Event: Sole DXB
Location: Dubai
Role: Access Manager, RFID Rollout, Best Practice Consultancy
Attendance: ~10,000 public per day, 500 crew
Overview
Sole DXB is one of the Middle East’s most influential culture festivals, blending music, fashion, sport, and street culture across a multi-zone site in Dubai. For the 2025 edition, the organisers took a major step forward by introducing RFID technology for the first time, covering public entry, access control, and cashless payments across food and beverage operations.
Access93 was brought in as Access Manager to deliver a complete, end-to-end solution. Drawing on extensive UK and EU festival experience, we provided both the technology rollout and the strategic guidance required to implement RFID at scale in a new regional context.
The Challenge
This was the festival’s first deployment of RFID and represented a complex operational shift:
- 10,000 members of the public per day
- 500 crew, artists, partners, and contractors
- RFID required for public entry and cashless F&B
- Strict access requirements for over-21 areas, back of house, and artist village
- Multiple system providers needing to operate as a single, joined-up solution
- A desire to streamline vendors, reduce friction, and move confidently toward cashless operations
The organisers needed more than hardware. They needed clear processes, training, and leadership to ensure the system worked smoothly from gate to bar.
What We Delivered
Access93 provided full access control ownership, from early planning through live operation.
Our scope included:
- Advising on RFID strategy using HF wristbands for public, crew, and artist access
- Designing access zoning, including age-controlled areas, BOH, and artist village
- Leading the RFID rollout for public entry and F&B cashless payments
- Ensuring all system providers were aligned and communicating effectively
- Advising on gate layouts, wristband distribution points, and peak-time flow
- Supporting guest list and artist accreditation processes
- Creating training materials and operational process flows
- On-site delivery and live support as Access Manager throughout the event
This ensured that RFID was not just deployed, but deployed correctly and confidently.
Security, Compliance & Control
RFID scanning was used to enforce:
- Over-21 access control without slowing down entry
- Secure access to back-of-house and artist village zones
- Clean separation between public, crew, and talent
- Prevention of pass misuse, sharing, or zone creep
Because credentials were digitally validated, security teams were able to challenge access based on facts rather than assumptions, improving consistency and professionalism across the site.
Data & Operational Insight
A key benefit of the RFID deployment was the depth of data collected.
Access93 helped the organisers unlock value from this data by:
- Understanding public entry patterns and peak times
- Analysing wristband usage across F&B vendors
- Identifying operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies
- Supporting post-event review and future planning
For a festival moving toward cashless and data-led decision-making, this insight was critical.
Outcome
Sole DXB successfully delivered its first RFID-powered edition, with secure public access, controlled restricted areas, and a foundation for future growth. By combining technology, consultancy, and on-site leadership, Access93 helped ensure the rollout was smooth, credible, and scalable.
This project demonstrated the value of bringing experienced access management into the process early — particularly when introducing new systems in a complex, high-profile environment.
Planning an international festival or first-time RFID rollout?
Access93 specialises in access control consultancy, RFID deployment, and operational leadership for events that need confidence, clarity, and control from day one.