Industry News

Wembley leads the way with contactless ticketing

Wembley Stadium is set to become the first UK sports and entertainment venue to support contactless ticketing for fans.

The move allows fans to securely and easily enter live events using tickets that can be added to their Apple Wallet or Apple Watch.

The integration of contactless tickets will enhance security and boost personalised fan engagement. Fans can also use Apple Pay to purchase food and beverages throughout the stadium.

The use of the technology was trialled during England’s recent international football games against Germany and Brazil and was labelled a “resounding success.” It will now be a part of the stadium’s entire ticketing platform for the numerous sports and entertainment events starting in 2018.

Paul Smyth, head of ticketing at the English Football Association, said: “We’re delighted that Wembley Stadium is one of the first global venues to work alongside Fortress GB and Apple to bring this technology to fans, and we are committed to providing this technology across our ticketing platform for all events in 2018, onwards.

“The innovation strengthens our aspiration to be the digital leader in supporter entry, establishing greater one-to-one contact with the consumer and making it easier and safer for all.”

The first event scheduled to benefit will be England’s fixture against Italy on March 27. Customers purchasing tickets from December 12 will be able to choose ‘electronic delivery’ through which they will be given the option to store the tickets in their Apple Wallet.