Tom HallThe World Darts Championship will return to Alexandra Palace this December, but for the first time the three-week event will be cashless, as the popular sporting contest signs a deal with Weezevent.
All bars, food and merchandise outlets at the event will be using a cashless payment system powered by Weezevent. The system, which not only cuts out the need for cash but helps organisers mine and understand visitor and sales data, debuted in the UK festival market at Standon Calling in 2019. It is already used at major events across Europe, including Rock en Seine, Lollapalooza and Hellfest.
Moving on from the previous paper-based token system, the 85,000 attendees at the World Darts Championship will be able to top-up in advance or on site, and make payments using souvenir NFC cards at Weezevent point-of-sale devices. These cards can be used on repeat visits to the darts series, which runs from 13 th December to 1 st January, benefitting fans who attend more than once during the darts’ three-week residency at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Olly Goddard, UK Country Manager for Weezevent, said: “Alexandra Palace is one of the most iconic venues in London and we are very much looking forward to bringing our cashless system here through our partnership with The World Darts Championship. The benefits to customers will be instantly obvious, with fewer queues at the bars and speedy transactions. Importantly, it will now be a much simpler process to get refunds back from the cards should there be any pre-paid amount left once the darts has finished. Previously, guests would have to send back the paper tokens; with the Weezevent system all refunds are processed online immediately after the event ends.”
Matt Porter, chief executive at The Worlds Darts Championship organiser the Professional Darts Corporation, said: “I used the Weezevent system at Standon Calling and saw how easy it was to use. Providing a cashless solution to our fans is an important step to improving their experience at the World Darts Championship. As an organisation, we are always looking at ways to improve our offering and with Weezevent we have partnered with a proven and reliable system.”
Wayne Newton, head of catering at Alexandra Palace, added: “Not only will the increased speed of service and improved payment system be welcomed by fans, it will also be great for us as a venue. The benefits a cashless system brings to organisers are numerous and ensures Alexandra Palace remains at the forefront of technological developments.”