Smartphone Technology in Enhancing Sports Venues Services

It’s the age of mobile phones and Smartphone era has started. A wide range of changes has taken place in mobile phone purpose, networks, availability of networks and the network requirements. Hence, the phone carriers are also playing a key role in adding on to the smartphone technology. This has come into existence with the apps as well as Wi-Fi network. The current trend is to keep updating ourselves and propagating about the update on the social media.

Profiling the Audience
Recently Wembley Stadium is considered to be a role model in arena management. One of the reasons for this recognition is the utilization of CRM system by constantly updating the staff through audience profiles with any information on him/her. Here, the most technology aspect of the business is with smartphones and tablets, which facilitated in action replays, food ordering among others, etc. This ultimately serves as an order-in-seat option via smartphone and mobile device.

Contactless Payments
At Atlanta’s Philips Arena, in a test that began this year. Atlanta Thrashers NHL hockey team and the Atlanta Hawks NBA basketball teams 250 season ticket holders are receiving a specially Near Field Communication enabled Nokia cell phone which they can then use in the arena for concession payments. This provision attracted the audience, while the same users cell phones can detect the passive RFID tags embedded in “smart posters” positioned around Philips Arena. Within a few inches to the poster, the phone user can download news, graphics like, pictures of players or wallpaper, images and promotional video clips. As per a recent study by Philips Electronics and Visa International on the utility of Near Field Communication and contactless payment technology, consumers like the convenience, ease of use, and "coolness" of making transactions with their mobile phones.

Sports High Density Wi-Fi Networks
Digital content and efficiency in real time is easily accessible through the high density Wi-Fi networks that are expanding the horizons of venue management or operators to engage fans sitting in the seats, and as well help them running their business with more efficiency. Cisco, and some small suppliers like, Xirrus together created entire business units dedicated to stadium installations. Cisco called its their suite as “Stadium Vision and Connected Stadium” that presents in several venues throughout the United States and European locations.

This Stadium Vision and Connected Stadium suit is the wave of the future for fan engagement on sports venues. Hence, fans will be able to be served with high quality digital content in real time without depending on 3G/4G cell carrier’s networks to get their real time in venue entertainment.

New Video Technology
The New Meadowlands Stadium offers fans with free smart-phone applications to take a glance at to see video replays, updated statistics and live video from other games and that will work only inside a stadium. The applications will provide fans with statistics on the speed of players and the ball, and fantasy games that will allow them to pick players and compete against other fans for next few years. Though a free app is provided, the stadium management is concerned with all kinds of audience and so arranged 2,200 televisions with 48,000 square feet of screens for audience who don’t use smartphones and this stands the most of any N.F.L. stadium.

Noticeably, the introduction of the smart-phone applications turned as teams confronts a high difficulty in environment to attract fans to stadiums. This is the result of the images of N.F.L. players blocking and tackling on high-definition television that have become increasingly life-like at the same time that the price of attending a game in person is higher than ever.

Enhanced Audience Experience
In business terms, the core objective of any event is to covert the audience experience into monetary terms. While, a strategic objective would look forward to attract the same audience for future events and add new to them by giving enhanced audience experience. All the above is a glance at the recent news makers. However, a lot of innovations are ahead to enhance audience experience. Because today’s enhanced experience would expire over a period, as the audience gets used to it and the experience turns a routine.