Event venues using security for business intelligence as well

Needless to say, event venues face the need to protect staff and visitors against terrorists, radical fans, protestors or other groups that pose a threat. However, increasingly, Asian venue operators are also turning to security equipment for non-security applications as well. Integration of video or access control with other systems such as HVAC allows users to save energy and gain further insights into their surroundings to optimize resources utilization.

When deployed at event venues such as stadiums and concert halls, security equipment such as video and access control systems are used as a means to protect lives and assets, helping the operator detect threats early and deal with them in a timely manner. However, at a time when users are looking to optimize returns on investment, they demand more out of their security products. A lot of them, then, are turning to security for non-security objectives as well to gain business insights and optimize resources utilization.

“Today the big difference is, operators now want effectiveness in CCTV deployment. Operators no longer want to invest in just vast number of low-cost cameras because there are just too much useless information that takes up manpower resources, time and is costly to manage. Operators now want minimum infrastructure cost, high-quality cameras with high quality images, intelligent agents that is also intelligently deployed. Operators are looking at outcome based systems,” said Patrick Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing at Ademco Security Group.

“A key aspect of IoT is the ability to consolidate data from multiple systems and farm this asset for meaningful trends, actions and potentially avoid incidents,” said Ken May, VP of Asia Pacific Sales for Security Products at Johnson Controls. “Video analytics, in particular, is an area we are investing in for our video platforms, from facial recognition to implement black lists or identifying known criminals, to applications that manage queues or crowds to allow operators to efficiently alert staff and provide mitigation measures.”

The company cited deployment at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (MBSIR) as an example. “The project required communication with a number of external systems to implement critical operational functions. CEM was required to integrate with the Central Control and Monitoring System (CCMS), the HR system, the key management system and the CCTV system amongst others,” May said. “With the integration, CEM is able to communicate important and critical matters to the CCMS e.g. a water leak at a roof top pool of the MBSIR hotel. HR information is also available to CEM, allowing the MBSIR security team to efficiently manage and facilitate employee matters such as ID badging and uniform collection.”

Meanwhile, video analytics such as facial recognition can be used to prevent loss and fraudulent activities at event venues. NEC, for example, cited how its facial recognition technology, developed in conjunction with TAPIRS, can be used to prevent and deter concert ticket scalping outside an event venue.

"In recent years, the purchase of event and concert tickets through online auctions or private individuals has become a widespread practice. At the same time, resale problems and unlawful resale are on the increase. This ticket ID system efficiently identifies the ticket purchaser at the venue using face recognition software, preventing admission with illegally resold tickets," NEC said in a statement.

According to NEC, the system, which won the 2015 Gold Award for Field Innovation award from the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, is being used at concerts in Japan by performers that include Momoiro Clover Z and BABYMETAL, helping to prevent fraudulent concert ticket resale and to ensure that concertgoers are admitted into the venue efficiently.