The newly-restored Royal Festival Hall (RFH) is to introduce print-at-home barcode ticketing by the end of the year.

The plan to automate the ticketing process is part of a wider £115m overhaul of the venue, which included a new IT infrastructure and wireless networking.

Head of IT at the RFH Mark Pountney says the wireless network will be used to provide connectivity to performers, business users and potentially to the general public as well.

‘The barcoded tickets will be scanned on site with wireless handheld devices when people come into the venue, which is why we need a secure wireless network,’ he said.

The RFH transformation includes a new server room and converged voice and data network as well as ticketing and customer data systems.

‘The network has provided us with new call centre functions and we’re looking at installing an integrated email and voice mail call-queuing system next,’ said Pountney.

The RFH is building special kiosks to take advantage of a new customer relationship management (CRM) and ticketing system.

‘We implemented an arts organisation CRM and ticketing application as a single system to replace the multiple systems we had previously,’ said Pountney.

The transformation also included replacing the RFH web site and a new internet hosting deal.

‘We needed a new web site and ticketing infrastructure to support the restoration of the venue,’ said Pountney.

Barcode ticketing at leisure venues will be commonplace in the next couple of years, says Neil Ward-Dutton, research director at analyst Macehiter Ward-Dutton. However, users must be aware of the problem of fraud.

‘The organisers of the Glastonbury festival, for example, asked people to register online and send in proof of their identity with a photograph. This was to make sure that the people who turned up with tickets were the genuine owners,’ he said.