns are going to be its third season now, and the opt-out rate (for Wicket) is 0%.”

The deal will see Wicket accelerate the deployment of its company’s facial recognition ticket entry system at sports venues that run on Verizon’s 5G network.

Verizon will now offer 5G Edge Accelerated Access to stadiums in partnership with Wicket, which includes opt-in facial authentication ticketing for fans entering a venue.

Leveraging Wicket’s cloud environment, 5G Edge Accelerated Access is an opt-in solution that uses video analytics, facial authentication, and optional ticket scanning that is enabled by a mobile edge compute infrastructure.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home to the Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer, is planning a trial with between 50 and 100 holders of season tickets in the club-seat section.

Eventually, tens of thousands of Falcons and Atlanta United fans may opt to enter the stadium via facial recognition or another form of biometrical authentication, rather than by pulling up mobile tickets on their phones.

Now, according to the company’s Chief Technology Officer Mark Brubaker, hundreds of fans have already signed up for Wicket’s Express Entry at Citi Field this season and uploaded a selfie to the MLB Ballpark app to take advantage of the stadium’s facial recognition systems.

Mets CTO Mark Brubaker sees the team’s partnership with Wicket’s facial authentication technology growing to many uses at Citi Field beyond ticket entry for fans.

The New York Mets are rolling out a face-based ticketing system for the 2022 season. The Entry Express solution was developed by the computer vision specialist Wicket, and uses facial recognition to verify the identities of fans and to check digital tickets as people enter Citi Field.

The Mets exhibited facial recognition ticketing system on Thursday at Citi Field as part of a showcase of the ballpark’s new amenities for 2022. Computer vision company Wicket has partnered with the Mets to add its facial ticket kiosks at all stadium gates after a pilot last season.

As part of the stadium’s digital renovation, Citi Field, in partnership with Wicket, has adopted face-recognition technology. The new feature, dubbed Mets Entry Express, will allow fans to opt-in and enroll to upload face recognition similar to that used by iPhones.

Esta tecnología empezó a probarse en el verano de 2020. En aquel momento, se usó para controlar la entrada de los jugadores al campo. Ahora, se instalará a partir del año próximo en las puertas de entrada principales del Citi Field.

Mets Entry Express is an optional face biometric ticketing program for faster, touchless ballpark entry through dedicated lanes, with easy online enrollment. 

Wicket, whose facial ticketing system has also been used by the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew, will officially serve as the Facial Authentication partner at Citi Field.

The New York Mets have chosen Wicket as their Facial Authentication partner at Citi Field to enhance the fan experience. The Mets and Wicket will focus on deploying a series of facial authentication applications at the ballpark.

“This technology has cut the time it takes to get into the stadium by more than 50 percent. When it comes to funneling thousands of fans into the stadium at the same time, this adds up to significant time savings.” 

“If you’re enrolled in the free Crew Express Access program it takes about a half a second for the Wicket Kiosk to recognize you, and you’re in. And with one scan, an entire group can walk in. With regular mobile ticketing, you can’t do that.”

Express Access is the latest initiative through the Browns’ Responsible Restart Plan, which was enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and will remain in place to provide fans with the safest and best possible experience when they attend Browns games at FirstEnergy Stadium.

SportsPro on Wicket: An innovator in stadium and venue tech solutions.

“‘Sports technology’ is an inherently amorphous and unwieldy term. In truth, technology is having a revolutionary impact on all parts of modern sports, from how it’s played to how it’s administered to how it’s consumed.”

“Our priority is to provide personal, convenient, and accessible encounters for fans that deliver a frictionless experience from the time of arrival, and that is why we have partnered with Wicket.”

In partnership with Wicket, the Crew Express Access Program at Lower.com Field will allow fans to enter the stadium with one glance at an iPad, creating the first truly frictionless ingress experience.

Wicket’s CTO, Sanjay Manandhar, was among the 60 individuals chosen who create, customize, sell and operate the technologies that make it possible for stadium and arena operators to tackle modern stadium facility issues.

SBJ speaks with Wicket about Future venues, which they feel will rely on connectivity, artificial intelligence, and a blending of realities to create personal encounters for fans while retaining a sense of community.

When it comes to Facial Authentication, “like credit cards… [concern] went by the wayside very quickly because the convenience is too much.”

“You could see the excitement on their faces, never having to pull out their phones to show an electronic ticket.”

Kim Rometo, CIO of the Miami Dolphins, discusses the possibilities of expedited entry with Wicket technology.

Ben Fisher from Sports Business Journal checks in with The Cleveland Browns to discuss their partnership with Wicket