eBusiness Weekly
Data and new technology are changing fan experiences at stadiums and venues. Teams and venues are using data, apps, beacons and digital innovation to improve operations, player performance and fan experiences. The top priority is to bring fans to stadiums, put them in the centre of the action and create experiences that keeps them coming back.
Across the US, teams are spending millions to bringing connectivity and convenience to stadiums. In-stadium fans want to be able to share, interact and stay social during games. While many college teams still don’t provide Wi-Fi access in their stadiums, that’s quickly changing. Even colleges have joined the race to give every fan the best seat in the stadium, from the bleachers to the VIP boxes.
Live events are not just about watching a game or concert from a seat anymore. Fans expect a tailored mix of physical and digital experiences across their phones, digital screens, kiosks, concession stands and every area of the venue.
So how can teams and venues convert stay-at-home viewers into superfans who pay to watch the event live? Here are the top technology investments that teams are making:
- A powerful wireless network solution
The top priority to ensure fan interaction is connectivity, not just for fans, but also for internal staff, vendors, contractors, press and luxury suite guests. Many younger fans are leaving stadiums at half-time if they can’t connect to the internet.
And offering better Wi-Fi also means more money from additional food, beverage, merchandise and upgrade purchases. It’s not enough to just provide Wi-Fi. Fans expect a fast, secure and reliable connectivity.
On average, larger stadiums are installing 700+ wireless access points and there are multiple third-party companies like AT&T, Cisco and Verizon that provide end-to-end wireless network services.
- State-of-the-art mobile apps
Mobile Apps are quickly becoming the most efficient and profitable tool to engage and activate fans at live events. Some professional sports teams already have apps that let fans find parking spots, purchase premium seat upgrades, check-in and locate their seats, order food and beverages to be delivered to their seats, find the closest rest-room with the shortest line, watch high-definition instant replay videos and close-up videos, view exclusive content, promotions, coupons and statistics, and get traffic information and the fastest route home after the game. This is already a reality and many teams are scrambling to catch up with the ones that already offer these amazing mobile experiences.
- Mobile point-of-service (POS)
Many stadiums and event venues have already rolled out mobile POS (point-of-service) systems so they can have hundreds of vendors selling food, beverages and merchandise without requiring fans to leave their seats or spend a lot of time in lines. Mobile POS systems enable fast, secure concessions and merchandise sales and also offer savings on space, manpower and time.
- Beacons
While beacon implementation across stadiums has been slow, they’re definitely happening. Teams that already implemented beacons use them to send exclusive, stadium-only promotions and trivia to fans devices. The geomapping also helps alert fans on closest rest-rooms with the shortest wait times etc. More importantly, teams are using beacons to track fan behaviours, movement and spending inside stadiums. So far, 20 of the 30 MLB stadiums have already implemented beacons.
- Digital, touch-screen kiosks
These state-of-the-art, self-service digital kiosks can be found scattered across many big venues. In addition to helping fans find venue maps, restrooms amenities and vendors, these kiosks can also be used for purchasing upgrades, merchandise and placing food and beverage orders.
- Giant HD video screens
Large digital screens were considered extravagant, but they’re quickly becoming a necessity. Not every venue can have a 190-foot screen (that’s three-fourth the length of a football field) like Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. It’s more efficient to have multiple small screens spread across the venue so fans can watch HD live streams of the game even when they’re walking to a restroom or standing in line to buy a beer.
- High-speed cameras for ultimate game-day memories
New products like the high-speed selfie cameras made by Fanpics are making it easier than ever for fans to take selfies at stadiums and games. These state-of-the-art cameras can be installed at multiple locations and are capable of capturing photos of every single fan in the venue, all at the same time! These cameras can take up to 1 million images during every game and venues can set them up to be triggered during game highlights so the audience’s reactions can be captured.
Fans can download the free Fanpics app to look at photos by entering the date and their seat numbers. If you’ve been to a recent Los Angeles Kings, Clippers or Galaxy game, you might have already seen these. All entrance gates at stadiums offering Fanpics have have disclosure signs. On average, about 15 to 25 percent of fans download the app at games and check in to view photos. In addition to taking advantage of this generation’s selfie-obsession, teams also get valuable data. Teams can find out who these fans are, where they sit, how many times they go to games and even who they’re with.
- Data management platform
Your stadium or venue’s fan data should be the focal point that empowers all your marketing efforts and technology investments. Increasingly, sports teams are using a first-party data management platform (DMP) like Umbel to connect all their siloed fan data from online and offline systems and channels. DMPs help connect fan data from ticket purchases (e.g. from Ticketmaster), social interaction (e.g. fans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), concession stand purchases, merchandise sales, e-commerce site transactions, mobile app usage, website visits, video views, beacons, RFID chips and much more. Connecting and collecting all this data from all these sources can be overwhelming, but a DMP helps teams simplify this and make it seamless. — umbel.com
