Tappit, a specialist in cashless experiences at events and festivals, has signed an agreement with multiple partners to form a new joint venture company in South Africa: tappit Africa (PTY) Ltd.

The new company will provide seamless radio-frequency identification (RFID) cashless experiences at festivals, conferences, concerts and sporting events – as well as schools, universities and stadia –across South Africa and the broader Sub-Saharan region.

Partners signed up for tappit Africa include Old School Group, a multi-brand sports group specialising in festivals and live events that owns the award-winning Cape Town 10s Sport & Music Festival, and Quicket, a provider of online ticketing technology for events.

tappit Africa will be headed by tappit’s Rob Groombridge, as managing director, with Old School Group’s Gerhardi Odendaal and Quicket’s James Hedley completing the leadership team.

Cashless payment experiences have become an integral feature of events around the world, making payments as convenient as possible, improving the visitor experience, increasing revenue and improving loyalty. tappit Africa’s cashless experiences will help South African event organisers improve cash management and optimise reconciliation, also providing them with a wealth of information on fans’ spending habits, enabling them to improve future events.

The first event to showcase the cashless payment experience from tappit Africa will be this year’s Zando Cape Town 10s on 1^st – 3^rd February at Hamilton Rugby Club, Cape Town; the largest event of its kind in the world.

More than 25,000 spectators will cheer on over 350 teams from sports including rugby, netball, volleyball, dodgeball, hockey, soccer and CrossFit. Fans will receive branded wristbands that can be activated and loaded with funds at fixed points across the event site, as well as on a mobile-responsive web portal, where they can check spend and balance.

Rob Groombridge commented: “There are so many fantastic events, just like Cape Town 10s, all across South Africa, offering everything from sports, to music and culture, all going above and beyond to provide an unbeatable experience for fans.

“Our new joint venture, tappit Africa, is committed to supporting the organisers of world-class events by revolutionising the way fans and vendors enjoy the experience through seamless integration of technology elements like ticketing and cashless payments.”

Quicket’s James Hedley said: “We are delighted to be part of this joint venture where we can leverage tappit’s experience in managing cashless payments for large-scale events like the Dubai Rugby 7s for the South African market.”

Old School’s Gerhardi Odendaal added: “It is extremely important for event organisers and rights holders to know and understand their customers’ behaviours. Cashless payment is certainly one of the most exciting technologies within the live events industry and we know we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg with how this technology is used. We’re looking forward to really leading this growing trend with tappit and Quicket.”