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“We operate an opt-in model,” Partington said. “If you’re going to use the system, you’re going to voluntarily provide your metrics in exchange for an expedited experience. We think that’s very important, that fans can opt out if they’re not comfortable with it.”

Wicket, Totm Technologies, Inverid, and SecureAuth have each welcomed new executive talent into their ranks.

The first of them is face biometrics solution provider Wicket, which recently announced the appointment of Alastair Partington as President.

For press information, contact us at press@wicketsoft.com.

Wicket, the facial authentication platform provider, has announced the appointment of Alastair Partington as president.

Partington joins Wicket as part of the US-headquartered company’s investment in growth in its core sports & live events sector, while expanding into broader facial authentication applications across other industries.

Jeff Boehm has been appointed as the new chief marketing officer for facial authentication platform provider, Wicket. Boehm’s career has seen him progress through leadership roles at a number of successful technology firms, and, most recently serving as CMO of the 3D printing company, Formlabs…

The facial recognition platform Wicket named former Formlabs exec Jeff Boehm as its CMO yesterday, as the company continues to prioritize sports venue ticketing. At the 3D printing firm Formlabs, Boehm also served as CMO, specializing in the launch of proprietary products and global marketing.

Though only announced with TendedBar and with facial authentication software provider Wicket’s Cleveland operation, Banjeree sees many more potential uses, in other self-service bars, liquor vending machines, and other in-seat alcohol delivery operations.

Wicket has been among the leaders to deploy facial recognition ticketing through partnerships with MLB’s New York Mets, the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, and the Columbus Crew in MLS.

“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.