Jamie Pollard statement regarding ticket scanning process during home opener

[flycy]

Airlines can use screenshots. And when in our wallet (and app) there’s a QR code.

Airlines and TSA have also verified your identity at the airport prior to letting you in the final boarding area, and your ticket must match your name. Totally different as there is almost no possibility of a fraudulent ticket. Saturday reminded me of a TSA line at a large airport.

 

[ScottyP]

So a question on these turnstiles, since I never even got close enough to see them, much less use them, before the event staff opened the gates and let everyone in.

I assume the turnstile turns once for each ticket scanned? So you're going in one-by-one? So if I'm scanning in my entire family, I scan one person, wait for the turnstile, then scan the next, wait for the next turnstile, and so on? And then go last myself?

That is how I did it with my family.

 

[Pope]

Tell me how this is an improvement? Tell me why I need to expose my information to another app that can be hacked and sold in order to go to a football game?

How is this change better for the consumer who doesn't want to stand in hour long lines when prior systems worked well?

Change for change sake isn't improvement. So I'll need to have a smart phone to function in society. A phone that knows just about everything about what I do and where I go. My comfort level is low with that.

I'm probably naive, but compared to all the other things I worry about in my life, losing my privacy due to my cell phone ranks pretty low.

 

[exCYtable]

This week gonna be hell for the Athletics Department on a short turnaround.

 

[cytor]

This is all one big learning curve. ISU will adjust, and so will the fans. We will all be fine.

 

[Trice]

Tell me how this is an improvement? Tell me why I need to expose my information to another app that can be hacked and sold in order to go to a football game?

How is this change better for the consumer who doesn't want to stand in hour long lines when prior systems worked well?

Change for change sake isn't improvement. So I'll need to have a smart phone to function in society. A phone that knows just about everything about what I do and where I go. My comfort level is low with that.

I've been as big a critic of Saturday as anyone, but you also have to acknowledge that this didn't work anywhere near as designed. Long waits are not acceptable, but nor are they the norm when this works as it should.

Your arguments about using your smartphone are a separate conversation entirely. I'll just say that asking the ISU athletic department to put its foot down and refuse to use technology when most of society - not to mention its ticketing vendor - is moving in that direction probably isn't reasonable.

 

[barometriclow]

Has anyone posted about the fiasco with the fence on the west side of the SEZ. Heard that it reflected the sun back to the fans and blocked a good portion of the field. Hundreds left early instead of dying.

 

[cycloner29]

How many hawk fans will understand the cyclone app and the scanning process as I’m sure there will be a few at the game? We plan on tailgating Friday afternoon, evening and early Sat morning so we will either be there earlier than usual, hangover depending…

 

[NorthCyd]

Airlines have been using self-scan of mobile devices (and paper!) for at least the last 8 years, so I think you can say the system is tested and robust. And yet, I don’t think I’ve been on a flight where someone doesn’t have a problem scanning their phone (or paper!). Should the AD have anticipated this? Sure, but you can’t let fans off the hook entirely.

It's not about letting fans off the hook. It's about not making all the fans have a bad experience because some of them weren't prepared. Everyone in my group was ready to go and had no problems, but no amount of preparation on our part was going to get us through that sh!t show any faster. The AD has to anticipate that a certain percentage of fans just won't be ready no matter how hard they try to prepare the fanbase. They weren't ready for that at all. Hopefully they will be next week.

 

[KnappShack]

I've been as big a critic of Saturday as anyone, but you also have to acknowledge that this didn't work anywhere near as designed. Long waits are not acceptable, but nor are they the norm when this works as it should.

Your arguments about using your smartphone are a separate conversation entirely. I'll just say that asking the ISU athletic department to put its foot down and refuse to use technology when most of society - not to mention its ticketing vendor - is moving in that direction probably isn't reasonable.

Agreed. I'd add that if the wallet option is just an option then it could be a value add.

If entry could be done by printed ticket, screen shot, or wallet download then it's an option and potentially a move forward.

 

[Trice]

How many hawk fans will understand the cyclone app and the scanning process as I’m sure there will be a few at the game? We plan on tailgating Friday afternoon, evening and early Sat morning so we will either be there earlier than usual, hangover depending…

Can't speak to Iowa's scan-in process at games but their ticketing/app system looks almost identical to ours.

 

[Cyclone06]

Can't speak to Iowa's scan-in process at games but their ticketing/app system looks almost identical to ours.

Its not about the equipment, unless it wasn't working due to heat. Its the significantly lacking amount of entry points.

 

[2speedy1]

Has anyone posted about the fiasco with the fence on the west side of the SEZ. Heard that it reflected the sun back to the fans and blocked a good portion of the field. Hundreds left early instead of dying.

But at least no one got a beer out of the SEZ that wasnt supposed to.

 

[CheapClone1202]

Pollard’s apology:

“I’m sorry that the fans are morons”

And he’s right. Trouble with electronic tickets are always the same, the user not knowing what they’re doing.

 

[Trice]

It's not about letting fans off the hook. It's about not making all the fans have a bad experience because some of them weren't prepared. Everyone in my group was ready to go and had no problems, but no amount of preparation on our part was going to get us through that sh!t show any faster. The AD has to anticipate that a certain percentage of fans just won't be ready no matter how hard they try to prepare the fanbase. They weren't ready for that at all. Hopefully they will be next week.

This is the entire ballgame right here.

Of course some fans were unprepared. Of course some fans had trouble. Of course some fans bear responsibility. Nobody is arguing otherwise.

But it is 100% on the athletic department to:
1) prepare fans as much as possible in advance to minimize it
2) have a plan for dealing with it in real time when it inevitably arises
3) have technology that works when it's supposed to, and the ability to quickly swap it out when it fails
4) have enough capacity at each entry point

I'd argue #1 was okay but inadequate, #2 was a total failure, #3 was (based on anecdotal reports) a mixed bag bordering on a failure, and #4 might have been fine when the rest of the process is working as designed but became an issue when #2 and #3 failed.

 

[2speedy1]

It's not about letting fans off the hook. It's about not making all the fans have a bad experience because some of them weren't prepared. Everyone in my group was ready to go and had no problems, but no amount of preparation on our part was going to get us through that sh!t show any faster. The AD has to anticipate that a certain percentage of fans just won't be ready no matter how hard they try to prepare the fanbase. They weren't ready for that at all. Hopefully they will be next week.

edit: add @CheapClone1202

But it wasnt just fans not being prepared.

As I have said I was prepared, and it appeared the group ahead of us was to, we had our tix open, ready to go, NFC etc all on, and the readers would NOT read any of the tickets. I tried, the girl at the gate tried, then she called her supervisor over and he tried. NOT ONE of my SEASON Tix would read. We were there several mins trying before they let us just go around the turnstile and in, without a ticket read. This was the same for the group ahead of us too, none of their tix would read and they let them in after trying for several mins too.

People were getting pretty angry by this time, we had been in line aprx 45min, and those behind us were yelling to let them in.

Usually when you go in the ramp up to the concourse is fairly full of people heading in. But all the people were stuck outside and there was a tiny trickle of people going up the ramp, when it should have been packed. It was so slow getting through the gate that it was just a trickle of people going up the ramps.

 

[barometriclow]

But at least no one got a beer out of the SEZ that wasnt supposed to.

Nice seats huh?

 

[barometriclow]

Maybe should have used razor blade wire

 

[Trice]

Nice seats huh?

That's awful. At a minimum those seats should be discounted as obstructed view seats. But if you weren't notified of that before ticket renewal, that's just incredibly disappointing.

 

[Bestaluckcy]

Wonder if Baylor wants to sell their tarp.