Across the world, forward-thinking arena operators and event organizers are rethinking how to get fans in more effectively. Either to increase the fan spend inside the arena or to deliver a better fan experience, incentivizing fans to return.
As you certainly know, fan ingress involves two critical steps. Fans need to have their ticket validated and also undergo a security check. These two steps have traditionally been handled separately, which often leads to bottlenecks.
Even when clubs improve ticket scanning with technologies like NFC, fans still end up waiting for a steward to complete the security check. On the other hand, if security checks are automated with AI detectors, fans still queue to scan their tickets. The scanning process may be fast, but finding the ticket and the way fans interact with it often slows things down.
That’s why more clubs are now seeking solutions that combine both steps and facial authentication is beginning to bridge the gap, enabling faster entry without compromising security.
What Fans Expect from Modern Arena Access Control?
Today’s fans, especially younger ones, expect more than just 90 minutes of game when visiting the stadium. Gen Z and Millennials have grown up with speed and convenience as the standard. McKinsey shows that almost half of Gen Z prioritizes fast, seamless checkout. Other studies echo the same message that fans want control and tech that works for them.
At arenas, that means no unnecessary steps and no middle man. They don’t want to search for tickets, deal with connectivity issues at the gate, or wait in lines for identity checks. They want to get in without any hassle and simply enjoy the event.
Biometric access makes that possible. A face or palm scan takes seconds and removes the need for other forms of ticket validation. As a result, fans gain faster entry and a better overall experience. At the same time, clubs get better data and fewer risky choke points. The flow improves and the frustration disappears.
Innovators like Colosseo EAS, Fortress GB, Teamcard, and Imply understood this evolution and began deploying biometric ticketing that is already speeding up entry at venues across Brazil, Chile, the USA, and beyond.
The next crucial step is integrating these systems with innovations like Xtract One’s AI-powered detectors, which screen for weapons or prohibited items without slowing fans down. Their walk-through technology reduces the need for manual checks while maintaining strong security and a seamless flow.
When these technologies are combined, access control and security will no longer operate in isolation. Stadium entry will become a premium experience every time a fan visits.
How Can Rights Holders Merge Security and Arena Access Control into One Flow?
So you may be asking yourself, do I have to change my entire product if I want to have a smooth entry and security check experience without the need to stop?
The answer is no.
Most arena access and security providers already deliver the essentials. They offer reliable gate control, robust back office, trusted hardware, and smooth crowd flow. But today, it is the clubs that are starting to connect the dots between access and security to unlock a better fan experience. And they are doing it through face recognition.
Biometric access control bridges these systems. It integrates with existing turnstiles, kiosks scanners, security setups, you name it. The primary idea is to lower the barriers of implementation and have the possibility to do early tests almost from one day to another. Since arenas often pose a challenge due to unstable Internet connectivity, biometric scanning for access control systems is made to run entirely offline to avoid any disruptions and other security risks.
Once integrated with access control, the system can verify entering fans against a blocklist and send notifications to the connected security system for further checks. If a person’s ticket is successfully validated, they pass the blocklist check, and clear security screening, they are good to go.
Ideal way how to test biometric entry at arenas
Clubs often start small. They launch a Skip the Line Entry point, usually for VIPs or season ticket holders. The approach is chosen because it brings direct benefit to sponsors, fans, and the right holders themselves. They then measure the impact, optimize the flow, and then expand to dozens of new biometric entrances.
Several clubs around the world are already enhancing fan entry with face recognition. In the United States, teams like the Carolina Panthers and franchises in the NFL’s Express Access program have adopted facial authentication. In Brazil, clubs such as Palmeiras are leading the way, and facial recognition access has become mandatory nationwide because of the undeniable benefits it brings in solving ticket fraud and strengthening venues security.
And the best thing?
Once the pilot tests delivered satisfactory results, these clubs scaled the deployment to over 100 turnstiles across the entire stadium in just 40 days.
Adding biometrics is not about changing the core system. It is about how clubs can use what they already have and elevate it with technology that brings everything together.
Let’s Build What Comes Next Together
Biometric access is no longer a trend. It is a proven upgrade, and the clubs are more and more ready. Fans now expect stadium entry to be fast and secure. But access and security systems can only deliver that when they move beyond isolated functions.
That is where TruCrowd comes in. We do not replace what you have built. We enhance it. Our biometric layer integrates seamlessly with existing turnstiles, cameras, ticketing systems, and crowd flow management. You stay in control, and we help you unlock your business for the future of sport and cultural events.
This is not about connecting systems just for the sake of integration. It is about helping you respond to what your clients, the clubs and event organizers, are already asking for. They want seamless access without stopping. They want flexibility, real time decision making, and a better fan experience. And they are looking to their trusted vendors to deliver it.
Do you deliver security or entry systems to football stadiums, basketball arenas, baseball ballparks, or other types of venues? Go look at our partner’s page and let’s chat how we can build a joint offering that will make your competition jealous.
