Offline cashless at the Lokerse Feesten: 135,000 visitors, ten days, one system

The challenge: a system that never goes down

Ten days, 135,000 visitors. A cold beer and a sausage are all part of the experience. A complicated payment process is not. From the start, the organizers knew what they needed: a single platform that integrates with ticketing and their own crew platform, and one that keeps working even if the network or power goes out. In addition, commercial and social interests were at play. Bancontact Pay was an active payment partner. The festival also wanted to provide a permanent spot for charities, allowing visitors to easily donate their remaining balance.

The solution with Beyond Ordering

We designed the architecture together with the core team: Food & Beverage, Finance, Partnerships, and Communications. This resulted in a tailored solution for visitors, crew, and exhibitors.

Closed loop: offline first

Everything on-site operates in a closed loop. Every top-up, purchase, and refund is written directly to the cashless card. This combines the speed and stability of offline payments with an online wallet, where visitors can manage their own top-ups, purchases, and refunds.

Fast top-ups: 3 flows in 1 QR code

As an organizer, you want to minimize delays so visitors can start consuming quickly. That’s why every cashless card featured a single QR code with three ways to top up.

1. Bancontact Pay: scan the card with Bancontact Pay or a Bancontact banking app to top up instantly.
2. Camera: if you don't have that app, simply scan the same QR code with your camera and top up using Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
3. Voucher: if you already purchased a pre-sale voucher via Tickoweb, you can link it to your card with a single scan.

Tickoweb: pre-sale vouchers linked to the card at three stages

Visitors with a pre-sale voucher from Tickoweb can link it to their card in three ways: themselves, using their smartphone; at the entrance, via Tickoweb ticket scanners; or at cash and top-up points, via our terminals. One link, three moments, no queues at the support desk.

LF Crew: credits for staff, automatically scheduled

The Lokerse Feesten use their own internal platform, LF Crew. Via our open API, LF Crew sends credits to the cashless cards of staff members working that day, based on the schedule. No individual top-ups and no hassle for the volunteers. The credit is valid only for that day and is non-refundable. Partners also received credits or requested invoice cards using the same parameters.

Open API: your data in your own tools

The festival uses the same open API for its own reporting. You can extract data from the platform and continue working in the tools you already use, keeping you in full control.

Deposit balance: a clean site without abuse.

Products and reusable cups or PET bottles are separated at the point of sale. This allows you to immediately track the consumption, return, and collection of your reusables. Each visitor also has their own balance, which they can view in their wallet. They can return a maximum of 20 more cups than they purchased themselves. This prevents abuse of deposit refunds.

Hospitality on point with table service

In Comfort and Comfort Dine (all-in) areas, waiters took orders at the table and processed payments immediately using our all-in-one terminals. Preparation was routed to the specific service point: bar, food, or cocktails. This means faster service, better hospitality, and shorter wait times.

Beyond the site as well

At the perimeter and outside the site, we used terminals with open loop (bank card) and hybrid payments (cash card plus bank card). From shuttle bus rides to sales at the campsite: all revenue is consolidated in one platform.

A smooth refund process, even for charity

The refund process remains clear and simple, even after the event. Visitors also had the option to donate their remaining balance to local charities.

The result: a stress-free event site

More visitors topped up online. Bar service was faster. And the support desk received noticeably fewer questions.

FAQ

What is offline closed loop cashless?

Every top-up, purchase, and refund is written directly to the cashless card. This ensures payments continue to work, even if the network or power goes down.

Can a cashless system integrate with ticketing?

Yes. At the Lokerse Feesten, visitors linked their Tickoweb pre-sale vouchers to their cashless cards themselves, either at the entrance or at top-up points.

Can I connect my own platform to the cashless system?

Yes, via the open API. For example, the Lokerse Feesten used it to send daily credits to their staff based on the schedule and to use the data for their own reporting.