Sports has always been about entertainment, however, in the past couple of decades, the sporting authorities and organizations have upped their game. From being the mere display of sporting abilities, the game has been turned into complete entertainment package. From on-field drama, sports, to pre-game and end-game events, entertainment is the buzzword. And, now we have even more technology than ever before that elevates the viewer experience further. But, that’s like simply scratching the tip of the iceberg. The true transformation comes with an enhanced live viewing of any sports event and stadiums form an integral part of that experience. Thus, we come across the concept of Smart Stadiums!

 

The sports industry today is trying to meet every needs and demand of every single spectator who will be visiting the arena to watch their favorite match. Digitalization and smart technology are playing major roles in aiding that effort. The live experience of the fans is being refined with the concept of the next-gen venues, thus making way for ‘Smart stadiums’.

 

It’s not merely about the on-field and within stadium experience, the industry is taking a holistic approach towards improving the experience of the crowd through smarter and easier seat booking system, providing a wealth of information on bathroom breaks, seat upgrades, parking upgrade, and many more. What’s more, these arenas have the answer to every type of architectural and technological possibilities. This means that one stadium can now be used for multiple events and the entire architecture can be changed within a matter of hours at most. Also, inside the stadium, the ebb and flow of every human being are tracked every minute with the help of sensors using IoT technologies. The staffs over there can receive every update regarding what’s happening in the venue, which increases their efficiency and the capability to maintain top-level security inside the premises. Smart Stadiums are certainly changing the game altogether.

 

Competing against the at-home experience

There are many fans who stay at home to watch the games. It is a challenge for the sports entertainment industry to lure them away from the comfort of their homes, big-screen TVs, and refrigerators nearby.

 

However, the new capabilities such as augmented reality, interactive seats, and big screens have helped a lot to fight with these challenges. The venue is surrounded by almost thousands of state-of-the-art monitors so that fans do not miss a moment of the game irrespective of where they are seated.

 

Solution overview

Smart stadiums come with an array of sensors, digital signages, and cameras that are connected wirelessly as well as via wired networks between themselves and with the servers. Sensors update every information such as waiting lines, the number of hot dogs that are available at the concession stands, parking spots, and other stadium data. Every corner of the venue is monitored by the cameras to keep people safe.

 

What are the benefits of a smart stadium?

The safety, entertainment, and economic impact that has been created in the smart stadiums can be felt in various ways, such as:

 

Profitability

The stadiums are multi-million-dollar venues, which are, most of the time, paid for by the taxpayers with the knowledge that they will be able to get big economic dividends for the host city. Smart Stadiums are aiding revenue generation by making the process of purchase of tickets, foods, and merchandise easier, faster, and more personalized. It has become quite like online shopping. There are websites today, through which smart stadiums are making the experience of the fans more personalized through their loyalty programs which will reward them for their previous purchases or it can also suggest new items which will be based on their history of purchase. All this is done with the help of data analytics software which will allow the operators of the stadiums to gain more knowledge about their patrons.

 

To lower the cost of their maintenance, the staffs can also monitor the health of everything starting from deep fryers to toilets and can notice when any equipment is starting to show signs of wearing down. This eventually leads them to work promptly on the matter and replace the equipment so that it doesn’t break down at any moment.

 

Fan experience

With various facilities and modern technologies, the fans have also started expecting a high level of digital connectedness, customer service, and convenience. They want to have access to faster internet connections, better directions, and shorter lines while entering the stadium.

 

The networks of the stadium and apps help the marketing staffs to get connected with the fans. If a fan signs in with an app that runs on their mobile devices the staff can interact directly with them by providing a personalized experience. These apps can direct the fans with the best seats available, order food, or provide them guidance with the concession stand that has the shortest line.

 

Stadium security

The stadiums are fitted with a huge number of sensors and cameras, smart stadiums provide the security staff with real-time data while monitoring the crowd. If there are any kind of security problems it can be addressed immediately since smart stadiums have the capacity to communicate and solve it instantly once it occurs.

 

What is the solution architecture?

In a smart stadium, the data is quickly connected and analyzed using cloud infrastructure, that allows the operators of the stadiums to make decisions provided by the data. For this, they require a mix of hardware and software, and wireless connectivity so that they can acquire proper communication links between the operators of the stadiums and fans.

• Sensors: sound, temperature, parking, and other sensors detect and measure everything that is going in and around the stadiums.
• Cameras: There are infrared and video cameras which are used so that they can monitor the behavior of the crowd, detect any kind of movement in the parking garages, secure the entry into the restricted areas or seating zones.
• Gateways: this connects the cameras, sensors, and other present devices in the stadiums to one another and the cloud.
• Network and Cloud: Wi-Fi, mobile networks, and ethernet send the data of the stadium over the internet to the cloud, which has the capacity to collect and process that huge amount of data and generate them while the live events are going on.

 

The smart stadium market is a huge and promising business. Intel has already joined the race with their concept Smart Stadium model. Check out their IoT based Smart Stadium solution here.

 

Smart Stadiums can play an important role in the long-term financial possibility of the host sports organization. The major factor that can increase the demand is by attracting more fans and provide them with an experience which will encourage them so that they will increase their spending. This is possible with smart stadiums, that will enable the stadium operators to increase the profitability, and enhance the experience of the fans, and improve the security of the stadiums. Check out this report on Smart Stadium market that provides in-depth analysis of the future prospects, trends, and forecasts about the market.