Australian Football League club Geelong Cats has upgraded official express entry for its members into GMHBA Stadium. The club has deployed facial authentication at member lanes, designed by Wicket.
Starting as a pilot for a select group of users, biometric authentication expedites entry along express member lanes. The integration was possible through Wicket’s successful trial with Ticketmaster, which verified customers by comparing their “selfie” with event tickets. The whole process is streamlined to retrieve the electronic tickets in less than 5 seconds per group. The league club also sought to contract Wicket’s technology after witnessing the transformation of customer security procedures at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open.
Geelong Cats Chief Customer Officer, Hayley Kirkpatrick, said the club focuses on delivering “memorable matchday experiences for their members” by “creating a quicker, more convenient and seamless entry into GMHBA Stadium”.
“After successfully trialling the technology with Wicket and Ticketmaster in 2024, we have expanded the program this season to include multiple entry gates, with plans to roll out further in 2026, allowing more members to opt-in to the program.” The Express members’ experience is completely voluntary requiring an opt-in to enrol in the biometric program at all fixtures at GMHBA Stadium.
With a growing calendar of sports and live events, Geelong Cats are enhancing the guest experience for crowds of spectators that come to see them at large-scale venues, resulting in a 50% rise in opt-ins and increasing use of member lanes by 500% on home grounds.
“We’re thrilled to see the Geelong Cats improving ingress at GMHBA Stadium through facial ticketing,” said Alastair Partington, CEO of Wicket. “The adoption and positive fan reaction to the Express Members Lane shows how thoughtful use of technology can improve the fan experience – making it simpler, faster, and more seamless.”
