While movie buffs wait in line to see the best in world cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, Visa Canada is giving them a front row seat to the latest payment technologies that could let them buy everything from tickets to popcorn and more.
Among the most visible of the company’s activations is the Visa Connected Screen, which allows consumers to wave a phone or card that’s been set up with Visa payWave and make a transaction. Powered by Ingenico Group, the Visa Connected Screen has been demonstrated as a proof of concept, but this is the first time it’s being used in real life anywhere in the world. In this case, the technology will facilitate donations to the TIFF Pocket Fund, a charity that brings free and discounted tickets to young people in under-served communities across the Greater Toronto Area.
Brenda Woods, Visa Canada’s head of marketing, said the activation builds on other pieces of its TIFF sponsorship, such as front-of-the-line privileges for Visa Infinite card holders. In previous years, Visa had also demonstrated how its payment technologies could be built into the connected cars of the future.
“Because people are passionate about the properties we sponsor, they’re a good place to interact with consumers on technologies we see as truly innovative,” she said in reference to the Visa Connected Screen. “We’re demonstrating how it can help a charity, but there are many other examples around the world where Visa can partner with retailers and have one available to make real purchases.”
Visa is also among the brands trying to explore the possibilities of augmented reality. In this case, TIFF-goers can experiment with a virtual wardrobe studio where they can “try on” a Marie Antoinette gown and wig, for example, or a roman gladiator outfit.
“It’s a way of having people get connected with technology that they woulnd’t otherwise have an opportunity to experience,” Woods said, adding that the virtual wardrobe studio could also theoretically be used to purchase clothes using its Visa Checkout system.
Finally, Visa is also giving Canadians a closer look at the Visa Payment Ring that was sported by athletes at the recent 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, which used near-field communications (NFC) to let users tap a payment terminal to buy something.
While watching a film is still largely a matter of sitting in a darkened theatre, Woods argued there are many other activities surrounding it, from getting snacks to buying movie-related merchandise.
“TIFF is just a really good fit with who the folks are that we want hearing about what Visa has to offer cardholders,” she said. “It’s all the things that make the filmgoing experience all that more enjoyable.”
