The going was good from start to finish for racing fans attending the Grand National Festival at Aintree this year. Over the three-day event, TeamCard3’s state of the art access control system ensured problem-free access as visitor numbers soared to beyond 58,000 for the festival’s flagship race.
On a typical race day, Aintree manages venue access by issuing TeamCard’s handheld ticket readers to between 15 and 20 stewards, but on big race days like the Grand National, this number increases by some 500%.
“It’s TeamCard3’s flexibility that makes managing demand peaks in Aintree’s calendar so easy,” explains TeamCard CEO Randal McLister. “As part of The Jockey Club, Aintree has access to a pool of nearly 200 of our handheld ticket readers deployed right across The Jockey Club’s 15 courses. When demand is high at one course, additional readers are simply re-deployed from other venues. The ability to update devices remotely means any course in The Jockey Club’s network can re-programme all additional handsets with the specific venue and event data required in less than 90 seconds.”
“Older systems just don’t deliver the savings and sophistication today’s major sporting venues require,” continues Randal. “Traditionally, venues have spent days re-configuring devices manually because remote updates aren’t available. This isn’t just a problem when a venue brings in additional devices for big events, it’s a problem throughout the season because access criteria change from one event to the next. On a regular race day, every ticket holder may be entitled to access the venue from any location, but on big race days, venues want to be able to map out special areas for media, VIPs, premium season ticket holders and so on. TeamCard3’s built-in mapping option allows venues to configure devices for any event at any venue is minutes rather than days.”
Across the UK, The Jockey Club uses TeamCard3 to support all ticketing and access requirements in its 15 locations. Major attendance peaks anticipated this summer include Newmarket’s Qipco Guineas Festival, the Epsom Downs’ Investec Derby Festival and the Moët & Chandon July Festival.
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