Oh RFID, you are a tantalizing prospect. For years the event business has been falling more than themselves to utilise RFID, with the main hurdle basically becoming the price. Until extremely not too long ago, RFID wristbands, accompanying event access manage systems and hardware have just been as well pricey to look at.

This is starting to transform. Fees have plummeted thanks to far more streamlined manufacturing processes for the chips/inlays themselves, but most importantly, mainly because developers have come up with price productive applications by way of which RFID options can run. Added to this the new generation of smartphones (with the Samsung Galaxy three top the way) which are NFC-enabled, and this leads to a complete new scenario where events can realistically commence to look at RFID as a viable resolution.

This all sounds wonderful, but is RFID definitely the future of occasion identification?

1st, some fundamentals

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. Made use of inside the logistics market to track stock, each and every RFID chip has a unique ID quantity that can be assigned, in the event planet, to an individual patron (by way of a non transferrable wristband) and, in theory, permit an event organiser to track the activities of that patron.

NFC refers to Close to Field Communications. Inside the event atmosphere, an NFC enabled phone can basically encode AND scan an RFID wristband, therefore removing the need to have for costly hardware and dedicated RFID scanners that cannot be utilized for anything else.

Why RFID is the way to go

1. It’s cool

Definitely, it is. You scan it, it remembers you, it can hyperlink to systems that does things like enter you in competitions, offer you a discount on your next drink, updates your Facebook status. It signifies easier access at events, potentially cashless transactions. Individuals adore wireless technology – bluetooth, world wide web, 3G, 4G, we can’t get adequate of becoming ‘unplugged’ and ‘free’.

2. Easy access manage

Event organisers can take the ‘human’ element out of gate handle and access, and I imply that in a good way. Security personnel make blunders. They may not notice a replica wristband. animal microchip transponder scanner make blunders. They may possibly give incorrect transform. RFID requires this off the table.

three. Safety in common

It is hard to copy an RFID wristband. Unlike other wristbands where forgeries are achievable (with the difficulty in attaining this subject to the variety of wristband utilised), RFID is difficult to copy.

4. Cashless transactions

Just as Visa Paywave and equivalent technologies are proving to be well-liked, the opportunity to run a completely cashless event is an eye-catching proposition to both patrons and organisers. For patrons this can mean much less danger of theft, significantly less things to be concerned about, whilst for event organisers it can imply increased spending – we all invest extra when our transactions are significantly less tangible i.e. swiping cards rather than paying money.

five. Social media integration

Now this is where RFID definitely opens up possibilities, and is where some of the most fascinating makes use of might lie. At a University Open Day to be held at an Australian University in August 2012, visitors will be photographed, have their wristband scanned and the photo will automatically load to the University Facebook page, tagging these in the photo. This provides great exposure for the University as pals of these at the occasion will also see imagery from the occasion in genuine time.

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ – the vast majority of social media applications can be integrated with RFID systems to boost exposure.

Sponsors can also be involved, and this is explained below.

six. Sponsors adore it = prospective income for the festival/occasion

At a single recent festival, a car or truck manufacturer sponsored a scanning station where patrons could scan their wristbands to enter the draw for a new car or truck. The manufacturer is happy due to the fact they have collected individual particulars for ten,000 possible buyers, and the patrons are delighted since they have entered a prize draw immediately and effortlessly, with no challenging sell.

Sponsors can integrate their message with social media also – scan here to ‘like’ product A, scan here to have a photo of you drinking product B. Once more, the exposure is exponential mainly because these status updates appear on the patrons profile, therefore having the consideration of hundreds or thousands of extra prospects.

For the organiser, these opportunities for sponsors can be sold as portion of a sponsorship package, along with having a logo on the wristbands.

Why RFID is not the way to go

1. Patron backlash, otherwise identified as “you never handle me, significant brother!”

There has been considerable backlash to RFID utilised at festivals. While lots of patrons are fine with the concept, there is a distinct group who are pretty significantly against the notion of added information becoming extracted from them and of festivals scanning them at gates and other entry points. They really feel that this distracts from the ‘free spirit’ of a lot of festivals and smacks of commercialism.