Behind the sale of a ticket is a technology that we do not realize. Precisely because this wants to be invisible
(from UAE)
To understand how it works and how the world of ticket sales we flew to the United Arab Emirates, where an Italian-born company, Vivaticket, is behind the ticket purchase and distribution of most attractions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and innovates ticketing and access control.
“There is no other company in the ticketing world that manages all the different markets like we do, from sporting events, we manage the ticket office for 15 Serie A teams and clubs like Barcelona, to theme parks, we have Gardaland in Italy, from museums like the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the Scala in Milan, to fairs, like VinItaly or the Salone del Mobile or concerts like the Vasco tour,” says Davide Camaiora, general manager of Vivaticket Middle East, which started his career with checking tickets at the stadium, when everything was still on paper, and managing sales and access to the Dubai Expo just over a year ago, 24 million tickets issued, in six months, where Vivaticket implemented facial recognition at the entrances.
An innovative software
Vivaticket’s developers have developed innovative software in Italy that adapts across the board to the management of sporting events, access to museums or amusement parks, to major events and concerts. This ticketing software integrates in B2B mode with the ticket office of the place or event, both physical and online, but also with external partners such as means of transport, hotels or shops. For example, during Expo2020, travelers traveling on Emirates, the flag carrier in Dubai, were able to access the World Expo for free; this integration was made possible by the Vivaticket solution, which integrates services from different companies. And if you need to develop a new one function as was the case for the Louvre where it was necessary to implement the guide system this feeds the system into the software and can be used across the board for other clients even to perform some other activity such as management of ski instructors.
The example of Ski Dubai
Indeed, the strength of Vivaticket is in the management of the user experience. To test it, we went to see how the integrated system that Ski Dubai provided, a ski slope built in a shopping mall, works: hardware, kiosks to buy, collection of bracelets to access the area. Thanks to the NFT on the Vivaticket bracelet, it is possible to rent ski equipment, use the lockers to deposit personal items and use services such as the ski instructor, a module implemented for the Louvre and here with a different function used. But it also gives you access to the hotel on the ski slope, if you stay there, or you can buy additional services, such as heating the cinema seats in the snow. The ticket, in this case the bracelet, is integrated with the register of users and payment methods.
Face recognition
“Our mission is to create the most invisible technology in the world and put the user at the center – Camaiora tells us again -. The last step was therefore to also remove the ticket or any other physical object to access or use making the services, such as the bracelet. The Italian Vivaticket was the first company in the world to offer the face recognition have been added to ticketing and facial recognition payment methods.” Together with the half-Arabic-half-Italian team at Vivaticket MiddleEast, we recently attended the Sea World, the newest theme park in Abu Dhabi, and here, as already happens at Ferrari World which is part of the same group and as already happened at Expo Dubai, access is already through facial recognition and without any physical medium. Also, for example, for the purchase of food, which is done by scanning the face. “Everything is done in accordance with the GDPR – explains Camaiora -. Face recognition is not a photo that can lead us back to a person, but geometric measurements encrypted on the face that create a unique identity of a user who can thus benefit from a activity or making purchases without a ticket or bracelet – concludes the director of Vivaticket Middle East, anticipating us, however – but we understand the trepidation that this custom can have, so we invest in overcoming it and achieving the recognition of the unique imprint of someone’s hand without having to place it on a sensor instead of a ticket, a bracelet or a QR code on the smartphone”.
Source: TG 24 Sky
I am James Novak, a passionate and experienced news writer with the ultimate goal of delivering the most accurate and timely information to my readers. I work in the news department at a website dedicated to providing reliable and up-to-date information about technology. My articles are widely circulated, often featured on major publications, and have been read by millions of people around the world. With over four years of writing experience in various fields such as tech startups, industry trends, cybersecurity, AI/ML advances, and more, I bring an informed perspective to all topics I write on. Beyond my published work online and in print media outlets, I’m also an avid speaker at local events where I share my insights on current issues related to technology.
