In August 2023, Major League Baseball (MLB) launched a pilot of Go-Ahead Entry (GAE), a first-of-its-kind, free-flow ballpark entry experience as part of a test in collaboration with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The system allowed ticket holders who opted in for the service the ability to enter the ballpark at dedicated gates at full walking speed without stopping.

How does the technology work? The fans simply registered themselves on the MLB Ballpark app by taking a selfie, which was then converted into a unique numerical code. The code, known as a token, is associated with the fan’s account. When the fan walks through a clearly marked “Go-Ahead Entry Lane,” a facial authentication camera scans the fan’s face to match with the enrolled tokens in the system and determines a match.

The Phillies were honored to be involved from the get-go. Andrew Heston, Manager of Ticket Operations & Services, says, “For the 2024 season, we have now expanded GAE to our three main gates, which will allow more fans to experience the ease of entry. We believe this will also increase our adoption rate, as some of our fans are very conditioned to specific gates.”

So far, MLB has also been pleased with the results. Karri Zaremba, Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President, Product — Ballpark Experience & Ticketing, says, “At MLB, we are always listening to our fans to see how we can improve the fan experience. Some consistent feedback we’ve gotten is about how stressful it can be just getting into the ballpark. So, MLB Go-Ahead Entry was designed to turn a pain point into a magical moment. No stopping, no having to get a phone out to scan a ticket, and no waiting in long lines. Instead, all fans can feel like VIPs as they enter by simply walking straight into the ballpark.”

With Opening Day last week, the technology has expanded to other teams and their stadiums including the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals. The Giants offered Go-Ahead Entry at Oracle Park for the first time on March 26 for an exhibition game. Margo Malone, Senior Manager, Season Ticket Memberships & Special Projects for the team, says, “It was a soft launch and intended to give us a sense of the functionality in advance of our home opener. About 200 fans used the technology and based on observations from Ticketing and Guest Services, the process ran smoothly. Actually, other fans noticed groups going through the gates without pulling out phones to scan tickets and wondered what was going on!”

Initially, Go-Ahead Entry is available at two of Oracle Park’s five main gates. But usage should quickly increase once the season gets going and word spreads amongst fans.

Trevor Purvis, Director of Ticket Technology and Solutions for the Houston Astros, says, “The game-day experience is something that is constantly top of mind when designing and executing offerings for our fans at Minute Maid Park. When MLB presented Go-Ahead Entry as a possible option for access control in 2024, we thought this could be something that really helps brighten the fan experience upon entry. The GAE lane greatly speeds up the time it takes to scan a ticket, which helps us get fans who have adopted the technology into the stadium much quicker.”

So, how much do fans need to be educated on what Go-Ahead Entry is? Tyler Hubbard, Director of Ticket Operations for the Washington Nationals, was quick to respond: “It is a new offering this year to ticket holders, so there will be some fan education involved. We announced our involvement with Go-Ahead Entry to our local media here before the season started and offered members of the media the opportunity to experience it firsthand. We’ll also do much on game days to inform fans.”

The Giants, meanwhile, included information on Go-Ahead Entry in the “Know Before You Go” email alerts the team sends to all ticketed fans a few days before a game. Malone says, “We also launched a larger campaign targeting season ticket members, with the hope that they will lead the charge in embracing this new technology.”

Prior to Opening Day, the Phillies sent an email to its registered users database. Within that email, the team linked its fans to this page on the official MLB website that contains everything they need to know, as well as a QR code linking them directly to registration. Heston adds, “In addition to this email, we are sending a push notification to all attending patrons one day prior to the start of a home stand.”

Zaremba isn’t concerned about any possible learning curve. “The process is free, completely optional, and takes less than 10 seconds to complete,” she says. “Then, when they get to the ballpark, they just look for a marked Go-Ahead Entry lane, and they simply walk straight in. It’s that easy.”

So, in the end, what do our interviewees expect will be the biggest plus for a) the fans and b) the teams? “On Opening Day, we saw hundreds of fans opt-in to the technology while they were waiting in bigger lines, allowing them to walk right into the park,” the Astros’ Purvis says. “The biggest benefit for the fans to use GAE is being able to just walk right into Minute Maid Park without having to pull out their phone and find their tickets. This allows families with young children or those bigger groups to scan in much quicker [and] easier, leading to a much more positive experience at the very beginning of the event.”

Hubbard of the Nationals adds, “We always look to give our guests an easy and frictionless fan experience when visiting Nationals Park, not just at the gates, but in all guest areas throughout the ballpark. Go-Ahead Entry is just another way to help us connect to our fans and provide a memorable game-day experience.”

The Phillies’ Heston says, “In addition to just walking in, the common theme of users is, ‘That was cool!’ For us as the team, we enjoyed being on the frontlines of innovative technology, as well as being able to offer our insight and knowledge to the other teams launching this program during the 2024 season. From the fan experience side, we really like the fact that when someone enters through GAE, their name appears on the screen that our staff sees. This allows for a very personal touch being able to welcome the fan by name.”

Zaremba believes it’s a win-win for both fans and the teams: “MLB Go-Ahead Entry was designed with fans in mind — especially families, which make up a large portion of fans in our ballparks. As a mom of two young kids, I can hold each of their hands, and I don’t have to let go to get my phone out when I get to the gate. We can all just walk in together. And, of course, MLB clubs love getting more people into games faster, while turning the previous eyes-down, ticket-taking step into an eyes-up, welcoming first impression.”

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