Fixing... Everything (?) with Facial Authentication

Over the last few weeks, I've touched on a variety of tech solutions to improve parking, ingress, and payment experiences at sports venues. While I think I offered some solid solutions and found some interesting companies leveraging data analytics and technology, one thing I did not touch on was facial authentication. While not as prevalent yet, this technology has the power to completely transform the fan experience from the moment fans arrive at the venue and at every checkpoint throughout an event. The implications go well beyond ingress and payment - check out this detailed breakdown from Sports Business Journal for more - but since those are the low hanging fruit of the fan experience I'll start there.

Before anyone gets freaked out, let's get a few things straight about the technology that is already starting to change the (sports) world. Wicket, a leading computer vision AI company that partners with several sports venues for facial authentication, addresses fan privacy in the following ways:

• All users must opt-in, and can always opt-out

• All Personally Identfiable Information (PII) lives on the cloud, which prevents third party access

• Wicket utilizes facial authentication, which is a matching process for verification, whereas facial recognition is used by law enforcement or security companies to identify individuals within a database

• Fan photos are encrypted and converted to "mathematical representations"

• Individual fan data is de-identified and aggregated

• Wicket does not record videos, and captured images are discarded after verification

For some fans there will never be enough data privacy, but for those willing to trust the technology the experience can be transformational. The process is simple:

1. Download a team or venue mobile app

2. Upload a selfie

3. Link your tickets to your photo

4. Add credit card payment info

5. Add an ID (for alcohol purchases)

6. Show your face to a Wicket tablet to skip the lines

Examples

How about some examples? The Cleveland Browns (FirstEnergy Stadium), New York Mets (Citi Field), and Atlanta Falcons (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) are at the forefront of implementing facial authentication into the fan experience.

In my Fixing Ingress post I mentioned how the Cleveland Browns partner with Evolv Technology to improve the security experience for fans. The Browns also incorporate Wicket facial authentication for ticketing, meaning fans who opt-in can breeze through security, then use their face as their ticket. The Browns take it a step further by partnering with concessionaire Aramark to give fans the option to upload an ID. Fans can place alcohol orders on their mobile device and show their face to a Wicket tablet to pick up their items, often skipping frustratingly long lines in the process.

The Mets last season rolled out Wicket facial authentication at all main gate entrances and premium seating club areas. I’ve been to Citi Field many times and have always been frustrated by the ingress experience. There is essentially one main entrance to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda that nearly every fan uses because it is near the main parking lots and public transportation. This leads to long lines for security and ticketing. I’m excited to head out to Queens this summer to try out the Wicket ticketing experience, and perhaps more.

As Mets CTO Mark Brubacker told SBJ Tech:

“It's more about what does that technology open you up towards in the future. So facial recognition purchasing of food and beverage and merchandise. Facial recognition for wayfinding, facial recognition for haptics and updates on your phone in terms of what's going on. There's lots it opens things up for that goes beyond just ticketing. It's the beginning of the journey that is inevitable to be beneficial as a result of having facial recognition technology."

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my personal arch nemesis for the fan experience: parking. Fortunately, facial authentication may make its way to that realm as well. The Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium already utilize Wicket facial authentication for ticketing, with payments sure to follow. Parking may be on the horizon.

Joe Croomer, VP of security at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, summarized the impact facial authentication can have on the fan experience to SBJ Tech:

“Can I make it part of parking? When you drive up, I'm parking in the red lot, they got my license plate, and when I drive up the gate arm goes up. So, taking all those little choke points out of the way to be like man, it is cool to go to a game. They know when I pulled up, I walked up to the gate, I walked right in. I was able to go in the club, I got my drink and I never had to pull my wallet out.”

Another area where facial authentication excites me is when dealing with multiple tickets. I am often the ticket buyer of my groups and end up having everyone’s tickets on my phone. Some of my friends and family are happy to download the Ticketmaster app so I can transfer their tickets to them, but others either aren't as tech savvy or don't want another limited use app on their phone. Facial authentication solves for this by offering the ability to link multiple tickets to one face, meaning the entire group can breeze through ticketing without everyone having to produce a barcode on their phone.

Stadium access is yet another interesting implementation of facial authentication. Fans, team and venue employees, the media, and even players can benefit greatly from facial authentication. Fans can use their faces to access VIP entrances, clubs, suites, sportsbooks, and other gated sections. Team and venue employees can use their faces to access restricted areas rather than produce key cards or fobs. Media members can access special entrances, elevators, and restricted areas without producing credentials. And players and performers can move about venues without any cases of mistaken identities.

Could facial authentication really be the answer to all my fan experience frustrations? Perhaps! One thing is for sure though, this technology gives me hope. I am optimistic about the role facial authentication and companies like Wicket can play in improving the fan experience. In an ideal world, fan adoption quickly grows, more teams and venues introduce the technology, and the cutting-edge teams keep finding new ways to reduce fan friction. I’m already looking forward to the day when I don’t need this blog to vent my frustrations. But we’re not there just yet.

Thanks for reading!

'Cleveland Cold Ones' alcohol pick up featuring Wicket facial authentication. Credit: Aramark / Cleveland Browns

The Mets rolled out facial authentication to all main entrance gates. Credit: Wicket / New York Mets