The Return to the Venue
When the Sports World Shutdown
Everyone loves going to games and getting to enjoy a nice cold beverage and a fresh hotdog in-hand while watching their favorite players and team in person. No one imagined not being able to have this opportunity. Being at the game is a different experience and you can see why everyone was heartbroken as COVID-19 shut down the power of togetherness.
The last time sports came to a halt was from players' strikes or collective bargaining issues. It can be dated all the way back to World War I for having to cut a season short and World War II for having to deal with a shortage of players. But shortly after COVID-19 entered North America, the games began to stop. March Madness was canceled in 2020 for the first time since it began in 1939, then the Tokyo2020 Olympics were postponed, and each league across every level began to follow this same pattern.
Recreating the Venue Experience
The hold on sports was not an easy thing to deal with, not only were fans impacted, but the players themselves. When sports were allowed to return to competition it was missing a major piece, the fans. Players had trouble with this, it was harder to play without the sound of fans cheering and was something players hadn’t dealt with in their careers. To some it felt like it was not worth it. The industry needed to innovate to bring the excitement of sports back to players and fans, and it needed to happen fast. The first step in this direction was with fan cut-outs, pre-recorded cheers, and piped in stadium sounds. Instead of buying tickets to a game, people were ordering cut-outs of themselves to show their support for the teams they love. A Fluid Fan Behavior that dominated this phase of the pandemic was Co-Watching. Fans wanted to recreate the venue experience at home and the watch together technologies coming from companies LiveLike and Sceenic allowed fans to have at home virtual watch parties while still keeping their distance. Then the industry turned to technology to take the empty stadiums to a whole new level.
Returning to Live Sports
As fans begin to return to venues, a smooth transition will be crucial to rebuilding fan confidence. Yet again, the ever-involving tech world was ready to help with this transition. The reinvention of in-person can be seen through the help of mobile apps, digital signage, and 5G connectivity.
With stadiums introducing apps the possibilities seem to be endless. So far they have allowed fans to pre-order and receive in-seat delivery, eliminating wait-time and unnecessary contact points. Touch-less transactions are also used upon entering the venue by scanning in and being able to upgrade seats right from your phone. Mobile apps also help manage the flow of crowd by showing where there is open parking and easy entrance points.
Digital signage allows for real-time data to be promoted all around stadiums. This can be up-to-date scores and statistics of the game, messaging about concessions, directions, and more. As mask mandates and distancing protocols continue to develop, the digital signage around stadiums will be key in keeping fans in the know about the update regulations. All of these changes allow fans to have a frictionless experience throughout the venue.
Using sensors for tracking and biometric scanning helps with COVID-19 safety as well as fan experience. The biometric scanning can speed up the process for security and allow for shorter lines. The sensors around stadiums can help locate where the crowds are at a time and help notify people to try and maintain the social distance. Companies like CLEAR are bringing their technology to sports venues and rethinking the venue experience.
Being in a venue with thousands of people, 5G helps people who are trying to update their feeds with a more stable internet connection and allows the stadium itself to see multiple camera angles and easily watch replays. Fluid Fans love to Share their experiences with their community, and a connected venue with a reliable infrastructure are critical components of this fan behavior.
As all of these techniques begin to become the new normal, innovation and new ideas are always appearing. This can be seen by PSV Eindhoven partnering with Brainport Eindhoven to create the Brainport experience box which allows fans to get extra action viewing match statistics, 3D augmented reality, live match data, and instant replay all while still watching the game in-person. The fan experience is always changing and evolving, just as Fluid Fans are constantly evolving.
So Where do we go From Here?
From the cancellation of sports, to zero fans, to the comeback, technology has been a critical aspect. With the help of these new elements limiting crowds and assisting with social distancing, fans are allowed to get back to the way they love watching sports and a more innovative experience than ever before. It is no secret that the pandemic has accelerated innovation and growth in the industry. Now we will see what innovations will become part of the new normal. Technology is going to be key as fans return to the stadiums, and venue operators need to align themselves with the right partners to ensure these innovations continue to develop. We are on the road back, and the finish line may be approaching but that certainly doesn’t mean we can take our foot off of the gas.