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| Ricoh Arena | 26 Mar 2010 |
Ricoh Arena short-listed for international Awards
The Ricoh Arena in Coventry has been short-listed for an international award for the success of the cashless payment system which operates at Coventry City matches.
The multi-purpose venue is among four contenders competing in the Health/Lifestyle/Entertainment category in The Contactless Intelligence Monkey Awards 2010.
The Ricoh will be competing against the Austrian Institute of Technology for its wireless health monitoring scheme, the City of Oulu in Finland for its wireless system for meals for the elderly and Caffe Nero in the UK.
The awards – which are in their fourth year – are given to companies, organisations and retailers across the world who have embraced and implemented contactless technology in their day-to-day operations.
Daniel Gidney, the chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said the cashless payment system had been running at Coventry City’s fixtures since 2008.
“We are delighted to have been short-listed for this international award which rewards those who are making contactless technology work efficiently,” he said.
“We are proud to be the first stadium in the UK to have introduced the cashless payment system and our research shows it has speeded up service at our kiosks particularly at half-time.
“Before the system was introduced the average half-time transaction time was 63 seconds and it is now an average of 22 seconds which means supporters receive their food and drinks much more quickly.
“Although attendances in the Championship are on average slightly lower than last season, the number of transactions as a percentage of the attendance has increased from 47 per cent to 57 per cent.
“Our highest total is 67 per cent for the Sky Blues’ FA Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea last season which also set a UK stadium record of £2.67 spend per head for football match retail sales.
“When we didn’t have the cashless system in operation for the England under-21s match against Macedonia it led to much longer queues and slower service and really highlighted the benefits of the system.
“Since the start of the 2008/09 season, supporters have been issued with a smart card which doubles up as their season ticket and their cashless payment card.
“We believe supporters are now familiar with the system but there is plenty of staff located around the concourses to help those who come to Coventry City matches on an irregular basis or for the first time.”
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Hilton London Tower Bridge hotel on Thursday, April 29.
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