Cleveland Browns, Aramark Sports + Entertainment and Wicket deploy Express Access concessions
Building on the Cleveland Browns’ Express Beer concept, the American football club, along with Aramark Sports + Entertainment and Wicket, has collaborated with technology partners Tapin2 and Mashgin on a deployment of Express Access grab and go concessions at Huntington Bank Field.
This includes facial authentication for payment for both food and beverage and age verification on alcohol purchases for guests 21+ using a valid, government issued ID.
“As the sports industry evolves, so must the gameday experience. Fans want to enjoy everything their stadium offers without missing any action,” says Alicia Woznicki, Vice President of Design and Development, Aramark Sports + Entertainment.
“The success of Express Beer at the Browns’ stadium showed us that fans are interested and willing to enrol in the digital age verification process, which gave us the confidence to expand on a much larger scale and introduce a comprehensive food and beverage programme with the same capabilities.”
New for the 2024 NFL season, the Express Access offering provides building wide coverage, allowing fans to utilise the grab and go concessions model no matter where they are seated in the stadium.
“Express Access has become a critical part of amplifying our fans’ gameday experience and making sure we’re getting them into Huntington Bank Field and through concession lines efficiently and seamlessly,” says Brandon Covert, Vice President of Information Technology, Cleveland Browns.
“We’re thrilled to expand this programme and looking forward to continuing to work with our partners at Aramark Sports + Entertainment and Wicket as well as Mashgin and Tapin2 on this stadium wide enhancement this season.”
"We are committed to enabling a sensational event experience, and the Express Access programme at Huntington Bank Field is a prime example of this," says Alastair Partington, CEO, Wicket.
"Partnering with Aramark Sports + Entertainment to enable frictionless transactions at more locations throughout the stadium allows fans to spend less time in line and more time enjoying the action on the field."
2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
Frictionless transactions are a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.
The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.
Key 2024 dates
Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed
30th October-6th November: Judging days
Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.
