The latest in biometric tech at sporting facilities comes in Seattle, where CLEAR announced a deal to implement its system at Safeco Field for Seattle Mariners games.
CLEAR, in use in most major airports and other sporting venues, is offering two services at the Seattle sports facilities. The first is merely an extension of the current CLEAR system: dedicated lines for existing customers that allows CLEAR users to bypass the slower security lines, The second is a little more cutting edge: offering CLEAR members the ability to purchase concessions with the tap of a finger, with biometrics replacing an ID for age validation and credit card.
CLEAR system required approval from the State of Washington to replace a traditional ID check with biometric powered age validation.
“Seattle CLEAR members now enjoy frictionless experiences from gate-to-seat at two of the largest sports and entertainment venues in the city, and from curb-to-gate on their travels through SeaTac and beyond,” said CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman Becker. “Reimagining the concessions experience is a natural extension of our platform in sports and we’re thrilled to partner with the Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders to bring it to life for their fans.”
“Enrolling for CLEAR is easy and allows guests to enjoy more game time, from entering the stadium to now getting through the concessions line and back to their seats more quickly,” said Trevor Gooby, Seattle Mariners Sr. Vice President, Ballpark Operations.
“Offering CLEAR as an option for fans to seamlessly complete their food and/or beverage purchase speaks to our continued commitment to providing a modern, user-friendly, tech-enabled culinary experience, in close conjunction with the Mariners. It is great to be ahead of the curve as the first MLB venue to offer this solution,” added Centerplate General Manager Steve Dominguez at Safeco Field.
CLEAR will also be available during concerts at Safeco Field for both access and concessions.
The automating of admissions/ticketing and concessions is still in early phases, with plenty of players developing their own tools and management firms weighing options. CLEAR certainly has an advantage when working on gate management, but expanding into the consumer payment space is a big leap.
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