Can you see into the future? When it comes to music venue operations, it’s easier than other areas. Just take a look at music festivals, for example. In terms of technology, some changes take hold at music festivals before being adopted in venues.
So what does the future hold for music venue operations? Here are four areas where you might consider upgrades to stay ahead of the game.
1. RFID will simplify and speed up entry
At music festivals, you might have seen people using RFID badges or wristbands to speed through entrances, pay for drinks, or enter VIP areas. Short for Radio Frequency Identification, RFID works by enabling a chip embedded in a badge or wristband to be read by an RFID scanner.
In recent years, RFID has become standard at music festivals and other events, but the technology has been around for decades. Think of hotel card-keys, in-car toll payment devices, and employee security badges. You may have even seen festival goers use a wristband to post updates or photos on social media.
2. Digital payments will become the norm
Cashless payments started with credit and debit cards, and contactless payments like ApplePay and GooglePay have now become ubiquitous. The next step is payments through a badge, wristband, or a smartphone app backed up by a credit card. they said paying for drinks or merch with mobile phones would have an impact in coming years.
3. Selling tickets across social media and apps will be commonWhat it is: Fans now expect to be able to discover shows and purchase tickets directly on the most popular apps and web sites. Fans first learn about your shows on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, or event discovery apps like Spotify, BandsInTown, and SongKick. From there it’s a seamless process to purchasing tickets, without having to bounce out to another website.
If you aren’t already doing this, you should be. Make sure you have a ticketing partner that works with fan favorite sites and apps.
