Hong Kong Ani-Com fair opens with unprecedented anti-scalping facial recognition technology
Diehard fans are forced to undergo a round of checks and queue up days in advance to secure priority entry, but most say it’s worth it
Hong Kong’s premier animation and games fair kicked off on Friday complete with the unprecedented use of facial recognition technology to combat ticket touts – and visitors were largely impressed with the new system.
More than 100 fans were seen queuing outside the venue in Wan Chai several hours before the annual Ani-Com and Games showcase opened its doors at 10am.
Organisers earlier said attendees buying “early-bird” tickets for the five-day event would need to queue up days in advance to register their details, to ensure the buyers were the ones actually entering the event come Friday.
Customers wishing to buy the priority tickets, which entitled them to first entry and dibs on a variety of highly sought-after merchandise, were on Monday required to hand over their ID card and phone numbers and agree to a facial recognition process at MacPherson Stadium.
Some even camped outside overnight to get a good spot in the queue for that process.
On Friday these visitors were asked to arrive at between 6am and 8am outside the fair venue at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to allow time to undergo the checks needed to verify their identity.