Our weekly tech round-up from the world of ticketing and associated industries…
Brentford picks TM tech
Premier League club Brentford FC said Ticketmaster’s ticket exchange was the key reason for it selecting the business as its new ticketing partner.
The club, enjoying its second successive season in England’s top flight, said fans will benefit from Ticketmaster’s full range of technologies, including 3D virtual venue and digital tickets. It said Ticketmaster’s ticket exchange was “a key deciding factor” in the club choosing its technology solutions from summer 2023.
Jon Varney, Brentford chief executive, said: “We believe that their platform will make it easier for our fans to buy tickets and manage their ticketing accounts. Their ticket exchange in particular was one feature that we were impressed with. It’s intuitive and easy to use – and this will be really important for us as we look to maximise seat occupancy going forward.”
Brentford this week introduced a new ‘every seat counts’ policy in a bid to fill its Gtech Community Stadium for all league home games.
FNB Stadium targets fake tickets
More than 20 cameras have been installed at Johannesburg’s vast FNB Stadium to catch criminals selling fake tickets ahead of this weekend’s derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
Stadium Management SA (SMSA), the operator of the 95,000-capacity venue, said 24 cameras have been installed around the stadium precinct, with some deploying licence plate recognition technology, in a bid to prevent the illicit ticket sales that dogged a recent high-profile match. The venue, which hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, has also switched ticketing provider and is now working with Ticketpro.
“When you arrive at the venue, with the current scanning system it’ll clearly indicate if you’ve got a fake ticket… you’ll then be referred to a verification point, if it’s not clarified or cleared as a legitimate ticket you’ll be removed,” SMSA managing director Bertie Grobbelaar told the Sowetan news site.
Venuetize seeks motorsports growth
Venuetize, the Everi-owned venue platform, is seeking growth in motorsports through a new strategic agreement with 1839 Labs that will debut at the new Formula 1-compliant Balaton Gate Motor Speedway in Hungary.
The pair’s collaboration will expand the mobile experience across the FIA grade A racetrack property as its resort and additional hospitality projects are completed. Venuetize, which offers services such as payments, navigation, ticketing and security, said it will then seek new partnerships at racetracks around the world, such as F1, NASCAR, MotoGP and other motorsports.
J.P. Bonin, chief executive of 1839 Labs, said: “After significant market research, we concluded that the Everi’s Venuetize platform provides a key component to our Smart Buildings IoT ecosystem being deployed throughout all the Balaton Gate projects. 1839 Labs, in combination with Venuetize is creating specifically tailored fan engagement tools and other mobile-first hospitality elements. In conjunction with other proprietary technologies, we will deliver a state-of-the-art mobile experience unmatched at any other motorsports venue.”
HappsNow unveils first digital collectible tickets
Event management platform HappsNow is to launch its first-ever digital collectible tickets through a partnership with Web3 ticketing software platform Gybsy.
HappsNow – whose clients include PGA Tour events – is creating a new interactive fan experience for ticket holders before, during and after events. In addition to providing a limited-edition collectible keepsake for the attendee, the new ticketing solution allows HappsNow to create fan communities of digital collectible ticketholders that gain access to exclusive rewards, merchandise, entrance to events, meet and greets and premium seats.
Ryan McCann, chief executive of HappsNow, said: “Our partnership will allow us to provide our client base the ability to control secondary sales as well as build a loyalty and rewards program utilising the Gybsy platform.”