The pilot scheme was devised to replace paper-based crew meal tickets with electronic cards, which was considered an effective way of trialling the cash-less payment system before it is rolled out to festivalgoers.

Using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, each Womad crew member at this year's festival was given a smart card, allowing them to collect food from the canteen once their card has been placed on a special reader.

The test marks the first time the RFID technology has ...