If you want to keep people coming back to your events, you need to make sure that people enjoy themselves – that means both your attendees and your staff.
But that can’t happen if the queues are heaving and people are jumping fences to beat the wait. And it also can’t happen if there’s confusion over which people are allowed to go where at which time.
If your access control is poor, your event is just waiting for problems like these, and it’ll end up damaging your reputation and costing you money.
It also makes you vulnerable to something even worse: becoming dangerously overcrowded.
The solution: event access control. This is a smart system that aligns tickets with authentication to make it easy for everyone. A good access control solution can turn an organisational mess into a slick, professional affair that attendees love.
One day, event queues will be a thing of the past. We're not quite there yet, but it's certainly possible. But why do we need to get rid of queues in the first place?
One report on the UK's nightmare festivals highlights long queues as the number one factor ruining the attendee experience. It causes them to denounce organisers, cancel upcoming tickets, and spread the bad word on social media. Poor, inefficient event management means that people end up in areas that are either overcrowded or empty when they should be rocking.
An attendee of one of these disastrous festivals called it "the worst crowd management I have ever witnessed at a gig or any event", noting that they saw fences bring trampled down by crowds, and emergency exits being bottlenecked. Things like this can cross the line from being inconvenient to downright dangerous.
The report argues that "Fans deserve to enjoy the music they love in a safe, well-organised, enjoyable space where music and inclusivity – and not manifold logistical issues – are the at the heart of the gig-goers experience." It's hard to argue with that. Thankfully, there’s a better way of doing things.
Imagine a future where queues are minimal, fast-moving, and not a source of stress. With the use of smart technology systems, this isn't just a pipe dream – it's entirely possible for event organisers right now, by using access control.
Most systems turn tickets and badges into authenticated passes that staff scan at entry points. They could have a barcode or QR code to scan at check-in, or they can be embedded into a wristband with RFID technology; a wireless accreditation chip that works nicely with cashless payments.
Here are some of the ways that event access control systems like these can solve such headaches and improve the event experience for everyone.
For both security and safety reasons, access-controlled ticket scanning means you can manage your entire event venue with designated zones and entry points.
This means giving secure access rights to certain people based on their credentials, such as a premium ticket for VIP areas, or a timed entry slot for a single show.
This opens up your ticketing options as you can sell various ticket types for those that want to buy packages with different levels of access.
And securely gating access to physical areas means you can better manage capacity ahead of the event and in real-time, making it safer for everyone involved.
Fast, stable entry flow is crucial for the satisfaction of your customers and their experience of your event. If they’re eager to see a performer at your festival, but they’ve been stuck in line for 15 minutes while door staff check everyones’s paper tickets and manually count capacity, they’re going to miss what they came for. With smart access control, staff immediately know if their zone is about to hit capacity, and they don’t have to use an unreliable clicker to count the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ through the door.
Running a festival, for example, you can easily manage a packed guest list for your sold-out shows; instead of your staff having to manually search for names, looking at IDs to match spellings and so on, they can simply scan the customer’s ticket with their control device (or wristband, if they’re using RFID access control) and immediately know if it’s a ‘pass’ or a ‘stop’.
This, of course, can go a massive way in reducing queues for each part of your event.
Finally, a great access control system will give you really insightful data about how people move about your event. You should be able to easily see where the hotspots are and what’s not so busy, without having to wade through pages of stats.
This insight is critical for both real-time intelligence and your post-event review. You’ll be able to figure out:
Which areas were popular, and at which times?
Where did you see bottlenecks or unexpected demand spikes?
What could you have done better?
With a good analytics system in place, you can gain valuable insights about your attendees' preferences, too. This should help inform better decisions around catering, merchandise and accessibility services at future events. The data collected will allow you to provide a better customer experience next time – crucial for gaining attendee loyalty and gaining those valuable five-star reviews.
As the event planner, you're always looking for ways to make the experience seamless for your guests. But with long lines and security concerns, it can be tough to keep everyone happy. That's where event technology can help,.
At Nutickets, our event access control systems are a core part of our custom ticketing platform.
Using tickets or NFC wristbands, our system lets you create a professional, efficient admission experience that'll leave your staff calm and your customers delighted. Our Access Control App will turn mobile devices into ticket scanners, and you can monitor everything from one intelligent, integrated platform. You'll be able to keep everyone safe and secure with minimal queuing – so you can focus on putting on a brilliant event.
If you're a venue operator, promoter, or event organiser, get in touch to book a free demo and see what we can do for you.