HID introduced that Chester Race Firm, proprietor of the world’s oldest racecourse nonetheless in operation, has adopted Close to Discipline Communication (NFC)-based ticketing know-how.
Leveraging HID’s Occasion Administration Platform (EMP) and Janam’s rugged XT3 handheld scanners, the group has revolutionized its visitor admissions course of, providing a seamless and environment friendly entry expertise at Chester Racecourse.
Based in 1539 throughout the reign of King Henry VIII, Chester Racecourse holds the Guinness World Report because the oldest operational racecourse. Operated by Chester Race Firm, the venue welcomes over 200,000 friends yearly to its 15-race season, together with the famend Boodles Might Competition which options the Chester Cup. The corporate additionally manages Bangor-on-Dee and Musselburgh racecourses, alongside numerous catering, hospitality, lodge and recruitment companies.
“Admissions are our first contact level with our friends on a race day, so delivering a superb buyer expertise is crucial,” stated Gareth Simpson, head of racecourse operations, Chester Race Firm. “By adopting HID’s NFC ticketing know-how, we’ve remodeled the entry course of, providing friends the convenience of smartphone-based tickets of their Apple or Google Wallets. It’s identical to downloading a cell boarding move for an airline flight.”
Chester Racecourse’s new system streamlines the ticketing course of from buy to entry. Company now obtain encrypted e-tickets inside seconds, downloadable on to their smartphones, together with steering about costume code, race program and instructions. On race day, reminders seem on friends’ units as they strategy the venue, additional enhancing comfort.
Key to the implementation is the acquisition of 45 Janam XT3 rugged cell computer systems which allow offline ticket validation for continuity of service. That is necessary because the racecourse is in a low-lying space in Chester the place the cell sign energy is poor. Preloaded ticket knowledge on every system eliminates reliance on Wi-Fi connections, enabling swift and correct entry even throughout peak occasions. With a scan time of lower than a second, the Janam XT3 items considerably cut back congestion and wait occasions and work effectively in poor mild circumstances.
To help the NFC ticketing answer, Chester Race Firm has made important monetary investments to improve its community infrastructure, deploying Wi-Fi 7 entry factors together with new routers, switches and strong 10-gigabit Ethernet connections to the Web.
HID’s EMP integrates with a ticket gross sales platform from SeatGeek, with a bespoke API lately written to combine the 2 programs to allow ticket purchases to be up to date routinely within the entry management answer in real-time, thereby eradicating a cumbersome handbook course of adopted previously. “We’ve addressed all our entrance points,” added Simpson. “From sooner entry to real-time visibility of visitor attendance, HID’s answer has been transformational.”
The NFC-based system provides further advantages as Chester Racecourse is aware of precisely the quantity of people that have entered (out of the tickets bought) and the place persons are by way of enclosure and stands. This helps it meet its compliance with capability obligations, together with consideration for forthcoming laws corresponding to Martyn’s Regulation. It additionally reduces ticket fraud by eliminating barcode sharing or resale alternatives by touts.
Trying forward, Chester Race Firm plans to increase NFC ticketing throughout its portfolio and discover further options inside HID’s EMP corresponding to accreditation administration for employees and contractors, in addition to loyalty program integration.
“We’re the oldest racecourse on the planet utilizing modern know-how,” concluded Simpson. “HID’s options are enabling us to create fashionable, memorable experiences for our friends by streamlining admissions completely utilizing a software that everybody has of their pocket – a smartphone.”
