Wireless Festival 2012. Get the BlackBerry App and leave your cash at home
It might be London’s biggest music festival, with Rihanna and my favourite BlackBerry user Jessie J headlining, but the organisers of this weekend’s Barclaycard Wireless festival are hoping their crowds will come with empty pockets.
Back in May, we told you how the Wireless event would go cashless with NFC technology and as we get closer now, we have a little more details on the usage and even a BlackBerry app.
Tom Gregory, who helped develop the technology for Barclaycard, says it could be the future for festivals if it goes smoothly in Hyde Park.
Gregory says the Payband can counter the problem of lost cash and long queues for cash machines at festivals:
“We believe it works really well in that festival environment. It is something that is absolutely relevant for this audience,” he said, adding that the technology could also work well at sporting events.
Users who have signed up for the service online can load up to £200 on to their band, with a £20 limit on each transaction.
Thousands of revellers going to Wireless have signed up to try the bands, which will also offer access to extra benefits such as fast-track entry and entrance to the Barclaycard Unwind perk park. Worryingly for big spenders, users can also choose to put an auto top-up setting on the Payband so it fills up with money from their account when they are running low.
Main Line Up
- Deadmau5
- Drake
- Rihanna
- Nicki Minaj
- Jessie J
- Calvin Harris
- Maverick Sabre
- Example
- Wiz Khalifa
- Professor Green
- Nero
- Labrinth
- J. Cole
- Rizzle Kicks
- Labrinth
- Pitbull
Click here if you would like to see the full line-up.
BlackBerry App
This app is a must-have for anybody going to Wireless Festival. Interactive meeting points and stage times give the ultimate experience to BlackBerry, iPhone and Android users thanks to Vodafone, available on all networks.
There’s nothing worse than missing your favourite artist because you didn’t know the stage times or running around knee-deep in mud trying to find your mates or the nearest bar to give you a dodgy pint in a plastic cup.
Anyone going to Wireless Festival this weekend won’t need to worry thanks to this app from Vodafone VIP.
It includes full information on who’s performing where and when, with headline acts deadmau5, Drake and Rihanna all confirmed.
The option to set reminders for times and stages means you won’t miss your favourite bands.
But the biggest bonus is an interactive map which tells you the whereabouts of your mates and – more importantly – where the nearest bar and amenities are.
You don’t need to be a Vodafone customer to use it. But if you are, you could get exclusive benefits while you’re there – just check out the Vodafone VIP section under the Info tab.
Key features
- Line-up – Search by artist and stage to see who’s playing, on what stage and when
- My schedule – Keep track of all your favourite acts and their performance times
- Map – Find your friends, make your way round the festival – and even set up meeting places
- Social – See what everyone’s saying about your favourite acts on Twitter and Facebook and share your festival experience with friends
- Photos – See the best snaps of the festival – and check if yours is up there
- Information – Find out more about the event, venue and travel– plus, find the location of the Vodafone VIP recharge truck and our exclusive viewing platforms
- Instant notifications – Get schedule updates and announcements as they happen
- Easy navigation – you can now swipe left and right to scroll through the artists for each day
- Reminders – you can now choose how much notice you get before an act’s about to start
It’s still a pity NFC-enabled BlackBerries are not being used for the nfc technology but maybe next year.
Of course, to keep your BlackBerry fully charged and getting the best reception, don’t forget to take your Vodafone umbrella.
and if it rains, maybe we will see Rhianna under an umbrella (ella, ella).
