Paciolan & Wicket Bring Facial Authentication to Live Events

Paciolan powers millions of ticket scans a year. Behind every scan is an operator who built an entry operation before doors opened: checkpoint layouts, device assignments, entry rules, special access areas. And it all comes down to minutes before doors or gates open. 

PAC io Entry is purpose-built for that operation. Starting now, it’s connected to something new. Wicket, the leading facial authentication platform in live events, has joined the PAC Link integrated partner ecosystem to provide the Paciolan client community with an even better entry experience. 

Through that integration, patrons and fans can enter with a smile — no phone out, no barcode, no digging through a bag. Just walk up, look ahead, and go.

A Successful Event Starts at Entry

A great entry experience is invisible. A bad one is all anyone talks about. "The line was so long." "I couldn't get my ticket to pull up." "I was digging through my bag while everyone waited behind me."

Patrons want to get in the venue, grab a drink, and get settled in their seats for the event they've been looking forward to. Entry should be the easy part. With 78% of attendees arriving in the final 30 minutes before an event starts, the window to deliver that experience is narrow.

Every checkpoint an operator configures, rule they set, device they assign translates into something a patron notices or doesn't. The goal is always the latter.

Through the Paciolan and Wicket partnership, entry capabilities reach a new level. Wicket's biometric technology will integrate with Paciolan's access management solution, PAC io Entry. Attendees only need to smile, it’s that easy. 

The security benefit is significant too. Biometric credentials are tied to a single person, not the device, which means access follows identity. Every entry is verified. Every credential is unique.

Privacy is the natural follow-up question. Wicket's system is opt-in only — fans choose to enroll, upload a selfie, and can remove their data at any time. What's stored isn't an image of anyone's face; it's an encrypted mathematical representation that can't be reverse-engineered into a photo. Processing happens on-device at the entry point, not in a central cloud server. The venue owns the data. Wicket doesn't sell it, share it, or retain it beyond the schedule the venue sets. For fans who don't opt in, existing ticket entry works exactly as it always has.

The Platform Powering Live Events Forward

Every PAC io release, every integration, every partnership advances the mission to give operators what they need to run smarter, with less manual overhead and more confidence on event day to elevate the patron experience. The infrastructure isn't built for just right now. It's built to grow.

Wicket is the latest proof of that, and it won't be the last. 

If you're a Paciolan client looking at the technology landscape and asking whether you're with the right partner, the answer is in the roadmap. PAC io is here and innovating the way you build your operations. The partners joining the PAC Link ecosystem  — like Wicket — are trusted, proven, high-value additions to ensure your toolkit is best in class. These are the names you're seeing in the trade publications leading the industry forward.

Interested in bringing facial authentication to your events? Contact your Client Partner to explore what a Wicket integration would look like for your entry operation.

The Paciolan and Wicket partnership was also covered in Sports Business Journal.