The American Airlines Center in Dallas is bringing mobile point-of-sale systems to consumers attending events in the stadium, allowing servers to accept contactless payments as well as Apple Pay, and providing a streamlined purchasing experience for food and beverages.

The InfoGenesis Flex solution from software solution service Agilysys offers full-scale functionality on Dell tablet devices and enables servers to be more attentive to customers’ needs while also accepting payments anywhere in the center, which is projected to result in higher order volumes and more revenue per server. A growing number of arenas and stadiums are tapping mobile point-of-sale systems to aid guests in quickly purchasing food and beverages from vendors to get back to their seats for games or events and circumvent long lines.

“With its W-Fi-enabled Dell Tablets, InfoGenesis Flex allows servers to take orders directly from guests and forward them to the bar or kitchen electronically for fulfillment,” said Robert Shecterle, director of marketing at Agilysys, Inc., Alpharetta, GA. “This will dramatically reduce the servers’ order cycle time, allowing each server to process more orders for more guests.”

Ramping up sales
The American Airlines Center, which has been leveraging the InfoGenesis POS system since its launch in 2001, is aiming to raise sales of food and beverage products inside the stadium. As consumers are frequently raring to get back to their seats before intermission or scheduled game breaks come to a close, offering a quick and efficient way of making mobile payments is certainly a useful tactic.

Servers using the Dell Venue Pro tablet devices give them additional flexibility, while managers will receive access to a slew of InfoGenesis tools that make overseeing on-the-go operations even easier, and allow for immediate service adjustments as demand spikes and falls.

The stadium plans to primarily use the system for its in-seat service in premium levels, although it may be deployed in general concession areas as needed. It expects that InfoGenesis will speed up the food and beverage delivery process for all consumers and employees involved, a feat which will certainly augment the eventgoing experience.

“Since servers will now be able take in-seat orders directly from guests, there is no need for guests to leave their seats and miss any of their event activity,” Mr. Shecterle said.

Consistent interface
The solution, which is scalable to hundreds of smartphones in a given location, will enable arena staff to easily switch from terminals to mobile devices through the entire venue. Guests will be able to use Apple Pay or NFC contactless payments to purchase goods.

The system also supports a wide variety of USB peripherals.

If consumer traffic inside the stadium becomes unusually high during peak visit times or a special event, a tablet stand inside will convert into a portable terminal.

The American Airlines Center is not the only stadium to have implemented this type of service.

This past November, American Express and the Brooklyn Nets teamed up to participate in a pilot program powered by Brooklyn eWallet that allowed consumers to use their mobile devices to purchase food and drinks from their seats at Barclays Center events (see story).

Ultimately, Agilysys believes the system will aid the stadium in creating long-lasting relationships with fans who will appreciate the speed and convenient features and not have to worry about security issues.

“InfoGenesis POS supports the latest data security standards including validated P2Pe and tokenization,” Mr. Shecterle said. “As a result, NFC payments are secure regardless of the venue or the volume of data.”

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York