Carnival & Fair News

Cashless midways offer fairs and their carnival company partners a fairgoer experience that more closely resembles amusement park ease and consumer interaction than ever previously possible. Removing cash and paper tickets, reallocating ticket sellers to more useful customer service jobs, tracking fairgoer spending, the cashless systems have transformed how fairs conduct transactions while raising community expectations of what a 21st century fair should be.

One of the leaders in this rapid innovation has been Saffire LLC, whose SaffireTix  admission and BlastPass RFID systems are used by more than 300 fairs – as well as festivals, rodeos and other venues – according to the company’s website. Among the company’s many high-profile clients are some of the biggest fairs in North America, including the Big E, The Utah State Fair and the San Diego County Fair.  While admission ticket selling is a major part of the company’s business mess, they wanted to also secure contracts for larger fairs with “independent ride midways”, selling ride credits and wristbands using an RFID system and tracking analytics on things such as ridership.  For this , they needed a partner with advanced technology and they chose to work with Tap N Go, and sell the product as “Blast Pass” using the Tap N Go technology. 

In June, Tap N Go, LLC (TNG), a developer of cashless ticketing software filed a federal lawsuit against its former partner alleging deceptive and unfair trade practices and breach of contract. The suit was filed in federal court in Orlando seeks various legal remedies, including injunctive relief, declaratory relief, monetary damages exceeding $75,000, and attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in pursuing the litigation.

FunTagg Partnership

The instigating factor sparking this legal action occurred in November of 2024 when Saffire entered into what TNG describes as “a primary partnership with FunTagg, the carnival-industry leading provider of RFID ticketing systems, to now support Saffire’s BlastPass/RFID product.”  

Aaron Pederson, Partner & President of Saffire, said of the partnership “Utilizing FunTagg’s technology allows Saffire to stay on the cutting edge of technology for our clients. This commitment to our joint industries will allow for enhanced service, equipment availability, and opportunities for our new and existing client base."

According to the a press release announcing the lawsuit: “TNG and Saffire had collaborated for almost five years, jointly delivering seamless ticketing experiences for iconic state and county fairs such as the Florida State Fair, Minnesota State Fair, Wisconsin State Fair, San Diego County Fair, and Ventura County Fair. TNG provided the RFID-powered software platform and some hardware marketed by Saffire as "BlastPass," while Saffire oversaw front-end contract negotiations and operations. 

The Amended Complaint filed in federal court in Orlando, Florida claims Saffire abruptly terminated its partnership with TNG in late 2024, without prior notice, replacing them with FunTagg, TNG’s main competitor, after benefiting from a successful adoption of TNG’s proprietary software under the “BlastPass” label.”

“TNG believes that it has been intentionally deceived and wronged reputationally and financially. The lawsuit was filed less than 60 days after Saffire terminated the 5 year partnership in 2024,” said Shara Pathak. President, TNG, told Carnival Warehouse.

This partnership resulted in Saffire marketing the BlastPass RFID system among its many other services. But as BlastPass became the system-of-choice for industry leaders, the software developer was pushed to the background, then out of the picture last November when Saffire contracted with FunTagg.

The Fair Platform

“TNG’s digital platform stands as the leading benchmark for successful technology adoption within the independent midway market—and it deserves to be recognized as such,” said Pathak “The BlastPass white label has resulted in the TNG name being obscured, which affects overall awareness, transparency, and accountability. The core purpose of going digital is to create a system that ensures accuracy and visibility for the Fair, the Midway Operators, and the patrons. When that transparency is compromised, it can also impact the integrity of the contracting process and the quality of decision-making.”

Key allegations in the lawsuit include:

• The unauthorized legacy benefit of TNG’s proprietary software in State Fair contracts.
• Concealing negotiations with a competitor during the active TNG-Saffire partnership.
• Leveraging TNG’s technological advantages to benefit Saffire’s business interests. 

In a statement to Carnival Warehouse, Pedersen, Saffire’s President, said “Saffire adamantly denies Tap N Go’s allegations. Out of respect for the legal process, we have no further comment.”

The legal scope of the initial contract appears to be at the core of the dispute. “TNG and Saffire had a binding agreement, partly oral and partly in writing,” said Pathak. “This means that while there may not have been a formal written agreement, their actions and mutual understanding created a binding relationship. For example, they regularly and consistently referred to their relationship as a "partnership."

Most RIFD systems are utilized by carnival companies, not the fairs themselves. But as systems such as BlastPass became more fair friendly, event organizers found the idea of more control over digital transactions very appealing. According to Pathak, TNG’s  fair-user-friendly software is at the essence of why BlastPass became the leading cashless midway among major fairs. 

Called  the "Fair Platform," like other RFID systems, BlastPass utilizing TNG software eliminated physical tickets while “providing unprecedented data insights.” said Pathak. “TNG invested heavily in customizing the platform to meet the unique needs of the independent midway market, including features like tracking ticket sources and integrating with standalone kiosks. Ticket Sources is perhaps one of the more important features as it calculates down to the penny where the credit was purchased and the value. This provides the most accurate numbers and data for reconciliations, payments and audits. TNG's features, such as advanced analytics, and seamless integration with ticketing and kiosk systems, certainly will make it a preferred choice for these types of environments.” 

Pathak added “TNG provided custom software (the "Fair Platform") and other services to Saffire.  Saffire used TNG's software (marketed as "BlastPass") to secure contracts with state fairs. Both parties agreed to exclusivity, meaning TNG would not work with Saffire's competitors, and vice versa. Saffire and TNG had an understanding that TNG would provide its software and services for the duration of the contracts Saffire secured with third parties (e.g., state fairs). It’s important to note that, in Saffire’s court filings, Saffire itself has expressly acknowledged and admitted that it entered into a valid, binding contract with TNG – they simply disagree with our view of what the terms of that contract were.”

TNG’s Reputation

Pathak said that two companies entered into “an exclusive, mutually beneficial partnership in 2020. TNG provided its Fair Platform software, which Saffire marketed as "BlastPass," to secure contracts with state fairs and other events. The partnership was highly successful, with Saffire leveraging TNG's software to grow its ticketing business and secure lucrative contracts with marquee events like the Wisconsin State Fair, Florida State Fair, and others. TNG trusted Saffire to act in good faith, sharing confidential information and foregoing opportunities to work with Saffire's competitors. TNG also invested significant resources in custom software development and hardware procurement to support the partnership. TNG trusted Saffire to act in good faith and to honor their implied agreement. Saffire's secret negotiations with FunTagg and abrupt termination of the partnership violated this trust.”

It wasn’t just the trust violated. TNG is claiming the timing of the FunTagg/Saffire contract not only pushed TNG out of the picture, but created a competitive disadvantage for the company in seeking new fair business.  Saffire's actions prevented TNG from bidding on 2025 events, as the deadlines for submitting bids had already passed by the time Saffire terminated the partnership,” said Pathak “This effectively locked TNG out of the market for several years. TNG also alleges that Saffire continued to market "BlastPass" using the goodwill and reputation built on TNG's software, even after switching to FunTagg. This caused financial and reputational harm to TNG.”

If major independent midways use the BlastPass System, as the Saffire website boasts, one might think that the  $75,000 sounds low. “The $75,000 is just the minimum threshold required to file a case in federal court under diversity jurisdiction, said Pathak. “The actual claim is undoubtedly much higher, but citing $75,000 ensures the case qualifies for federal court. It's a procedural formality, not a reflection of the true damages being sought."