SXSW (South by Southwest) was using RFID technology for the first time in a bid to prevent counterfeiting of wristbands. Last year during SXS Week, thousands of fake wristbands were made and sold on the street and the people involved and caught were charged with forgery and trademark counterfeiting. The chances of counterfeiting the new wristbands are said to be almost impossible.

Smart Band revolves around a tiny, flat RFID chip, sealed inside a non-transferable plastic wristband that uses customised software to store and transfer data. Specialised PDA’s at the entrance to a venue read the chip and a light will appear to indicate whether or not the wristband is real. A green light means it is legitimate, a red light represents a counterfeit.

Eve McArthur, SXSW Director of Operations, said: "It’s great to know that we’re able to implement the latest technology in wristband identification at our events to help stop counterfeiting."

McArthur identified another benefit of the new wristband when she commented on its potential for alleviating unnecessary crowding inside an event, helping to increase security and public safety in general.

Victor LaRosa, PDC RFID & Age/ID manager, added that future applications will allow a patron to load money onto a Smart Band, resulting in convenient cashless point of sales and easy tracking of sales for event organisers.

As well as the general public, this year’s SXS Week saw attendance by more than 10,000 music, film and entertainment professionals. In addition to the wristbands, about 7,000 music and platinum badges – intended for entertainment business registrants – also contained embedded RFID chips.

leisure-kit keyword: Smart Band

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