Sistic's 2-D M-Ticket has been used for shows at the Esplanade.

Mobile ticketing is poised to take off at several local cinemas and concert venues, thanks to a secure ticketing process that allows patrons to make bookings, take delivery of their electronic tickets and enter a venue using a smart device.

The mobile ticketing service rides on an open-access, standards-based platform that has been created under the Digital Concierge Call-for-Collaboration (CFC) to enable third-party mobile service developers to gain access to cinema and event ticketing and fulfilment functionalities. These include ticket purchase and electronic ticket delivery for direct auto-gate access to venues. The platform can also be used for distribution and redemption of merchant vouchers and coupons.

The platform provides third-party mobile service developers a single point-of-interface to multiple ticketing operators and merchants to reduce development time and complexity. The use of standards-based ticket format also helps lower the cost-of-use by eliminating potential licensing fees. Business can deliver electronic tickets and coupons to consumers’ mobile phones, and leverage a wide variety of third-party mobile services to reach out to a larger base of mobile users.

Digital Concierge CFC awardee MobiQuest has teamed up with ticket service provider SISTIC, while Smoov will work with Shaw, Cathay and WE (formerly Eng Wah) cinemas to roll out the mobile ticketing service.

SISTIC introduced its 2-D M-Ticket system in December 2010, at the Crazy Christmas Show 2010 which was held at the National Library Drama Centre. Since then, the system has also been used for shows at the Esplanade.

According to SISTIC’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Kenneth Tan, the move is part of a continual effort by SISTIC to invest and innovate in technology infrastructure, in order to provide a more efficient and cost-effective ticketing and distribution process.

With mobile phone penetration at about 150 per cent in Singapore, the opportunity presented itself for SISTIC to leverage the mobile platform to offer greater levels of service to its venues, show organisers and ticket-buyers.

Using the service, an M-Ticket can be easily downloaded onto the customer’s handset via SMS. The ticket on the mobile phone can then be validated using handheld wireless scanners to allow the ticket holder to enter a venue.

Over at Shaw cinemas, mobile web ticketing provider Smoov is delivering a solution that allows movie-goers to use their mobile phones to check movie screening times, buy tickets and even enter a cinema with the mobile ticket on their devices.

For example, movie-goers to Shaw cinemas can surf to the cinema chain’s mobile site, m.shaw.sg, using a mobile phone, buy tickets and have them sent to the phone in the form of a 2-D code via SMS. Users can then scan the 2-D code ticket from the automated access gate.

Both the systems used by SISTIC and the cinema chains have been built to handle large transaction volumes, and are secured end to end. For example, Smoov has tested up to 10,000 concurrent users on the Shaw website, and the entire system is security-protected. Likewise, SISTIC’s ticketing system infrastructure incorporates security and backup measures, as well as full redundancy and disaster recovery capabilities to ensure no downtime.