The highly anticipated 2015 DStv Delicious International Food and Music Festival, presented by Nedbank, has been launched. This year’s event will not only offer the most inspired creations in food and world class entertainment – but also the latest innovations in event technology. According to Brandon Duffield, Head of Ticketpro, this cutting edge technology is designed specifically to improve the overall experience for the event goer.
“Ticketpro is thrilled to announce our long-term partnership with the DStv Delicious International Food & Music Festival, and this year’s event provides the ideal platform to showcase our technology solutions,” he says. Duffield explains that the overall event solutions will combine a number of elements covering a variety of event activities such as ticketing, in-venue cashless purchasing and security.
“At the Festival ticket holders for the VIP Delicious Lounge area will experience South Africa’s revolutionary near field communication (NFC) technology, as they will receive individual NFC cards,” explains Duffield. “These cards support various event benefits, such as being able to load tokens for the event, thus facilitating fast and safe cashless payments,” he says. In addition, as each user’s card is registered specifically to them, they will be able to receive directly special offers, discounts and rewards. These will be received in real-time on the cards and are linked to a user’s preferences based on their recent activities at the event. “For example, if a card holder purchases food or refreshments, specifically tailored offerings such as discounts on certain brands or meals can be made to the user. When offers are promoted, users will be notified via their cellular phones.”
Duffield goes on to say that the convenience factor of NFC is unmatched in South Africa. Holders of NFC cards will be able to use their cards to access express queues at the venue, or even skipping the queue altogether. “All card holders will also be able to load future Ticketpro event tickets or funding directly onto their card when ordering online, therefore eliminating the need to print or collect tickets for future events,” Duffield explains.
With the DStv Delicious Festival International Food & Music Festival expecting attendees to exceed 20 000, this technology is particularly effective in the management and streamlining of infrastructure and event functions. Ticketpro is also responsible for all access control at the event, and is able to offer reliable screening for duplicates and fake tickets. “Ticketpro’s security track record is unsurpassed, which means organisers and attendees can be assured of their safety at the event,” continues Duffield.
As a division of Blue Label Telecoms Limited, Ticketpro taps into state-of-the-art and proprietary systems to offer advanced infrastructure and technology with access to the largest distribution channel in Africa. “This also means that tickets are accessible and can be purchased from any environment – from retail stores, petrol stations and informal spaza shops to online portals,” says Duffield. “Ticketpro ensures that event goers are able to access the best possible experience both inside and outside the venue, and we are proud to be able to deliver this to all South Africans,” he concludes.
