A country known to be a technology hub, the home of revolutionary tech-giants such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG Electronics, South Korea is playing host to one of the most tech-forward events recorded in history, the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Held from 9th to 25th of February in PyeongChang, South Korea, the event has displayed some noteworthy innovations to ever be included in the Olympic Games, taking it to the next level.

Where it all begins:

Preparations for the mega event have been going on for years with the South Korean Government leaving no stones unturned to make its mark on the event. With an interactive website, multiple live apps, AR and VR integration, AI, 5G Tech and more.

Being the event-tech enthusiasts that we are, Hubilo brings to you all the latest tech-updates of the mega event with the Winter Olympics 2018 Event-Tech Series.

In our first edition, we peek behind the curtains on one of the most tech-forward events of the year.

Tech behind the Scenes:

Building a digital event hub:

The PyeongChang winter Olympics established its digital presence through an event website and app powered with the help of its tech giant sponsors such as the Korea-based Information and Communication Corporation, SsangYong and Samsung.

Can’t be there in person? No worries. You can get all the important scoop on the event through its website that encompasses necessary information on the event right from the event schedule to live updates and news. It’s highly interactive and detailed.

Fans and followers across the globe can browse through the picture and video gallery for highlights of the event proceedings. Now you won’t miss that amazing ice skater doing a triple jump or your favourite skier just flying down the slope!

The website also connects people with their partnered media for a live webcast of the event depending on the country they live in. The section contains more than 50 countries that are on the list for a live webcast!

The official site, available in six different languages including Korean and English, contains multiple other sections such as:

– Schedule and Results

– Medal Distributions

– Sponsor and Partner Listing

– Community Blog

– Live Updates

– News

– Social Media Updates

–Ticketing, etc.

Visit the official PyeongChang 2018 event website to check it out for yourself.

Ticketing Tech:

Talking about important sections of the website, the ticketing section has been especially noteworthy in terms of tech integration as well as its inclusiveness of people from all walks of life.

The ticketing for the event, powered by Korean company Interpark is included as a separate landing page made accessible in multiple languages. Apart from this, the page has been designed keeping in mind the convenience of people who may be disabled or visually impaired.

Coming to ticketing technology, PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018 is the first Olympic event to host a mobile ticketing option. To ensure security, each ticket is encrypted using a QR Code.

The tickets also contain a hologram and the full name of the original buyer of the ticket. The organisers have also provided a PyeongChang Mobile Ticket App for ticket registrations for further convenience.

Alibaba Group, an official partner of the official games that have signed on for the event up till 2028 is especially focused on optimizing this ticketing process beginning in South Korea. After keen observation of the entire process at PyeongChang, the group plans to add facial recognition and cloud-based data storage to the ticketing plan in future events.

Event App: The entire event in the palm of your hands:

When you have Samsung as a tech partner, it comes as no surprise that you have a kick-ass app for your event. The official event app, as well as the mobile ticketing app for the Winter Olympics 2018, is powered by Samsung.

A seamless user experience and an amusing design with the event mascots Soohorang and Bandabi at the centre of it, the event app contains all the valuable information included in the website in a more mobile-friendly format.

Users can browse through the results, get news updates, check out their favourite athletes and teams, go through important links as given or witness live action through the photo and video gallery integrated with the app.

Cool Way to go Cashless:

Visa, the official payment partner of the event has introduced a cool new way to go cashless at the event in partnership with Lotte Card, the financial section of South Korean-based retail giant, Lotte Department Store.