Zetes´ RFID solution helps manage more than 150,000 visitors to latest Grand Prix race

Zetes´ RFID solution helps manage more than 150,000 visitors to latest Grand Prix race

Organisers of the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix in Belgium are managing the access of visitors to the circuit using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology-based system.

Organiser Spa-Grand Prix plans to sell at least 150,000 admission tickets to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Belgium, which is scheduled to take place in Francorchamps this weekend, from 26 to 28 August.

Optimising crowd control

It will use the RFID system provided by Belgian company RFIDea, now part of the ZETES Group, to manage visitor access, detect and reject fake tickets, and offer greater security and efficiency.

All admission tickets for the Belgian F1 Grand Prix have a built-in RFID chip. Admission officers, equipped with mobile RFID readers and spread out throughout the circuit, receive the data stored in the ticket chips, which helps them manage access to the different zones. As the chip in the tickets can be read much more quickly than a barcode at the checkpoints, waiting lines are minimised. By storing the entry and exit point information in the RFID chip itself, the counterfeiting and wrongful exchange of tickets – a veritable threat at many events of such magnitude – can be nearly eliminated through the use of this technology.

"A total of 80 RFID readers will be used to control access to 20 zones," explained David Dalla Vecchia, chief executive of the Liège-based company RFIDea, which has been a part of the regional ZETES Group since May 2011.

Matching logistical scale

“Our software and infrastructure offer an undisputable added value for an event of such economic and logistical magnitude. Via a central server, Spa-Grand Prix is able to continuously control the traffic to and within the different circuit zones. Along with the additional safety and efficiency advantages, the organisation can analyse and report on the status of attendance at all times.”

“The implementation of RFID for the Grand Prix in Francorchamps illustrates just how versatile this technology is,” added Hervé Toussaint, country manager of ZETES Belgium. “It’s ideal for strictly regulated and protected environments. RFID makes it possible to store data in the admission ticket itself and is a big plus in these specific circumstances.”

Earlier this year ZETES acquired the Liège-based company RFIDea, which is known for its specialised solutions based on RFID technology.