New mobile phone ticketing technology could soon push paper-based tickets to the sidelines in many European soccer stadiums, ski resorts, trade shows and other large venues, according to an industry executive.
“Organizers of huge events like soccer games and trade shows are looking for ways to reduce their ticketing costs while at the same time making the service faster and more convenient for customers,” said Christian Ullmann, chief executive officer of Smartmachine International Holding GmbH, in an interview on Tuesday. “We have developed mobile ticketing technology that can meet these demands far better than traditional paper tickets.”
Smartmachine and its technology partner Skidata AG have developed a mobile ticketing system that allows customers to have a ticket sent to their mobile phone via SMS (Short Message Service) in the form of a 2D (two-dimensional) bar code. At the gate, they slide their mobile phone display showing the bar code by a bar code reader.
The technology, which has been tested by the English soccer club Southend United, will be installed at 10 of the 12 stadiums selected to host the FIFA (F
