Page 135 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2016

Cruïlla Summer Festival (Barcelona) also incorporated this new technology with a few particular features at the 2015 edition.62 Whereas the 2014 edition of the Low Festival was a testing ground for PayPal’s payment wristbands, the 2015 edition of Cruïlla was regarded asan opportunity to test how the system fared when extended to access control, which they call the ‘Full Cashless’ experience. It should be remembered that this edition of Cruïlla took place only days before the second edition of the Low Festival, whose organisers also decided to extend the usage of RFID wristband technology.On this occasion, festival goers had to sign up to Cruïlla’s web platform or app previously (both were linked and synchronised automatically). They then had to link their ticket to their account using the code number displayed onit and ll in a form available on the website or app. They could then pre-load money from their account, via PayPal (a promotion) or from a credit card of their own.63After arriving at the festival, all they needed to do was go to the ticket desks, where they could exchange their ticket for a textile wristband tted with an RFID chip, after associating it with their ticket and accounts, and scan it at the entrance barriers by tapping their wrist against the scanner at the side. Like many others that use the same system, this wristband could be deactivated if it was lost or stolen, and was therefore a safer method for festival goers as it made their experience more comfortable.Another particular feature of this technologyis that, in addition to enabling payment and fast access to the festival areas, it o ereda new social function through Facebook. If users accessed the web zone of their account, they could activate the wristband’s Facebook Connect option, allowing them to use the data connection terminals located in various areas (large panels with a sensor area which the wristband could be swiped over) to update theirFacebook status automatically, incorporating the place they were at, or upload photos.Another Spanish festival that has gone in for the cashless system is BIME.64 This event chose to adopt fast payment wristbands for its most festive side – that is, for the latest 2015 edition of BIME Live. The experience involved a total of more than 22,500 people who attended the Live section, which lasted three days.Also in alliance with the digital payment platform PayPal, wristbands were used to enable festival goers to enjoy a cashless and cardless experience. All they had to do was registeron the website or app and link their ticket to the wristband (or in situ, at the ticket desks). Getting unused cash back is an important part of ensuring a good nal experience. In thiscase, as in that of other festivals that had relied on the PayPal service, if the money had been loaded from the website or app, it was returned automatically within 15 days. If the user had loaded it at the festival ticket desk, they had to ll in a form.A festival that has been toying with this technology outside Spain is the Bonnaroo Music Festival. They have been testing RFID technology on wristbands since 201165 at least, as substitutes for passes or textile wristbands for controlling access to spaces and areas of the concert.AC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2016135