The same biometric technology enabling speedy airport security checks is expanding to a growing number of sporting venues, as Clear announces a new partnership with the Detroit Tigers to create swift passage into Comerica Park.
Clear, which uses fingerprints to confirm ticketholders’ identity, is available at 24 airports in the U.S. and now is installed at six major league ballparks and seven total sports venues, as downtown Detroit’s Comerica Park joins both New York City parks — Yankee Stadium and Citi Field — as well as San Francisco’s AT&T Park, Denver’s Coors Field and Miami’s Marlins Park and AmericanAirlines Arena (home to the Miami Heat).
The service launched at Detroit’s airport last fall, and Clear has set a goal of expansion to every sports venue in each area where it already has an entrenched airline subscriber base (Use of Clear is free for sports venues but costs $15 per month for use at airports).
Baseball is a natural fit for such a program given that season-ticket holders attending every home game would have to clear security 81 times per season. Ed O’Brien, head of sports business at Clear, told SportTechie that Detroit is a “classic sports town” with a loyal fan base that would benefit from its product.
“They know that, no matter what their schedule is or what they’re dealing with in other parts of their life, when they come into Comerica, they know they’re going to have a very easy, predictable and fast way into the ballpark,” O’Brien said, adding: “You can count on us to get you in quickly every single time. It takes out one of the hassles that you might have to worry about or think about as you go to enjoy a baseball game and have a good time.”
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“As we continue to identify opportunities to enhance the game day experience, CLEAR provides us with an enhancement whereas patrons can enter Comerica Park in a quicker and convenient manner, without compromising their safety and security,” Mike Healy, Tigers vice president of ballpark operations, said in a statement. “The implementation of CLEAR’s platform speaks to our on-going technological initiatives to provide a world-class entertainment experience for our patrons.”
Though Clear’s easy and expedited entry to an airport gate or sporting venue is its headlining draw, the company hopes to expand within each location. At a ballgame, O’Brien explained, a beer sale is a three-step process: order, show ID and pay. With collaboration from concession vendors, Clear could be conjoined with a payment platform so that only a quick fingerprint scan would be needed for age confirmation and credit-card sale.
Similarly, entrance to a game requires checks by both security and ticketing agents, but future coordination with a ticketing platform could enable the merger of those two steps.
“We try to look at the core values of faster and more secure and see how we can use the technology to bring those to other touchpoints within the sports venue,” O’Brien said.