Imply biometric ticketing deployed in Brazil, Mets expand Wicket partnership

Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, will deploy facial recognition-powered access control technology when it officially opens its door to the public in March 2023. The biometric solution will be offered as part of a deal with physical security firm Imply, and incorporated into the company’s platform for integrated management of all access points.

Imply’s solution will offer NFC, Bluetooth, RFID, and QR Codes alongside face biometrics to enable touchless access to the Arena MRV stadium.

It will also include anti-fraud technologies, which, according to Imply, will manage access in accordance with the “strictest security requirements.”

“We always think about the comfort and convenience of fans, which is why Arena MRV has the ambition to be the most modern in Latin America,” comments the CIO of Atlético and Arena MRV, Leandro Evangelista.

“Closing a partnership with Imply is the certainty that we are offering the most modern access control market for Atlético fans.”

New York Mets expand Wicket’s face biometrics trial at Citi Field

The New York Mets expanded the trial of Wicket’s opt-in facial ticketing system from VIP gates introduced in October last year to all entry gates at Citi Field.

Now, according to the company’s Chief Technology Officer Mark Brubaker, hundreds of fans have already signed up for Wicket’s Express Entry at Citi Field this season and uploaded a selfie to the MLB Ballpark app to take advantage of the stadium’s facial recognition systems.

Brubaker also said feedback so far has been “very positive” and that the new biometric system mainly targets Mets season-ticket holders and premium club members as opposed to single-game ticket holders.

“If you’re a Clover member [and] you’re [seated] behind home plate, you have to show your ticket when you get through the stadium,” Brubaker told SportTechie.

“Then if you want to get into the Clover premium space, you have to show your ticket again. [With facial recognition] you can just walk up, scan it and the person looks. You don’t have to constantly have your phone out.”

Brubaker also said the club is trying to maintain a “conservative legalistic view” that, for instance, does not allow fans under 13 years old to use Wicket’s express entry ticket line.

“Working with Wicket’s guidance and our legal department, we tried to look at the most conservative legalistic view that is out there, and let’s just apply that for us. Let’s not go beyond what the most conservative view is.”

The Mets are not the only club testing Wicket’s facial recognition system for stadium access control. In October last year, for example, the biometric technology was deployed by the Columbus Crew of North America’s Major League Soccer.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometric ticketing  |  biometrics  |  contactless biometrics  |  Express Entry  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  selfie biometrics  |  Wicket