skicket

Skicket is a lightweight, open standard for digital event tickets designed to promote interoperability between organizers, ticket issuers, and venues. It specifies a compact, self-contained representation of a ticket that can be generated, shared, and validated across platforms, reducing reliance on proprietary barcode formats and vendor-specific APIs.

The core of Skicket is a data model that describes events, tickets, and holders. A ticket typically contains a unique ticketId, event metadata (eventId, name, date, venue), seating or access type, purchaser identifier or pseudonym, issueDate, expiry, and a cryptographic signature by the issuer. Tickets are commonly encoded as a short token or JSON object and may be presented as a QR code or NFC tag. Verification is designed to work offline; venues can validate a ticket using the issuer’s public key to confirm the signature and check revocation status.

Skicket tokens can be revoked or blocked, enabling organizers to invalidate tickets in cases of refunds or fraud. The format emphasizes privacy by supporting minimal personally identifiable information and allowing payer identity to be represented by a pseudonym or anonymized identifier.

History and development: Skicket originated through an open collaboration among event-technology developers and researchers in the late 2010s. It has evolved through several revisions, with practical deployments at festivals and convention centers and increasing integration with mobile-wallet ecosystems.

Adoption and reception: Proponents point to improved interoperability, fraud reduction, and simpler onboarding for smaller organizers. Critics note the need for robust key management, cross-issuer coordination, and ongoing governance to maintain trust across the ecosystem.