Venues New South Wales (VNSW) has issued a tender for facial recognition systems to be deployed at Stadium Australia (Accor Stadium) and Western Sydney Stadium (Commbank Stadium). The “estimated date of approach to market” is listed as Q2 2024/2025.
VNSW owns and operates a portfolio of publicly-owned sports and entertainment venues in the state.
While tender does not specify what facial recognition will be used for in the stadiums, biometrics have been finding uptake for a wide variety of use cases in the public event space, from ticketing to digital credentials to concessions payments.
Veridas system enables entry for 60 people per minute at Soccerex
Spain’s Veridas has partnered with Soccerex to provide biometric access control at its events through facial recognition. A deployment at Soccerex in Amsterdam in June 2024 proved successful, leading to plans to use the system at Soccerex events in Miami and Hollywood. At Chase Stadium in Miami, the firm will present a keynote entitled “From Fans to Funds: How Your Club Can Increase Revenue Through Enhanced Fan Engagement.”
“Partnering with Veridas allows us to showcase the latest innovations in stadium management,” says Patrick McCreanor, CEO of Soccerex LLC. “We chose Veridas because of their proven success in deploying facial access technology across stadiums in Europe, Latin America, and the USA. Their solution, known for unmatched speed, rapid one-week installation, and seamless automated identity verification, was successfully implemented at our Amsterdam edition and now expands to elevate the entire event in Miami.”
Veridas has deployed biometrics for football clubs in LaLiga in Spain and the ANFP in Chile. It recently provided access control for the SportsPro AI event at London Stadium using its Veridas Flow facial access system, and teased a deployment of 300 units of Flow at “one of the largest football stadiums in America.”
Kevin Vreeland, general manager for USA at Veridas, says facial access not only streamlines entry and enhances security for venues, but also drives operational efficiency and significant revenue growth for clubs.
“By enabling access for over 60 people per minute, our technology allows fans to spend more time enjoying the event, which can boost concession sales by up to 20 percent,” Vreeland says. “We’re excited to demonstrate how Veridas can transform the fan experience.”
Facial recognition for security helps nab nasty fans
Between revenue growth, tighter security and operational efficiency, there is an entire ecosystem of reasons for stadiums to deploy face biometrics. Veridas notes that fan engagement can be a major revenue driver, and that biometrics and digital ID tools enable personalized offers, exclusive content and new sponsorship opportunities.
For some venues, the security that facial recognition provides has become non-negotiable. Bein Sports reports on the case of Atlético de Madrid, the Spanish club that has prohibited the wearing of face coverings in its stadium, after several fans had to be expelled for abusive behavior.
Biometrics for security were also in the mix at Yankee Stadium, where New York fans interfered in a recent World Series game.
Chick-fil-A Bowl uses ID.me identity verification to fight bot purchases
A release from the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl says the college football game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium is using digital verification from ID.me for ticketing, to “guarantee a secure transaction platform and an enhanced purchasing experience by verifying fans’ identities during the buying process.”
“ID.me is proud to partner with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to create a user-friendly, secure ticket purchasing experience for college football fans,” says Taylor Liggett, chief growth officer at ID.me. “Bot purchases and other fraudulent practices can increase prices and reduce access to tickets. ID.me’s identity verification solution ensures that tickets are reserved for verified fans.”
IDmission and Pubinno offer facial verification for self-serve beer
IDmission has also found business in the sports world, partnering with digital beverage dispenser company Pubinno to create what a release calls an “automated system for self service draft beer sales at sports and entertainment venues.”
The Pubinno Smart Tap equipped with IDmission’s GameFace product uses automated facial recognition and ID fraud detection to authenticate ID and perform age verification, then charges a pre-authorized credit card and automatically dispenses a drink into a glass. Customers initiate a purchase by scanning a QR code on the Pubinno Smart Tap, which prompts facial verification.
“Fans at the game don’t want to wait in a lineup, especially to show their drivers license,” says Ashim Banerjee, founder and CEO of IDmission. “Our experience in worldwide sporting events shows a preference for a quick self-serve purchase, and now the Pubinno system extends this to high quality draft beer and cocktails.”
From IDmission’s self-serve alcohol purchases, to Veridas’ facial authentication to prevent ticket fraud and resale, to ticketing and credential programs powered by Clear, Wicket and NEC, the big event biometrics market is heating up. Use cases continue to emerge. Leagues continue to see benefits. For firms in the field, it’s game on.
Article Topics
access control | biometric payments | biometric ticketing | biometrics | CLEAR | face biometrics | ID.me | IDmission | Veridas | video surveillance
