— a crucial step in raising security standards and profoundly transforming the fan experience inside sports venues.
Today, the central goal is innovation in people access. ALFI acts as a technology partner across this journey, from stadium access control gates to ticketing and access management at ski resorts. In short, we provide security, efficiency and a wealth of data useful for management. But how is ALFI’s experience in managing flows of people shaping operational effectiveness? And how does it affect the way football fans experience events?
The evolution of access control in stadiums
Mobile technology is undoubtedly a game changer in stadium access control services. In fact, this is a sector where two aspects must always coexist: entertainment and maximum security. Indeed, only airports have security checks as widespread as those carried out in stadiums. QR codes, whether dynamic or static, will first be joined and perhaps later replaced by NFC technology. Until recently reserved for the Android world, NFC is now available to system integrators on Apple devices too. As a result, the possibilities offered by Big Tech wallets are opening up horizons that were previously unthinkable. Facial recognition systems are certainly a help for law enforcement. However, the latest commercial proposals put to clubs must also balance security needs with the right to privacy under GDPR.
Access control systems for large crowds — what we call people access — serve two purposes. The most obvious one is controlling who enters a venue, verifying who is, or isn’t, entitled to enter a stadium or arena. But there is a second purpose that is becoming increasingly important for our clients. Access control systems generate data, and large amounts of it. Once analysed, this data helps improve the fan experience and refine event organisation. That’s why we help our clients analyse this data and make the most of it.
Emerging technologies and queue management
It’s hard to say exactly how virtual reality technology will make its way into the stands. These technologies are not yet fully mature. Even so, they have enormous potential — not only for matches, but perhaps even more so for concerts held inside stadiums. For instance, these solutions could complement or replace big screens, bringing fans closer to their idols. The complete dematerialisation of tickets will help move in this direction. Already today, with a ticket on a wallet, fans can access interactive stadium maps and speed up entry operations. In other words, smartphones, or whatever replaces them in future, will be the key that unlocks new interactive and immersive experiences.
Queues don’t depend solely on turnstiles, but on everything that happens before them: queue organisation, pre-filtering and so on. We can speed up the passage through the turnstile itself. However, we can do little about the rest, because security requirements always come first. That said, thanks to geolocation, the ticket can appear on a fan’s phone as soon as they arrive at the stadium. This means fans no longer have to search for it — already one less step to take. Similarly, at the reader, fans no longer struggle with scanning a QR code. They simply tap their phone, and the queue becomes far more fluid. This is exactly what we are focusing on: simplifying and automating every operation linked to stadium entry.
Smarter queues, smarter payments
Every control operation at the stadium interacts with our systems. When it comes to payments, for example, cashless transactions run on different platforms from access control systems. Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet and similar services are linked to banking systems. We, however, use the same NFC technology. This gives fans the chance to use a gesture they already know, while creating a modern, reliable user experience in the process.
ALFI’s solutions for stadium access
Our PA197 access control gate is the only one on the market with two features that meet security requirements in emergency situations. First, it is fitted with onboard batteries capable of managing entries for hours during a total power outage or blackout. Second, it features independent arms, meaning the barrier isn’t fixed but robotic. As a result, in an evacuation, the arms of our full-height turnstiles — mandatory in Italy — can move to a fully open position. This allows for emergency clearing.
A commitment to sustainability
There are only a few of us in this sector. What sets us apart is a high degree of customisation for each client, together with full integration with third-party systems. Our commitment to sustainability runs deep, and it translates into the dematerialisation of physical media. In the ski sector, for example, we were pioneers. Since 2018, our clients have been able to eliminate the physical ski pass and ski simply with their phone in their pocket, via Bluetooth. Consider that in Europe alone, around 50 million physical cards are produced and disposed of — often incorrectly — every year in the skiing world. Through this transition, we aim to reach 80% dematerialised tickets for ski resorts within the next five years.
For stadiums, the path is even more immediate. Although QR codes and various apps already exist today, from next year we will achieve complete dematerialisation. This will happen thanks to technologies such as NFC and digital wallets. We want the fan experience to be entirely digital, eliminating the need for physical media altogether. This not only has a positive environmental impact, but also removes latency and, as a result, queues at the turnstiles. For the Serie A, B and C clubs we work with, keeping waiting times to an absolute minimum is essential. In short, total dematerialisation is the key to achieving it.
This is an approach to access security that ALFI applies in other contexts too. For example, discover more about digitalisation in managing access at ski resorts, and the 10 golden rules for ski slope safety.