Montreal based company provides intelligent wristbands to Team Canada

To some, it may just appear to be an ordinary accessory, but it’s actually an intelligent bracelet – one that will be worn by athletes, coaches and more from Team Canada during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Connect&Go, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) company, based in Montreal, is behind the intelligent wristband – that will help Olympians, staff, family members and visitors gain access to the Canada Olympic House and the village. The bracelet will also help facilitate payments and ticketing.

“The reason there’s a smart wristband is because it’s not just a ticket to get in; it also has a bunch of information loaded into it, including what day you’re allowed to go, how much time you’re allowed to stay, whether you can spend money or not,” said Anthony Palermo, Co-Founder of Connect&Go.

“You can imagine athletes might be able to have kind of unlimited food, let’s say, but someone who buys a ticket would have to then use their credit card to load money and be able to spend. So by having a smart wearable, you’re able to manage these different levels of access to a venue like this.”

The 2024 Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, and the bracelets are ready to go. The design is simple, and easy to use.

“There’s actually nothing on the wristband but a microchip that’s linked to a profile. So it’s got a number, and then in a database somewhere, it’s got a profile, and everything is managed by the organizers of this venue,” said Palermo.

The company had also provided similar wristbands to Team Canada during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. During that time, they provided over 10,000 bracelets. This year, they are aiming to produce even more.

“This year we have double the amount, so we have close to 20,000, primarily because I think there’s going to be a lot more Canadians who have access to get to Paris or a lot of people who want to come to the Canadian Olympic House—it’s a little more accessible for people. So the anticipation is that a lot more people will be coming to Canada House this year,” said Palermo.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Connect&Go, were selected to provide RFID wristbands to Team Canada for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a contract that was later cancelled.

The pandemic took a toll on the company, having their contracts with PGA tour, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, also cancelled. This caused Connect&Go to lose 90 per cent of its revenue.

“It was very, very difficult for a company. We went dark for about six months, literally. No phone was ringing for about six months. We weren’t sure what was going to happen,” said Palermo.

After this hit, the company didn’t think it was possible to be able to showcase their technology at large-scale events like the Olympics, as they had to shift their target market, from large-scale international events, to attractions like amusement and water parks. Now, they are being proven wrong.

“For us, when it comes to working with organizations like the Canadian Olympic Committee, it’s very important for us to have a great relationship with them, but also to always deliver more than we promised,” said Palermo.

“We were lucky and blessed to have a second chance at the Olympics.”