It's finally here! The Tampa Bay Margarita Festival is days away and if you're like me, you're counting the hours to a day filled with sun, sounds, sensational margaritas, and fireworks!
To maximize your Margarita experience, our friends at Big City Events have implemented a new RFID Wristband Revolution system. These wristbands aren't those ordinary plastic wristbands you usually get at nightclubs or concerts. These wristbands are super cool fabric bands with a square RFID tag that contains an electronic chip.
The chip allows you to pay for all food and drink items with pre-loaded credits electronically. Just tap in once to start the transaction and once to conclude and confirm it and the purchased amount is automatically deducted from your account. And don't worry, any credits not used are refunded to you, less a $2.50 refund processing fee. Pretty cool, huh?
The process may sound a little confusing at first, but we're going to break it down step by step so everyone is ready to fest on Saturday!
Since cashless is the name of the game this year, everyone will need a wristband, including VIP ticketholders. All tickets must be exchanged for wristbands, including those bought on sites like Living Social.
The first step to cashless is to create an account by clicking here: tiny.cc/margarita.
PLEASE NOTE: YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE YOUR WRISTBAND IN HAND TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT!!
When you log onto the website, you'll see a screen like this:
Click the Sign Up button on the bottom of the page. It will take you to this screen where you can register your account:
After you register your account, you'll receive an email confirming your registration:
Click the red "Click here to activate your account" button on the email to activate your account. It will direct you back to the main screen where you can login with your user name and password. Once you complete the login process, you will see this screen:
Once you're here, you'll need your wristband before you go any further. Tickets can be exchanged for wristbands in advance on Thursday May 21st from 12 - 8pm and Friday May 22nd from noon - 4pm at the Ashley Street entrance to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Tickets can also be exchanged for wristbands on the day of the festival but it's recommended to pick up wristbands in advance if possible.
Once you have your wristband, log back onto the website and click "Wristbands". Once you're on the Wristbands page, click "I have a wristband":
You'll be taken to this page:
The wristband has two parts: the square RFID tag and the material band. On the back of the RFID tag are two numbers. The first number is the Security Code and the second, longer number is the Wristband Number. Enter these two numbers and press "Add".
Now your wristband is linked and ready for Margarita Money!
Adding cash is easy and can be done either ahead of time or on the day of the event.
Prior to the event, you can add credit or "Top-up" using a credit card, debit card, or a PayPal account. When adding credit for the first time, you can enable an ‘auto top-up’ if your balance drops below a certain number. That way, you never have to worry about running out of money when you're at the front of the margarita line.
To enter your credit card information and enable auto top-up, click "Top-Up", you'll see this:
Enter your credit card information and you're ready to rock and roll!
You can add funds at the event by visiting a ‘top-up booth’ or by logging onto the event mobile application or dedicated TopUp page, accessing your account, and adding additional credit.
For a little more fun, register your band and link it to your social media! You can post to your Facebook wall using your wristband at the event. Just click this link, margaritafest.social and follow the simple steps on this page:
A few other things to keep in mind:
*Wear your wristband on your RIGHT wrist
*Wristbands are waterproof
*Don't cut the excess fabric off of the wristband
*Don't make the wristband too tight or too loose, once the wristband is on, it can't be adjusted
Have more questions? Click here.
See you, cashless Margarita in hand, Saturday!
