Facial recoginition at events

Facial recognition is one the most quickly evolving pieces of technology. We might be familiar with using our faces to open our phones, but using this wizardry at large scale events? Well, that kind of blows our mind.

Here are our Five Big Questions about the future of facial recognition at live events.

1) What exactly is facial recognition? It’s a super-sophisticated piece of bio-tech that analyzes the finer details of the face to accurately ascertain a person’s identity. Or put simply, it’s using your face as a form of ID.

2) How will it benefit live events? In theory, it will provide an extra layer of security at events (you can’t forge your own face, right?) as well as streamlining check-in and registration processes.

3) Ok, so what are the pitfalls? Firstly, it’s expensive to implement. Costs will go down as the tech becomes more common but it’s a pricey process initially. The second biggie is concerns over privacy and data protection, some event attendees may be uncomfortable their face is being used for and where their data is being stored.

4) Are any countries using facial recognition already? China is the world-leader when it comes to facial recognition, with the technology being used to allow people to board public transport and even pay for fast-food. The USA is catching up, with many airlines now using facial recognition as an extra security precaution when boarding flights.

5) How soon can we expect to see it in action? Experts estimate that facial recognition at live events will be standard practice in the USA and Europe in the next five to ten years. It depends on the industry, as some sectors will be keen to adopt the tech faster than others.

At Unite Marketing & Events, we’re always keen to discover new ways the event world is evolving and how this might impact - and improve - the events we’re involved in.

Let us know your thoughts on facial recognition at events in the comments below - or drop us a DM if you have any questions!