The Hero Ticket’s Event Guide
To Going Cashless
For a better visitor experience, increased turnover,
enhanced efficiencies and a greater understanding of your audience.
All you need to know in order to:
- Understand the benefits to build a solid business case
- Choose the right technology to eliminate the risks
- Follow the best practices of implementation accrued from years of operational experience
- Get your audience and traders on-side through clear communication and value-adds
WHY HERO TICKET RFID/NFC IS THE BEST CASHLESS CHOICE
There is more than one way to go cashless but only
one way that really works at events.
CLOSED LOOP RFID/NFC
• Visitors can make fast & secure purchases using their NFC-enabled event wristband
• Super-convenient for customers, traders and the event
• Event gains total control and visibility of all the money spent on-site
• Typically decreases costs and increases on-site revenue for the event
TOKENS
• Not refundable, customers can feel short-changed by the event
• All prices must be set in units of tokens/ half tokens - inflexible
• Have to be weighed/counted - resource-intensive
• Vulnerable to theft/misuse
CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS
• Requires a live internet connection for every transaction
• Event is charged a percentage fee for every transaction
• Limited reporting visibility - customer relationship is with the bank, not the event
• Money held by acquiring bank, not the event
• Non-secure – lost/stolen cards cannot be re-issued onsite
6 GREAT REASONS TO GO CASHLESS
GIVE YOUR VISITORS A MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE
• Lower queues and faster payment processing
• Secure: reduced risk of theft, lost wristbands can be re-issued with the balance intact
GET FULL CONTROL & VISIBILITY OVER MONEY SPENT ON-SITE
• Get accurate real-time visibility on transactions across the whole event, or broken down by individual trader, product, bar staff or customer
• Get a transparent picture on what every trader is taking at your event – empowers you to take a commission on every purchase
• Hold all of the money at all times and settle with traders’ post-event
• Every penny spent on-site becomes part of the event’s turnover
BOOST YOUR ON-SITE REVENUE BY 15-30%
• By reducing queues at bars
• Eliminating leakage and breakage including human error and theft (‘skimming’)
• By empowering you to make more intelligent deals with your traders
IT WILL PRODUCE MULTIPLE COST SAVINGS
• Less bar staff required (no cash handlers needed)
• Less security required
• Less infrastructure & transportation required
• Much less manual accounting work required
IT IS PROVEN TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CRIME RATES*
• Decreases police requirements
• Reduces insurance premiums
MAXIMISE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
• Give artists, staff and VIP guests pre-loaded credits for drinks and food
• Get real-time information on stock levels
• Live customer flow data enables more intelligent queue management
• Offer increased value to sponsors through more granular audience profiling’
WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM THE EVENT?
This is what you will need in the way of resourcing in order to go cashless.
INSTALLING A SYSTEM WITH
- Software (the brains)
- Hardware (the body)
- Reporting tools
- Technical installation & support
All of this is provided as a single package by a specialist provider, like Hero Ticket.
RFID/NFC WRISTBANDS OR CARDS
- Can be removable or non-removable
- Use only secure RFID chips (cheaper ones can be less secure)
Some providers, like Hero Ticket, include these in their system packages. Others rely on the event to source them from a third-party supplier.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Essential: Power, workspace, customer service booth(s), clear signage for customers
Recommended: Internet*, Public Wi-Fi zone (for self-top-ups)
*Note: Some system providers are more reliant on internet connectivity than others. Hero Ticket’ system does not rely on it, but some enhanced features are available when there is connectivity available, even if it’s just intermittent. Others rely on the event to source them from a third-party supplier.
COMMUNICATION
With visitors: Preparing them in advance for a great cashless experience
With traders: Who will be working with the system
With event staff and contractors: So they understand the changes
CHANGES TO ACCOUNTING PROCESSES
As the event will now directly receive all of the money spent on-site by its visitors, it will need to settle with its traders after the event
THE HERO TICKET CASHLESS VISITOR
- BUY TICKETS
Via the event’s white label ticketing platform through Hero Ticket or other existing sales channels and ticket providers - REGISTER ONLINE
Set-up your cashless account on the Hero Ticket website or embedded ticket shop
Linked to your ticket ID - LOAD FUNDS ONLINE
-Using EFT or your credit/debit card
-Receive an incentive (eg. free R50 when you load R500 in advance)
-Enable Auto Top-Up, so you don’t have to re-load funds during the event - ACTIVATE WRISTBAND AT HOME OR AT GATE
This links your wristband to your online account through Hero Ticket and it’s ready to use - SPEND IMMEDIATELY – NO QUEUING OR NEED TO BRING CASH
-Check your balance at any point-of-sale or online using your smartphone
-Receive a receipt for every purchase via email - TOP-UP MORE FUNDS AS NEEDED
-On-site by visiting a top-up booth, using cash or credit/debit cards
-Online via your smartphone or public self-service tablets
-Without doing anything at all, via Auto Top-Up - ACTIVATE POST-EVENT REFUND (OR SET TOWARDS NEXT YEAR’S TICKET)
-Request your refund via the event website embedded by Hero Ticket or through the Hero Ticket Website.
-Receive it directly to your bank account via a batch bank transfer
DO’S & DON’TS OF GOING CASHLESS
Best practice guidelines for ensuring a successful cashless transition
GET THE RIGHT SUPPLIER, IN TERMS OF
System Capability
- can they work offline?
- Do they offer pre-event loading and post-event refunds?
Track record
- Have they worked with events of a similar scale to yours before?
- Have they ever had problems?
Commercial terms
- Do they expect to take a percentage of your revenue or will they work for a fixed fee?
GET YOUR AUDIENCE’S SUPPORT
Communicate Pro-Actively
- So, they can see it will improve their experience.
Offer incentives for pre-event loading
- load R500, receive R550 credit.
Make refunds easy
- It will build trust and people will use the system more freely.
GET YOUR TRADERS’ SUPPORT
Promote the benefits to them
- No more cash management, increased customer spends and automated reporting.
- Reassure them that their money is secure and be clear on how and when they will receive their statements and settlements.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Enable self-service online top-up zones
- Where people can use their own phones.
Brief all staff & contractors
- Cashless affects everyone, even the police who will have less crime to deal with.
Use it instead of crew catering
- Reduce costs and meal wastage.
Provide Clear Signage On-Site
- Highlight top-up and customer service locations on the event map and signage.
COMBINE IT WITH OTHER RFID SERVICES IN A SINGLE WRISTBAND
Crowd Management
- Control entry rights for visitors at the main gates and other zones (like VIP, boutique camping, …).
Crew Management
- Control access, catering and other entitlements for staff.
Brand Activation
- Increase the value of your event to sponsors and partners by allowing them to engage with your visitors on-site and on social media via their wristbands.
DO NOT
Compromise on your system to save costs
- It could prove a lot costlier if it doesn’t work.
Use non-secure chips
- Some suppliers use MiFare Classic chips which are not safe for event use. Hero Ticket recommends UltraLight-C chips which cannot be hacked or cloned.
Rely on internet connectivity
- It isn’t reliable enough. Choose a system that works offline.
Assume your audience is not suitable for, or ready to go cashless
- The benefits of Cashless apply to events of all shapes, sizes and musical preference.