The new ChexPass app uses near-field communication to further streamline the bag and coat check process. (Courtesy Chexology)
Service can help beat the post-event rush to retrieve coats and bags
Chexology, the company behind the CoatChex app used in a number of live event venues, has rolled out a new service called ChexPass that uses wireless technology to facilitate touchless digital claim tickets.
ChexPass, which uses near-field communication to interface with handheld devices, is touted as the first app of its kind to enable claim tickets for Apple Wallet and Google Pay, making the coat and bag check process more streamlined than ever. The app is being used by Live Nation and other promoters like Big Night Entertainment Group, The Bowery Presents, I.M.P. Concerts and House of Blues and is being deployed at venues such as Webster Hall, Terminal 5 and The Anthem, among others.
Chexology’s CoatChex app was featured on CNBC’s “Shark Tank.”
The company reports that preliminary trials show ChexPass reduces the pickup rush at large concerts by 20% as compared with CoatChex, which already reduced the post-event rush by 15 minutes a person as compared with standard coat and bag check operations.
With CoatChex, customers enter their phone number and receive a text confirmation instead of a claim ticket at check-in. Each item is scanned, thus connecting it to the guest’s profile. A text is generated and sent to the guest automatically and at pickup the guest enters their last four digits of their phone number to pull up their profile, allowing an attendant to retrieve their belongings.
With ChexPass, guests scan a QR code to add the app to their digital wallets as they approach the checkroom and once there an NFC reader scans the phone while attendants handle their coat or bag and the guest is on their way.
When it’s time to claim one’s belongings, the NFC reader scans the device and pulls up the guest’s profile so their item can be retrieved. As with CoatChex, there’s no need for paper or plastic tags, which are often lost, causing delays amid the post-event rush. If an item is left behind, the app generates a text message alerting the guest.
Annual pricing, which is based on volume of users regardless of the venue size, starts at $300 a year.
“Ripping a claim ticket seems fast and easy at first. It’s the nightmares that happen at pickup that get you. The misplacements, chaos and the lines never seem to end,” said Derek Pacqué, Chexology founder and CEO, in a news release. “With the rapid adoption of contactless solutions due to the coronavirus pandemic and thanks to our partnerships with Apple and Google, this innovation is primed to take off. Our customers will lead the way to a new guest experience.”
Chexology says it has more than 200 live event companies as clients and is looking to add stadiums, theaters, convention centers and museums to the roster of venues using ChexPass, which was rolled out in beta over the last couple of weeks, according to a company spokeswoman.
Most of the company’s clients are in large cities with cold climates like New York, Boston, Washington and Toronto, but Chexology also has a presence in warmer locales like Miami and Las Vegas. It also has clients abroad in London and Australia.
