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Parents of thousands of matriculants set to descend on Durban for the annual Rage Festival next month should not worry about their safety, organisers say.
This thanks to a new high-tech armband, which will store their personal information, including contact details for parents in case of an emergency.
The festival will take place in Durban, Umhlanga and Ballito, from December 2 to December 9.
That will be few days after the end of their matric exams on November 28.
Howler™ is a platform that is used by event organisers to consolidate event planning, promotion, management and financial control.
Their armband will not only store crucial information but also act as a wallet as part of the “pay with a tap” concept giving patrons cashless access to 100 taxis and an array of restaurants and service providers.
The device will also act as a ticket for matriculants, who are referred to as Ragers.
“Cashless is not new at these festivals, but the fact that these armbands now capture parents’ personal information, which organisers can access easily if there’s a problem, is.
"We want to give mum and dad peace of mind. If something goes wrong, they will know immediately.
"We started testing the concept at Rage 2016, and after a very successful run we decided to roll it out across the entire festival – giving thousands of students a safe and seamless, 100% cashless experience” said Howler chief executive Shai Evian.
The armbands operate through Howler’s radio-frequency identification technology, which uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects.
The tags contain electronically stored information.
When Ragers receive their Howler armbands, their profiles are linked with their pre-purchased Rage passports, and it is during this process that their personal identifying details are synced with their armbands.
Since its inception in 2005, Rage Festival has grown from 500 attendees to more than 30 000 matriculants celebrating the end of their high school years, organisers said.
Organisers believe that the armband will make it “the biggest, safest and most-progressive cashless event in South Africa”.
