Now that we are back from Doha, where we managed the access control system at Education City Stadium (one of the six stadiums *for which Zucchetti Group was awarded a contract to manage access points during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar), we can say with certainty that reopening stadiums safely is now possible.
How? By planning restricted entry starting with the issuing of tickets and then dividing fans into groups, both incoming and outgoing, as well as by ensuring that distancing rules are followed by using internal cameras that allow for verifying and limiting the gathering of fans in the stands.
Zucchetti's Security and Automation Manager, Marco Marchetti, during the last press conference held on Tuesday, February 18, said: "In Doha, the facility’s capacity was reduced to 25%. The system devised involved booking tickets online and picking them up at predetermined offices where each fan was swabbed quickly. However, the quick swab is not essential to allow a good percentage of fans to enter stadiums safely by staggering the time and access point the same time the ticket is issued."
Dirk Schwindling, Head of POS and International Chief Strategy Officer and Enrico Itri, International COO of Zucchetti, also agreed with him. During the meeting they demonstrated Zucchetti's expertise in stadium access control and security, thanks to the experience gained at more than 120 different facilities around the world, and spoke about the increasingly international caliber of the Zucchetti Group.
"With offices in more than 11 countries and more than 700 employees, Zucchetti is now an international company with revenues of €109 million in 2020,” said Enrico Itri. The offer that the group makes abroad, as in Italy, is based on the concept of innovation and even outside national borders it is the cloud that today supports a complete and fully-integrated supply of management solutions and solutions for e-commerce, ERP systems and POS solutions, as well as software for HR Management and hospitality, the so-called Cloud Core Suite.
It is an active and flourishing market, whose monitoring is a priority for the group as well as an object of continuous investment and which, to remain on the subject, is also articulated with management of access control and security at sports (and other) facilities all over the world.
"We manage access control and security at stadiums around the world, but we didn't stop there," said Dirk Schwindling in conclusion. “At several facilities, including a famous Italian stadium and at one of the most important stadiums in Germany, we worked on integration of access control and the retail part of the facilities with cash management solutions. Thanks to the combination of two of Zucchetti's main international businesses, today fans can go to the stadium and, by showing their ticket, take advantage of discounts and facilitations to obtain merchandising and food and beverages related to the football event."
It is a very modern and innovative management that confirms, once again, the purpose that guides every action taken by the group: “We innovate to improve your life”.
*Complete list of stadiums in Qatar managed by Zucchetti:
- Al Janoub-Al Bayat- Khalifa International- Education City- Ras Abu Aboud- Lusail
