In March, SportTechie partnered with Oracle Hospitality to execute and host The Future of Sports Venues, an exclusive, invite-only event which brought together industry leaders for panel discussions, presentations, and networking. The discussions and presentations focused on technologies that impact food and beverage delivery, the use of artificial intelligence to interact with fans, and the new in-game experiences that fans have come to expect.
Representatives from Delaware North, WaitTime, and Oracle Hospitality discussed in-seat ordering and lost revenue when fans, intent on spending money at concessions, return to their seats because of long lines. The panelists shared methods for improving fan movement through venues so as to decrease congestion, including technologies designed to track and direct movement, as well as the use of “lockers” where fans can easily pick up food ordered from their seats.
When the topic shifted to fan in-game experiences, representatives from Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, Madison Square Garden, the New York Red Bulls, and the New Jersey Devils shared ideas on the best practices for determining the most important question: what does our customer want? The panelists touched on the merits of focus group studies to learn about fan behavior, the use of curated music during games, and modified season ticket plans to broaden reach.
Guests and panelists enjoyed a presentation from Satisfi Labs about the use of artificial intelligence and virtual assistants to learn about fan behavior and rapidly respond to feedback.
The event closed with a one-on-one chat between SportTechie’s Managing Editor, Diamond Leung, and Zach Leonsis, Vice President and General Manager, Monumental Network at Monumental Sports and Entertainment.
_____________________________________
List of panelists and presenters:
Daniel Cherry III, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer @ Prudential Center & New Jersey Devils
Dale Driscoll, Global Segment Leader, Sports and Entertainment @ Oracle Hospitality
Zach Leonsis, Vice President & General Manager, Monumental Network at Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Randy Lewis, Vice President of Business Strategy & Analytics @ Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment
Zachary Klima, Founder and CEO @ WaitTime
Todd Merry, CMO @ Delaware North
Shaun Oliver, Vice President of Operations @ New York Red Bulls
Jordan Solomon, Executive Vice President @ Madison Square Garden Sports
Don White, CEO of Satisfi Labs