Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on ALT 105.7 and iHeartRadio - Tech for Improving the Fan Experience

Fan Experience...  it's a term we've been hearing a lot of recently.

As fans and patrons pay more for tickets to concerts, sporting events and other activities, they want to get the best value possible.

So teams, venues and organizations are looking to optimize the Fan Experience in different ways.

Rick and Sully discuss..

1.   Improving Wi-Fi in Stadiums and Arenas
https://www.extremenetworks.com/

Rick had the opportunity to talk with Glenn Johnson, the Carolina Hurricanes’ vice president of information technology, and Kevin Wittnebert, Extreme Networks associate director of sports and entertainment, about what fans want in arenas and stadiums- fast Wi-fi.

Today’s consumers expect to be able to text, post to Instagram, send a Snapchat, stream a video, check their sports apps and browse the internet without any delay or lag.

So what happens when an arena that can hold up to 20,000 people lacks a speedy network for attendees to connect to? The IT team at PNC Arena – home to the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State’s men’s basketball team – asked themselves this exact question when they started receiving poor feedback on the arena’s Wi-Fi experience. As the go-to venue for more than 150 annual events, and challenged with an IT team of only four people with 770,000 square feet to cover, they looked to Extreme Networks to partner and deploy its end-to-end Wi-Fi solution.

Together, the Carolina Hurricanes and Extreme Networks overhauled the Wi-Fi network ahead of the 2017 season. As a result of the deployment, the venue has seen a significant uptick in fan usage of the Wi-Fi network – posting to social, streaming videos and interacting with team centric content – in the 2017 season.

Here are a few highlights:
    Average unique Wi-Fi users grew from 18% in 2016 to 29% in 2017 to 35% so far in 2018.
    Concurrent Wi-Fi users on the network grew from 22% in 2016 to 28% in 2017 to 30% so far in 2018.
    Peak data transferred in 2016 averaged 587 GBs. That number grew to over 2 TB of data in 2017.
 

2. USGA Launches Immersive Digital Experience to Bring 117 Years of U.S. Open Championship Golf History to Life

For golf fans...

Building on a track record of innovative “firsts” in the digital presentation of its most renowned championship golf property, the USGA, in association with Rolex, has launched the U.S. Open History Experience, a fully immersive timeline that brings 117 years of U.S. Open Championships to life on usopen.com.
The timeline allows fans to engage digitally with one of the sports world’s most storied championships while celebrating the U.S. Open’s legendary champions, signature moments and iconic venues. Unlike any other digital property in sports, the experience features a user-driven journey through time by immersing fans in carefully curated videos, photos, articles, championship scoring and player statistics.

To create the U.S. Open History Experience, USGA researchers tapped the archives of the USGA Golf Museum, including publications, periodicals, magazines, daily newspapers and personal correspondence from as far back as the first championship in 1895. The result is a one-of-a-kind digital timeline that will be of interest to golf fans, sports fans and researchers alike.

 
3. NHL Smart Puck

With the Stanley Cup Finals being so exciting...

The NHL has already announced that the Smart Puck era is quickly approaching, which is exciting news for hockey fans all over the globe.

The league is planning on having this added technology at their disposal for the start of the 2019-20 season, but there’s a chance that we could get a preview of it at the start of next year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The technology will allow the league to track the puck’s movement on the ice at a rate of 200 times per second. That means that coaches will be able to get more information when it comes to possession, shot placement, shot distance and probably speed. If the coaches are getting their hands on that information, it means that they’ll be able to provide their players with even more specific data.
 

4. Wait Time
www.thewaittimes.com

WaitTime’s innovative artificial intelligence delivers real-time data to you and your fans to help you make smart decisions.

This is all about Crowd Intelligence
WaitTime’s technology is all encompassing, sensors are installed inside venue concourses, data is then released and interpreted using artificial intelligence to determine the length of lines. The results are shown on real-time dashboards, both on digital signs inside the venue and on a smartphone app.
The goal is to reduce lines, remove bottlenecks and get people served quicker so they can get back to watching the action.

 
5. Sports Business Awards has a "Best in Mobile Fan" Experience catagory

The Sports Business Awards were just held a week ago and the app, 15 Seconds of Fame won the "Best in Mobile Fan" catagory

The 15SOF team will process more than 5,000 MLB telecast feeds each season and will use a groundbreaking proprietary technology to deliver personalized video directly to fans after the game. In addition, the agreement provides 15SOF the ability to capture and deliver fan footage from special jewel events such as the All-Star Game presented by MasterCard and postseason games.
"This is what fans want and now they can get it," said Joshpe, CEO of 15SOF. "Moments like that foul ball are what we're tapping into. MLBAM has really been a pioneer in the digital space and really appreciates the value of these kinds of moments for fans. We're very excited about it."
The partnership also gives 15SOF access to scoreboard video moments from participating MLB ballparks, where teams will be able to integrate 15SOF through the free MLB.com Ballpark app. This is especially a big deal in the national pastime, where fans are more part of the action than in any other sport.
 

6. Golden State Warriors shoot to augment fan experience with digital tech

Not only are the Golden State Warriors leading the way in reaching the NBA Finals, but also in Fan Experience.
The NBA's defending champions are using chatbots, augmented and virtual reality to bolster fan engagement. Now they're sifting through fan data to better target them with merchandise, tickets and other offers.