At the end of September, VenueNext and the Orlando Magic announced a partnership to deploy the VenueNext platform in Orlando’s Amway Center. The Amway Center is the second sports venue to partner with the application, the first being San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium.
VenueNext’s platform went live with the 49ers in the 2014 season and is thriving in its second season with the team. I caught up with John M. Paul, CEO and founder of VenueNext, over email to talk about this announcement. Mr. Paul is a 35 year veteran in the technology industry, with leadership roles at companies such as Compaq and Siemens. He also held executive positions at Netscape, Dish Digital, and founded the first photo sharing service, Our Pictures, Inc. We discussed the partnership with the Magic, their integration with other technology companies, fan engagement, and what the future plans for VenueNext.
I understand this is VenueNext’s first foray into the sports arena space, but have you launched in other venues such as concert halls? To that effect, did you pilot the app at smaller scale venues such as comedy clubs or smaller sports events?
We have officially announced our role as the technology platform powering both Levi’s Stadium and Amway Center, but we are working with other venues in the sports and entertainment space, which we’ll announce once our customers are ready to talk about it.
VenueNext’s first launch was in the NFL last season with the 49ers. With the Magic announcement happening about a year later, I’m wondering what went into choosing Orlando? Did you seek them out, or were they among a group of teams pitching VenueNext?
Early on in the company, we went to the NBA and asked them to recommend a few teams that would be interested in our platform and they recommended the Magic as a good fit. We really like the Orlando Magic as a customer – they are one of the most innovative and forward thinking teams in the NBA. We like the fact they are in the NBA, as it brings a venue with slightly different dynamics and many more events throughout the year. I’ve talked to a lot of teams and venues and they are the first team that has said we have data and can we feed it into your data platform to enhance our business. They understand how important it is to use this data to really understand their fans and they are going to be really innovative on the ticketing and loyalty area. They have all these interesting programs that bring new dynamics to ticketing and seating choices and we’re looking forward to working with them on that.
Is the current process of one stadium at a time a function of purposeful growth as the app develops, or because of man/womanpower issues inherent to a startup?
We have plans to extend our leadership in the sports and entertainment space, and also to expand into other verticals including hospitality, healthcare and transportation.
Does the app work in the arenas outside of the games? Such as with concerts?
Yes it does and we are deployed in concert venues that we have not yet announced.
And, I think it’s important to state that we’re not just an app company. We are a platform that ties together all the isolated systems in a venue, and then seamlessly surfaces them to a guest, or sports fan or music fan, so they have an improved experience. Behind this, we have a real time data dashboard called VenueNext Wisdom which allows venue operators to see in real time what’s going on in the venue, and make better decisions, and a content management system called VenueNext Canopy, which gives real-time control over the venue ecosystem. This is only possible because of the integration work we do which magically ties all these systems together.
To quote Alex Martin, the CEO of Orlando Magic, on a recent guest blog post on our site,
“Overall, most sports team apps are focused on content, which is one dimensional. Now, through this brand new experience, NBA fans for the first time will have a more dynamic and comprehensive experience. Because VenueNext’s platform integrates all the amenities and isolated systems in a venue, we can provide so much more experiences to our fans in one singular interface, including easy entry into the building, loyalty to the industry’s most fan friendly loyalty marketplace, finding your way around, easy ways to order food and beverages from your mobile device to your seat, as well as ordering seat tickets, upgrades and parking tickets. Everything about it is seamless, easier and more convenient for our fans. For instance, users will be able to verify one credit card in the app and use it to pay for multiple purchases throughout the venue (e.g. merchandise, vs ticketing vs parking). The real benefit is that this partnership allows us to provide one access point to all features for our fans instead of them having to hop around on different websites or apps. The VenueNext platform has this ability to take in third party apps, virtually, to create this all-encompassing experience inside the building. There are a lot of individual apps out there that can’t be integrated into one platform location. VenueNext is the only platform that we could integrate all of these benefits and services into one app.”
I noticed FanDuel is prominently featured as a partner in the app, are you partnered with other technology companies whose services are rendered in the app? Such as Uber with traveling, or SeatGeek/StubHub for tickets?
Yes, our approach is to integrate with other partners to tie everything together seamlessly. We have integrated with many other companies such as Uber, Experience, TransitScreen, LiveSafe, Ticketmaster, HP Aruba/Meridian (wayfinding and beacons), Micros (Point of Sale), NFL (content), Adept Mobile and others. That is our unique and differentiated approach to this market. We are collaborative and know this work is only possible through connections and partnerships with other partners in each market.
What are some of the big takeaways (lessons learned and success stories) you will utilize from the 49ers launch that will help as the NBA season starts?
We have shared many best practices on marketing, product marketing, and all product enhancements and innovations that we learned throughout our first season with the NFL. The Orlando Magic are very forward thinking when it comes to using data to better understand their fans, so integrating their existing data with ours, will result in better and more accurate insights to take action on. We’re going further in the gamification and loyalty elements with the Magic, as they can offer their fans tickets with additional benefits that are truly new experiences they can exchange tickets for, or they can early ‘Magic Money’ to pay for experiences in the venue on game night.
What are some of the methods you use to get fans to download the app?
The fans/guests/users of the in-venue apps that we develop are consumers of our customer’s experiences so to speak, so we work consult with the San Francisco 49ers and the Orlando Magic on best practices in the areas of product marketing and in venue marketing. Within the Levi’s Stadium app, users receive push notifications that are geo-targeted and use case based, and Levi’s Stadium uses email marketing, signage in the stadium and sometimes flyers in seats to drive awareness for certain functionality. There are whole host of tactics that can be used and integrated into the existing external marketing platform the venue has.
Going forward, I am wondering what you can share about your growth strategy. Do you continue to do one or two sports stadiums/venues a year or do you hope to eventually partner with several at a time?
VenueNext is a technology company on a mission to transform the way people around the world experience venues. Since our launch in September of 2014, we have had an overwhelming response to our technology platform. We believe the market is ready for what we are offering and can scale from live sporting and entertainment event locations to hotels, transit centers, healthcare institutions and theme parks. Although we have only announced two venues, we have plans to be in thirty by the end of 2015.
To that point, is the long-term goal to have an app in every NBA/NFL stadium? Do you hope to branch into MLB and NHL as well?
Our goal is to extend our early leadership and foothold in sports, not just NFL and NBA and expand into other vertical markets including entertainment, hospitality, healthcare and transportation.
You mentioned in an earlier story that you hope to add social media elements, does this launch with the Magic incorporate that yet?
Not yet. Watch this space. We’ll let you know when we’ve completed the work.