Outsight wins the EntertainmentLAB's Crowd Monitoring Challenge

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does LiDAR crowd monitoring work at an outdoor music festival?

  At a large outdoor festival, LiDAR sensors mount on poles or temporary structures above crowd areas and continuously scan the space below, building a live 3D point cloud of every person in the scene. The system classifies moving and stationary bodies, calculates local density per zone, and flags areas approaching unsafe thresholds in real time. Outsight applies this approach through its Motional Digital Twin, which processes the point cloud data through a sub-50ms pipeline to give operations teams an anonymous, real-time spatial picture of crowd flow. Because LiDAR measures geometry rather than pixels, it operates reliably in darkness and strobe lighting, two conditions that make camera-based crowd analytics unreliable at music events, and captures no faces or biometric data by definition.

• What is Rich Business Messaging and how does it connect to crowd monitoring?

  Rich Business Messaging (RBM) is a mobile messaging standard that delivers interactive, branded messages directly through a phone's native SMS or messaging app, requiring no app download from the recipient. When integrated with a real-time crowd density feed, an RBM chatbot can push zone-specific guidance to attendees based on live occupancy data, directing people away from congested areas toward less crowded stages or service points. In the Tomorrowland deployment, Outsight's Motional Digital Twin provides that real-time crowd density layer, tracking how people move through the venue and feeding anonymized flow data to the RBM system, all without capturing faces or biometric information. This combination allows the venue to act on live conditions without requiring attendees to download a dedicated festival app.

• Can a crowd monitoring system deployed at a festival protect attendee privacy?

  LiDAR-based crowd monitoring captures the shape, position, and motion of people in a scene. It records no faces, no biometric data, and no device identifiers. Each tracked entity receives a temporary anonymous ID that expires when the person leaves the monitored area. Outsight's approach takes this further: because LiDAR sensors capture geometry rather than imagery, the Motional Digital Twin is anonymous by physical design, not by post-processing or consent workflows. No personal information is collected or stored, which means the system satisfies data protection requirements at the sensor level. This architecture is why Outsight was selected for the EntertainmentLAB Crowd Monitoring Challenge, with deployment planned for large-venue events such as TomorrowLand.

• What actually causes crowd crushes at large festivals, and can technology prevent them?

  Crowd crushes occur when local density exceeds roughly four to five persons per square meter and crowd pressure builds faster than people can disperse. The critical failure is typically late detection: staff on the ground lose situational awareness in dense crowds, and by the time an incident is visible it is already dangerous. A sensor network that measures density continuously across the whole site and alerts operations before a zone crosses a critical threshold gives staff the lead time to redirect incoming flow, which is the intervention window that matters most. Outsight's Motional Digital Twin approach applies exactly this logic at large venues, using infrastructure-based 3D LiDAR to track crowd density in real time and surface alerts before conditions become critical, as demonstrated through its crowd monitoring work with Telenet at Tomorrowland.

• How hard is it to install temporary LiDAR sensors at a festival site?

  Temporary festival deployments differ from permanent infrastructure in two key ways: sensors typically mount on scaffolding, truss systems, or mobile poles rather than fixed ceilings, and the site map must be built on-site rather than imported from a BIM model. Modern LiDAR software can construct a working 3D map of a field or outdoor stage area during initial sensor calibration. The hardware itself is compact and weatherproof, so the main logistical variable is network connectivity for transmitting sensor data to the processing layer. Outsight's infrastructure-based approach, where sensors are placed in the environment rather than on moving entities, translates naturally to temporary rigs, as demonstrated by its crowd monitoring work at large-scale venues such as Tomorrowland in partnership with Telenet.

• How do festival organizers use real-time crowd data to improve gate throughput?

  Real-time tracking of queue length and wait time at entry gates lets operations teams open additional lanes before queues reach critical length, rather than reacting after congestion forms. The same data supports staff allocation decisions: instead of assigning gate agents on a fixed schedule, supervisors can shift resources to whichever entry point shows the longest queue at any given moment. Outsight demonstrated this capability directly in the entertainment sector, winning the EntertainmentLAB Crowd Monitoring Challenge and partnering with Telenet to deploy the SHIFT platform at TomorrowLand. The platform provides anonymous, real-time 3D crowd data without capturing faces or biometric information. Survey data from the entertainment sector indicates nearly half of attendees cite queuing as a top dissatisfaction factor, so measurable reductions in entry wait time carry direct impact on audience experience scores.

• What is the EntertainmentLAB innovation programme and who launched it?

  EntertainmentLAB is an innovation programme launched in September 2023 by Startup.Flanders in collaboration with Tomorrowland. Its aim is to position Flanders as a global innovation hub in the entertainment industry. The programme challenges startups to solve complex problems in the entertainment space. Outsight was selected for its first-ever edition, working alongside Telenet on crowd monitoring and communication. Startups taking part gain access to financial, human and intellectual capital, along with mentorship and the global ecosystem of Tomorrowland.

• How competitive was the first EntertainmentLAB programme, and how many finalists were selected?

