Acquisition sees Eventbrite introduce RFID technology for events

Following its acquisition of RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology company Scintilla, leading self-service ticketing platform Eventbrite, will offer an RFID technology solution to the events industry as of next year.

The introduction of the technology will allow event attendees to make the most of smart wristbands to enhance live experiences, particularly for large, multi-day festivals, by simplifying the venue entry process, reducing paper tickets and ticketing fraud, and minimising the need to carry large amounts of cash to events.

Explaining the acquisition, Eventbrite Vice President of Product Laurent Sellier commented “Eventbrite has always been at the forefront of technology in the events industry.

“We are committed to providing our organisers with the most innovative products so attendees can have a superior experience, from buying a ticket to getting into the event and beyond.

“We know that Australian event-goers are digital consumers of music with 81% of millennials getting their fix of music through digital mediums, according to our latest study of music consumption in Australia.

“We want to ensure that we are constantly providing the best technology available to ensure event attendees and organisers have the best possible experience.

“The powerful combination of Scintilla’s hardware and team with Eventbrite’s world-class software, entry management and field operations capabilities will allow us to deliver the most reliable, robust and flexible solution in the market.”

Eventbrite, which launched its Melbourne office 18 months ago, recently announced a payment processing fee cut for Australian users and a new integration with Salesforce. The company says Australia currently accounts for 4% of Eventbrite’s total business, but is quickly becoming a key market.

Eventbrite co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Renaud Visage told The Australian in an interview earlier this year “event organisers are notorious for being cash strapped while they’re organising their event, so if we could give them the money really fast as the ticket sales were happening we knew it would be a really good business.

A recent editorial on the Fast Company website asked “Are Eventbrite’s RFID wristbands the death of the concert ticket?” asking “what if we could at least get rid of paper tickets and the long lines they create?”

Eventbrite generates revenue by charging event organisers 2.5% of the ticket price plus 99 cents per ticket. There’s also a 2% payment processing fee which is not applicable for free events.

Eventbrite has still sold over 200 million tickets - generating $3.5 billion in sales - since being founded nine years ago.

RFID technology uses radio waves to read and capture information that’s stored on a tag, in this case the tags will be attached to the wristbands worn.

Click here to contact Eventbrite via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

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