How To Make Sure That RFID Wristbands Are Safe In Big Events
Whether organising a business show, a music festival, or any other big event doesn’t matter. Crowd management is one of the most challenging aspects of the entire process. However, thanks to modern technology and RFID wristbands, it is possible to stay in control of the situation for a smoother operation.
Here’s all you need to know about utilising RFID wearables for your upcoming event and how to ensure that they are capable of boosting safety, security, and the overall guest experience.
How Do RFID Wristbands Transform Event Management?
When hosting big events, you need to know that only authorised people can enter. As well as creating a fair situation for guests who have paid for the event, it is a matter of safety due to crowd capacities. Traditionally, people would use tickets or wristbands to show their credentials.
Unfortunately, as anyone who has ever attended a music or food festival will confirm, it does lead to long queues. RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology helps you avoid lengthy checks to keep access points moving smoothly. This prevents any threat of bottlenecking or delays caused by people fiddling around with paper tickets or QR Code scanning. Likewise, wearables are far less likely to be lost.
RFID wristbands work simply by tapping the wrist against a scanner. This instantly scans the internal unique chip identifier (UID) before allowing access through the gate or entrance. Event organisers can also use the technology so that different wristbands provide different credentials. For example, you could have RFID wristbands that;
- Allow general admission to the event,
- Restrict access to certain times or days,
- Provide authorisation to VIP sections,
- Facilitate payments,
- Confirm that the wearer is a certain age.
The technology provides a fast and convenient experience for the guests – not least because it allows them to come and go as they please. Moreover, it makes life easier for event organisers as they will not have to check each ticket and face crowd management problems when the gates open.
Event organisers can also use the data provided from RFID wristbands to monitor the coed figures with real-time results, thus allowing them to prevent overcrowding in individual spaces.
How To Ensure That RFID Wristbands Are Safe For The Event
One of the big questions that organisers will ask before introducing RFID products is “Are they safe?”, and the short answer is that there is nothing to worry about. For guests as well as the event organisers.
RFID technology does not pose health risks to the user as the signals emitted are low. Besides, they are only worn for the duration of the event or festival and are infrequently held up to scanners. So, you do not have to worry about the potential impacts of electromagnetic fields.
While RFID products may be linked to personal accounts holding personal data, this is not shown. Even the scanners only serve to confirm the credentials regarding entry past the chosen access point. Still, several steps can be taken to ensure that RFID wristbands are safe and secure for the event. The key points are;
- Choose the right wristband for the RFID to be housed inside. For an outside event, waterproof materials are essential. Meanwhile, all wristbands should be manufactured from durable materials that won’t snap and become lost.
- Send the RFID wristbands in advance and, where applicable, get users to register their RFID bands ahead of the event. The last thing you need is to have huge lines at the entrance gates due to users experiencing problems with their bands.
- Test out the RFID system in advance too. You need to know that the scanners at your gates are working. Backup power solutions are a useful investment too. Otherwise, an outage could leave you with manual authorisation checks and major headaches.
- Ensure that RFID scanners only check for the credentials. Even when the UID holds private information, the access entry points do not need to know a person’s email address or other details. It simply needs to confirm authorisation.
- Try to avoid having scanners in places where they are not needed. While scanning is a convenient process, it may cause small lines. Even when it doesn’t, users will be frustrated by the repetitive nature of scanning their wrists each time they move.
The Final Word On RFID Tech For Big Events
RFID technology can transform the approach to event security and crowd management. However, it only works when all attendees are provided with the right materials and organisers know how to use the tech for a smooth process. Do this, and your event will be greatly improved as a result.