  The first EntertainmentLAB programme received over 100 global applications, and only four made the final cut. Outsight was chosen for the Crowd Monitoring and Communication category, supported by Telenet. Outsight was selected from a competitive pool of 26 companies. Its technology stood out for its ability to monitor crowd movements in real time. Outsight's Spatial Intelligence software provides the insights needed to manage large public and private venues effectively, and it will be integrated with Telenet's Rich Business Messaging chatbot to communicate with festival attendees.

• Which EntertainmentLAB challenge category was won in partnership with Telenet?

  Outsight was chosen for the Crowd Monitoring and Communication category of the EntertainmentLAB programme, a challenge supported by Telenet. The two companies work together to bring crowd monitoring and communication solutions to festival settings, starting with Tomorrowland. Outsight's Spatial Intelligence software provides the real-time crowd density insights. Telenet contributes the messaging channel that communicates with attendees. The challenge itself targeted queuing and crowding, with the goal of making festivals more comfortable and enjoyable for every attendee.

• What problem was the EntertainmentLAB crowd monitoring challenge designed to solve?

  The challenge focused on minimising queuing and crowding at festivals to ensure a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for every attendee. Waiting in queues is a crucial pain point at entertainment venues. According to Virgin Media O2 UK data cited from World Population Review, 46% of respondents reported that they hate waiting in line. Large crowds at festivals lead to long queues and attendee dissatisfaction, which is what the challenge aimed to address.

• What information will festival-goers receive through the crowd monitoring and messaging solution?

  Outsight's crowd density monitoring will be integrated with Telenet's Rich Business Messaging chatbot to communicate with festival attendees without requiring an app download. The messages relate to information about stage services and the festival program. The aim is to boost safety, reduce overcrowding and decrease queuing issues. Outsight's technology was selected for its ability to monitor crowd movements in real time. Outsight and Telenet developed this approach within the Crowd Monitoring and Communication category of the EntertainmentLAB programme.

• What support do startups receive from the EntertainmentLAB programme?

  EntertainmentLAB provides selected startups with access to financial, human and intellectual capital. Participants benefit from expert guidance and mentorship. They also gain access to the expansive global ecosystem of Tomorrowland, which co-created the programme with Startup.Flanders. Outsight joined the first edition in the Crowd Monitoring and Communication category alongside Telenet. The programme was launched in September 2023 with the goal of positioning Flanders as a global innovation hub in the entertainment industry, and it drew over 100 global applications in its first year.

• What role does Telenet play in the EntertainmentLAB crowd monitoring project?

  Telenet supports the Crowd Monitoring and Communication category of EntertainmentLAB and works alongside Outsight on the project. Outsight's software monitors crowd density in real time. Telenet's Rich Business Messaging chatbot then carries information to festival attendees, with no app download required. Together, the partners aim to leverage crowd monitoring and communication to enhance the festival experience and improve crowd management at large venues.

• Which festival is the first to use the Telenet crowd monitoring solution from EntertainmentLAB?

  The collaboration between Outsight and Telenet starts with Tomorrowland, the festival that co-launched the EntertainmentLAB programme with Startup.Flanders. The goal is to enhance crowd monitoring and communication at large venues, with the festival as the first setting. Outsight's Spatial Intelligence software tracks crowd density in real time. The communication with attendees aims to boost safety, reduce overcrowding and decrease queuing issues. Attendees receive information about stage services and the program through Telenet's Rich Business Messaging chatbot, with no app download required.

• Has this crowd monitoring technology been recognized for major events beyond EntertainmentLAB?

  Yes. Outsight notes that EntertainmentLAB is not the first time its technology has been selected to manage prestigious events. It was also awarded the Innov'Up Sport award at VivaTech 2024 for its Olympic LiDAR project, which focused on advancing the understanding of people flows at Olympic venues. At EntertainmentLAB, Outsight was chosen among over 100 applications for the Crowd Monitoring and Communication category, working with Telenet to reduce queuing and crowding at festivals with real-time crowd monitoring.

• Can the crowd monitoring solution from EntertainmentLAB be used at venues other than festivals?

  Yes. Outsight's Spatial Intelligence software provides vital insights for managing large public and private venues effectively and maximising attendee satisfaction. The EntertainmentLAB project starts with festivals, and the collaboration with Telenet explicitly aims to improve crowd management practices at large venues. Outsight's technology has also been selected before to manage prestigious events, including its Olympic LiDAR project recognized with the Innov'Up Sport award at VivaTech 2024.

• How do festivals and large events use crowd data to communicate with visitors?

  Festivals use real-time crowd data to tell visitors where it is busy, how long they will wait and which routes or facilities are less crowded, which spreads people out and improves safety. This requires accurate, live counts and densities across stages, entrances and service areas. Outsight won EntertainmentLAB's crowd monitoring challenge and joined forces with Telenet to enhance crowd monitoring and communication in large venues, starting with Tomorrowland. Its 3D LiDAR-based platform provides the anonymous crowd data these services need.