Page 110 - Security Today, July/August 2021

"But to protect people’s health and safety, it’s clear that stadiums will have to make some significant changes."
Sports Facility Security
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18 campuslifesecurity.com | JULY/AUGUST 2021
By Mark McCormack
The Touchless Fan Experience
Using smart technology to get fans back in stadiums safely
Remember back in the day when fans crowded at the gate, tick- ets in hand, eager to rush en masse to their seats? When ven- dors climbed the tiers hawking merchandise and food? When passing beer and hotdogs and money from hand to hand was as much a part of the fan experience as watching the game?
Was that only a year ago?
In the past 12 months, the persistence of COVID-19 has totally hi-jacked the fan experience. With sports venues in virtual lockdown, instead of cheering in the stands, fans were forced to cheer from their sofas. Despite the gloom of hunkering down for a year, the coming of spring and the massive vaccine rollout are creating new optimism. Everyone’s eager to get fans back in their seats. But to protect people’s health and safety, it’s clear that stadiums will have to make some sig- nificant changes.
Creating at Touchless Fan Experience
We have all heard the mantra: Wear a mask. Practice social distanc- ing. Use hand sanitizer. That’s fine on an individual basis. But how do
you reinforce those practices with tens of thousands of fans at once? It would be an impossible task without the help of technology, and the reimagining of key stadium operations like ticketing, gate control and concession sales.
Here are just some of the practices that stadiums are starting to implement or consider.
In the parking lot. Tailgating has always been a big part of the fan experience. But left unchecked, it can easily turn into super spreaders. With high-mounting network cameras, security staff can get a compre- hensive view of the parking lot. With the addition of video and audio analytics and speaker horns, security can be alerted when a party grows larger than local ordinances allow or when sounds of aggression are detected. Then staff would have to option of physically intervening or broadcast a warning to revelers before events get out of hand.
At the gate. Even before the pandemic, many stadiums were mov- ing to e-ticketing, saving themselves the cost of printing and mailing fans their tickets. While the loss of souvenir stubs may disappoint some, scanning a fan’s smartphone is far more sanitary than exchang-