This article admits their plans in black and white.
Monday's news that pharmaceutical company
Pfizer's early results on a new COVID-19 vaccine showed a 90% efficacy
rate on an initial clinical trial have given concert professionals hope that
the business can start mounting a return in 2021. As part of that preparation,
Ticketmaster has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety
that uses smart phones to verify fans' vaccination status or whether they've
tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window.
Many details of the plan, which is still in
development phase, will rely on three separate components -- the Ticketmaster
digital ticket app, third party health information companies like CLEAR
Health Pass or IBM's Digital Health Pass and testing and vaccine
distribution providers like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic.
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Here's how it would work, if approved: After
purchasing a ticket for a concert, fans would need to verify that they have
already been vaccinated (which would provide approximately one year of
COVID-19 protection) or test negative for coronavirus approximately 24 to 72
hours prior to the concert. The length of coverage a test would provide would
be governed by regional health authorities -- if attendees of a Friday night
concert had to be tested 48 hours in advance, most could start the testing
process the day before the event. If it was a 24-hour window, most people
would likely be tested the same day of the event at a lab or a health clinic.
Once the test was complete, the fan would
instruct the lab to deliver the results to their health pass company,
like CLEAR or IBM. If the tests were negative, or the fan was vaccinated,
the health pass company would verify the attendee's COVID-19 status to
Ticketmaster, which would then issue the fan the credentials needed to access
the event. If a fan tested positive or didn't take a test to verify their
status, they would not be granted access to the event. There are still many
details to work out, but the goal of the program is for fans to take care of
vaccines and testing prior to the concert and not show up hoping to be tested
onsite.
Ticketmaster would not store or have access to
fans' medical records and would only receive verification of whether a fan is
cleared to attend an event on a given date. Different states will have
different requirements. The main role of companies like health pass companies
will be to collect data from testing and medical providers and deliver status
updates to partner companies in a secure, encrypted way that complies
with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
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To date, the Food and Drug Administration has
not approved any third-party companies to provide the complex technology needed
to deliver real-time vaccination results, but Ticketmaster president Mark
Yovich expects the demand for digital screening services -- which will
be needed for airline travel, employment verification and theme park entry --
will attract a new wave of investors and entrepreneurs to fuel the growth of a
new COVID-19 technology sector.
"We’re already seeing many third-party
health care providers prepare to handle the vetting -- whether that is getting
a vaccine, taking a test, or other methods of review and approval - which
could then be linked via a digital ticket so everyone entering the
event is verified," Yovich tells Billboard.
"Ticketmaster’s goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that
venues and fans have multiple paths to return to events, and is working to
create integrations to our API and leading digital ticketing technology as we
will look to tap into the top solutions based on what’s green-lit by
officials and desired by clients."
For Ticketmaster, two new technologies at the
companies will help its clients scale the program. The first is digital
ticketing that's linked to a fan’s identity, eliminates paper tickets and
can be restricted from being transferred or resold. Ticketmaster also plans to
deploy its new SmartEvent system, which helps event organizers and fans manage
social distancing, delayed entry and provide possible opportunities for contact
tracing. Many of the safety parameters will be set by regional health officials
and event organizers. Event organizers also have the ability to set their own
prevention protocols, like sanitation, mask compliance and social distancing.
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Because Ticketmaster tickets the vast majority
of sports leagues in the United States, as well as concert venues and Live
Nation owned properties, the implementation of their COVID-19 plan will be an
important milestone for the live entertainment industry.
“In order for live events to return,
technology and science are going to play huge roles in establishing integrated
protocols so that fans, artists, and employees feel safe returning to
venues," says Marianne Herman, co-founder and principal
reBUILD20, which focuses on helping entertainment and live events companies
develop COVID-19 strategies. "Integrating ticketing platforms with the
guests verified testing results is one key way to reimagine how we’re going to
get fans back to live events. The experience of attending live events will
look completely different, but innovation married with consistent
implementation will provide a framework to get the live sports and event
industry back to work.”
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan
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