LG Arena the first in the UK to usher in self-scanning turnstiles
The LG Arena is the first arena in the UK to usher in its audiences through state of the art access control, complementing the £29 million refurbishment the Birmingham venue underwent last year.
Twenty automated turnstiles, situated at the main entrance of the LG Arena, guide customers into the unique pre and post-show zone, forumLIVE. There are two additional entry points for disabled visitors at each end of the bank of turnstiles.
The turnstiles are directly integrated in the Audience-View Ticketing software, used by the venue box office, The Ticket Factory. The bar code readers within each turnstile can validate a ticket in real time, ensuring customers can buy a ticket at The Ticket Factory and have it validated at the turnstile seconds later.
The state of the art access control system also authorises bar-coded e-tickets, which customers print themselves at home, standard and custom souvenir tickets. The new technology will also be able to handle 2D, m-ticket (mobile ticket technologies) and smartcards in the future.
With a successful scan, a beep can be heard and a green light shows, indicating to the customer that their ticket has been authorised and they can gain entry by pushing the turnstile bar. If a ticket has already been used or if the ticket is for a different performance, a red light shows to the customer and access is denied. There are also a set of lights on the inner side of the turnstiles to inform the venue’s stewards.
The stainless steel turnstiles are also integrated with the arena’s fire alarm system and automatically drop in the event of an emergency evacuation situation.
Guy Dunstan, General Manager of Arenas part of The NEC Group, said: “The customer experience is key for visitors to the LG Arena, from the moment they arrive. Turnstiles configured in this way present a seamless, simple and safe entry into forumLIVE.”
The turnstiles went live at the beginning of 2010.
“The turnstile integration with our ticketing system at the LG Arena has been a unanimous success, validating the tickets directly with The Ticket Factory. The system has worked seamlessly with thousands of people coming to our venue, as shown with the huge crowds for the X Factor concerts with an audience of 12,800 per night; the turnstiles coped with a peak performance of 215 people per minute,” added Guy Dunstan.
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