The short answer
Operations platforms are built for incidents, work orders, patrols and communications. Their lost and found module is usually a log with a web form: items in, claims in, staff match by hand. Boomerang is built only for lost and found, so the busywork after every event is automated and fans get their things back.
Boomerang may suit you if
- The day after an event is spent on shelves, spreadsheets and inboxes
- Fans call and email to ask what happened to their claim
- You want return rate and staff time measured, venue by venue
At a glance
| Feature | Value | Boomerang | Your venue tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangGetting lost items back to fans and guests | Your venue toolIncidents, maintenance, patrols and communications |
| AI item intake | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangAI turns a simple description and a photo into a logged item | Your venue toolTyped into a form, sometimes with barcode tags |
| Matching | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangAI matching on photos, descriptions, dates, locations and venue context, confirmed by staff and then by the guest | Your venue toolBasic matching or a manual search |
| Guest updates | ValueGuest | BoomerangCo-branded emails at every step, a guest account and Boo, an AI support agent, 24/7 | Your venue toolA web form, often with status checks |
| Dedicated guest account | ValueGuest | BoomerangA dedicated guest account where guests sign in, manage their claim, take actions and see details. We have invested in it, and we keep investing | Your venue toolA web form, often with status checks. No dedicated guest account listed |
| Dedicated guest app | ValueGuest | BoomerangComing soon | Your venue toolNot listed |
| Friendly, modern UI/UX | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangA friendly, modern interface for busy venue teams and for guests | Your venue toolNot listed |
| Apple Find MyBoomerang exclusive | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangTrue Apple Find My integration, approved by Apple | Your venue toolNot available |
Claim fraud protectionMore about this featureScammers sometimes file fake claims for valuables. Boomerang keeps inventory private, verifies the guest email before a claim is accepted, and checks every match twice: staff first, then the guest. Every decision is logged. | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangStaff and guest double verification, a verified guest email, and private inventory | Your venue toolNot listed |
| Activity feed and audit log | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangActivity history and audit trail on every item and claim, with who and when for every edit, move and decision | Your venue toolNot listed |
| Internal notes | ValuePartner | BoomerangInternal notes with rich text, attachments and pinning on every item | Your venue toolNot listed |
| In-built guest messaging | ValueGuest | BoomerangInfo requests from the portal, co-branded emails, and Boo, an AI support agent, 24/7 | Your venue toolA web form, often with status checks |
| Inventory privacy | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangPrivate inventory. Guests describe what they lost, and staff and the guest verify before anything is released | Your venue toolNot listed |
| Revenue for the venue | ValuePartner | BoomerangMultiple revenue-share opportunities. Partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of annual contract value every year | Your venue toolNot listed |
| Shipping and payment | ValueGuest | BoomerangGuest pays online, label bought for you, tracking sent | Your venue toolUsually handled outside the system |
| Prohibited items | ValuePartner | BoomerangKeepSafe, run from the same portal | Your venue toolUsually not covered |
Job by job
The Monday after a big event
At FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns, staff used to sift through shelves after every event and match items to claims by hand in a spreadsheet. With Boomerang, time on lost and found fell 40% in three months, and calls, emails and forms per event dropped from 100+ to about 5 to 10.
More returns
A major NBA arena moved off a lost and found module it was paying five figures for and saw a 40% increase in returns. An NBA arena operator went from under 5% to 44% in under six months, then expanded to all five of its venues.
Keep your platform
Every Boomerang partner still runs their PMS or venue management platform. What changes is lost and found: they trimmed that part of the contract where they could and put the budget toward a tool built only for it.
Security and operations keep the platform for incidents, work orders and patrols. Lost and found becomes a swap of one module.
Lost and found is uniquely different from the rest of guest or team operations. A guest who is desperate to get something back might email every day for weeks, and that can turn into 30 or more emails plus daily calls from one person, which leaves a bad taste. Boomerang handles all of that for you: automated updates at every step, a guest account, an AI support agent, and claim status without staff chasing it.
Switching to Boomerang
Nothing changes in your operations platform. We bulk import open lost-and-found inventory, set up locations and storage per concourse or building, and run a 30-minute kick-off.
What partners see
- less time on lost and found at FirstEnergy Stadium in three months
- 40%
- less time on lost and found at FirstEnergy Stadium in three months
- On average, Boomerang triples a partner's return rate
- 3x
- On average, Boomerang triples a partner's return rate
- saved a month for the average organization
- 40+ hrs
- saved a month for the average organization
“Boomerang saved the Bills L&F team a whole day of work on Mondays. They used to spend the whole day on Mondays going through L&F after a game. With Boomerang they only spend 45 minutes!”
Questions
Do we have to replace our venue management platform?
No. Every Boomerang partner still runs their PMS or venue management platform. What changes is lost and found: they trimmed that part of the contract where they could and put the budget toward a tool built only for it.
Can we bring our existing inventory over?
Yes. We bulk import your open inventory as part of go-live, so the whole back room is searchable on day one and nobody has to log it twice.
Will fans need an app?
No. Fans file from your link or a QR code on any device in under a minute, then get email updates until their item is found.
How long does go-live take?
Sign the agreement, join a 30-minute kick-off call and add the claim link to your website. Larger rollouts add on-site workshops, SOPs and signage for every location.
How is Boomerang priced?
An annual platform subscription sized to your venues and volume, with every new feature included as it ships. Guests pay fair shipping. Boomerang offers multiple revenue-share opportunities, and partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of their annual contract value every year. Book a demo and we will scope it with you.
About this comparison
Details come from public pages and listings as of November 2026. Products change, so check with each provider for the latest. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].