Fast and secure access into live events is absolutely critical in today’s marketplace. Credentialing technologies are evolving at a time when more fans are becoming tech savvy and going mobile. In turn, venues are facing increased pressure to modernize.
Harry Lerner
At INTIX 2026 later this month, Janam Technologies CEO Harry Lerner will be leading a workshop titled “All In on Access: The High Stakes of Credentialing in a Digital Age” that will explore what it takes to deliver secure, high-speed entry via next-generation digital credentials. Such technology is helping venues not only increase throughput, but also reduce fraud and elevate the guest experience.
What to Expect
Lerner says, “Attendees can expect a highly practical, forward-looking conversation grounded in real-world experience. This session isn’t about theory. It’s about what is actually working today. We’ll bring together perspectives from technology providers and venue operators who are actively navigating access control challenges every day.”
The goal is for participants to walk away from the 60-minute session with a clearer understanding of how modern credentialing technologies are being deployed, where the friction points still exist and how venues can make informed decisions that balance security, speed, fan experience and affordability. “Our session is designed to be interactive and immediately applicable,” Lerner adds.
Session attendees will gain insights into evaluating innovations like NFC, biometrics and mobile wallets along with their impact on everything from security to the in-person experience. Also explored will be practical strategies to streamline guest flow and reduce entry bottlenecks.
Lerner says he is expecting and preparing for a wide range of “thoughtful, practical” questions from the audience. Everything from “How do we future-proof our access control investments as technology continues to evolve?” to “What does a realistic migration path look like from legacy systems to mobile or digital credentials?” to “How do we balance security, speed and cost without compromising the fan experience?” He also plans to discuss how venues can evaluate biometric solutions responsibly “with privacy and trust in mind. These are the real-world questions venues are wrestling with and this session is designed to address them head-on.”
Talking Tech
Biometrics, mobile wallets, NFC. The innovations have seemingly come fast and furious in recent years. The question was thus posed to Lerner: What technology has transformed live events the most so far in this century? His reply: “Mobile credentials and NFC-based access control have had the most immediate and widespread impact. They’ve fundamentally changed how fans move through venues — enabling faster ingress, reducing physical touchpoints and improving operational visibility in real time.”
He continues, “What’s been most transformative, though, is how these technologies work together within an ecosystem. When mobile tickets, secure credentialing and reliable connectivity come together, venues gain flexibility and resilience that wasn’t possible before. And now, as face biometrics extends as a mode of credentialing, the challenge for venues is how to add new capabilities without discarding expensive and recently-acquired technology.”
And there is always new tech on the horizon that promises a better, brighter future. To a guy like Lerner, though, what is most exciting is not a single new technology — it’s how existing technologies are being used more intelligently and more flexibly. “We’re seeing a shift toward layered, interoperable systems where biometrics, mobile credentials, NFC and secure identity frameworks work together rather than in silos,” he states.
Indeed, one of the biggest opportunities ahead is enabling biometric experiences using infrastructure venues already have in place. Rather than requiring a complete “rip-and-replace,” there appears to be growing interest in leveraging existing scanners and pedestals to support more advanced identity verification. That, in turn, lowers the barrier to adoption while still delivering meaningful improvements in speed, security and fan experience.
Lerner remarks, “The next phase of innovation will be about orchestration — using data, connectivity and edge intelligence to make access smarter and more adaptive in real time. When technology fades into the background and the experience simply works, that’s when venues truly unlock the next level of performance and guest satisfaction.”
Lerner the Teacher
So, what makes Lerner the best person to head this session at INTIX 2026? As Janam’s co-founder and CEO, he has spent much of his career focused on building reliable, purpose-driven mobile technology for environments where performance truly matters — including some of the world’s largest and most complex sports and live entertainment venues.
He says, “My perspective comes from working closely with customers, partners and ticketing software providers to understand not just what’s possible, but what works in the real world. We collaborate daily with ticketing platforms, access control providers and venue operators to help ensure secure, fast and frictionless entry. That hands-on involvement gives me a practical view of the challenges venues face, from throughput and reliability to scalability and future-proofing investments.”
Lerner promises INTIX 2026 attendees that his workshop will bring together voices “from across the ecosystem,” and his role will be to help guide an open, honest conversation that moves beyond buzzwords and into real-world insights. He concludes, “With partners like Ticketmaster, Ingenico, Wicket and leading venue operators on the panel, our goal is to share lessons learned, highlight what’s working today and help the industry think more strategically about what comes next in access and credentialing.”
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