Facial-authentication technology provider Wicket announced that deployments of its technology for stadium ticketing and entry applications have passed the 1 million successful entries mark, a sign that the method is starting to gain real traction among stadium and venue operators.
Following early adoptions of Wicket’s technology by the Columbus Crew, the Cleveland Browns, the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Mets, other teams and venues have started using the technology, which allows fans to use their face as authentication for their ticket purchases. As we wrote previously, by replacing other ticket-confirmation methods like optical scanning with facial authentication, entry lines can be significantly shortened.
Most recently, Wicket has gotten some traction with NFL teams including the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers through a partnership with Verizon that uses the facial-authentication software from Wicket and 5G services from Verizon for “Express Entry” to stadiums. The use of Wicket technology for entry by the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was also recently used by the SEC college football conference for its title game at the same stadium, a sign that college teams are also starting to look more closely at the technology.
Overall, interest in using facial authentication systems is clearly growing across stadiums, including its use for age and payment verification for alcohol purchases. Caterer Aramark and checkout-free technology provider Zippin tested facial-authentication technology this past year at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, and Wicket has been part of an “Express Beer” deployment at the Cleveland Browns Stadium (also with Aramark) for the past two seasons, where fans can also purchase beverages and have payment and age verified via facial authentication.
Stay tuned for more coverage on this topic!
