Music Festivals Introduce Tech to Encourage Cashless Transactions

Although music festivals are a lot of fun, I think everyone can agree that one of the most annoying things is huge line ups for food and merch booths. One way to shorten lines is to speed up transaction times. How are festival organizers doing this? Through the use of RFID bracelets that concert-goers can link to their credit cards.

Over the past several years, RFID technology has continued to develop and music festivals have increasingly used them to cut down on scalping and fake tickets. Each RFID bracelet is linked to a concertgoer when they buy their ticket. From the Globe and Mail:

“The technology has quickly evolved to make it easier for staff to confirm the identity of who can go where, such as backstage or for VIP seating. It also allows users to tap their bracelets to enter contests or sponsored brand activations. Festivalgoers can also make cashless transactions with a flick of a wrist, just like tap debit- and credit-card payments”.

Previously, customers could pre-load money onto their bracelets, but buying a few drinks or some merchandise would quickly burn through the pre-loaded money. At Digital Dreams this past weekend, attendees were able to pre-load a major credit card or Visa debit card onto their RFID bracelet for the first time. With cash transactions taking an average of 50 seconds compared to an average cashless transaction only taking 10 to 15 seconds, an emphasis on concertgoers using their bracelets to pay for items has the potential to significantly cut down the amount of time people spend waiting in lines. Of course, there will be some kinks to smooth out while introducing this new technology, but overall, it should make concertgoers experiences more enjoyable.

The Globe and Mail commented:

“Maura Gibson, Front Gate’s president, said in an e-mail that ‘creating a point-of-sale to include cashless was a no-brainer.’ Festivals have been able to reduce fraud by as much as 50 per cent and improve their design of festival sites. ‘This ensures that the vendor locations are placed in proper locations and have the proper staffing numbers to reduce lines,’ she said”.

I think it’s a really neat idea, and could be a really great thing for concertgoers.

What do you think about this? Let me know in the comments!