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RFID ticketing firm FineLine moves into sport and entertainment

Barcode label and RFID ticket provider FineLine Technologies has acquired Consolidated Printing, a leading provider of printed tickets for sporting events and major event venues throughout the US.

The move marks FineLine’s entry into event management as it looks to expand into additional industry verticals that require data management and reporting functionalities and are apt to undergo continued logistics optimisation.

Consolidated Printing has a series of partners across major US sports leagues as well as well-known venues.

“The acquisition of CPI will allow FineLine to offer its advanced data management and RFID production capabilities to the sports, entertainment, and event ticketing industries. Similar to other verticals, we see this industry moving rapidly from conventional printed tickets to RFID-enabled smart tickets, as evidenced by the NFL’s recent decision to adopt RFID-enabled ticketing,” said George Hoffman, FineLine’s chairman and chief executive.

“Since 1991, CPI has built an incredible business by providing high quality tickets to more than half of the teams in the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA, as well as to some of the most famous events and venues in entertainment, including the Emmy Awards, Madison Square Garden, and Carnegie Hall.”

FineLine provides barcoded and RFID integrated labels, tags, and badges for supply chain, omni-channel fulfilment, POS, access control, and consumer engagement needs. It produces billions of tickets annually through its global network of print hubs, delivering them in less than five days, on average.

CPI specialises in custom event ticket printing for teams from professional and college sport, as well as orchestras, ballets, museums, film festivals, awards ceremonies, concerts and tours, television shows and theme parks.

Curtis Howells, co-chief executive of CPI, said: “Our customers are increasingly inquiring about smart ticketing and its ability to enhance fan engagement, reduce ticket fraud, and improve security. We are proud to say that in 2019 we successfully transitioned more than half of the NFL teams from conventional paper tickets to RFID-enabled smart tickets.

“FineLine shares our commitment to providing excellent customer service, rapid delivery, and innovative solutions. We are excited to leverage FineLine’s RFID capabilities and data management solutions as we continue to grow our business.”