With over one million expected visitors annually, the 15,000-capacity-strong Nokia Arena in Tampere will become one of the most important addresses for sport-events and concerts in Finland. The Axess solution guarantees the operator a complete overview and visitor management and the fans quick access.

The Nokia Arena in Tampere will be in the spotlight for the first time in May 2022. Only half a year after the opening in December 2021, the Ice Hockey World Championship will take place there. The fact that the opening could be carried out on schedule was the success of Axess Finland. "The planning started in April and the installations ended in December. A special challenge during this time was the coordination, as the arena was under construction and we had to communicate with several companies and departments and plan the preparations," says Ted Mellin, general manager of the Axess Finland office, who coordinated a 20-member team for this project.

Highest safety standards

The Nokia Arena was an exceptional project for several reasons. The venue has an extremely high frequency with more than 250 events per year and sometimes several events per day. In order to guarantee the operators smooth and safe visitor management, a bidirectional entrance and exit was installed at all gates for the first time ever. This allows guests to leave the arena directly at the end of the event, as the gates then only allow exit - and the entrance is blocked. The integration of the Axess Smart Gates into the arena emergency concept and into the building management system is a novelty and has increased the flexibility for the management and the safety of the visitors. For handicapped visitors, wider ADA entrances have also been installed to provide comfortable, barrier-free access.

Simple & comfortable

Further advantages for guests are the significantly accelerated entries at the Axess Smart Gates and the absence of queues even when the site is sold out. For visitors to the Skybox, the Axess SMART DOOR 600 ensures simple access: guests can use the same ticket to enter both the VIP area and the event through the gates for which authorisation has been activated. With the Nokia Arena, the largest stadium (Helsinki Olympic Stadium) and the largest arena in Finland are now Axess customers.