SXSWorld
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5 4 S X S W o r l d | M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 5 | S X S W. C O M iven our society's deep and abiding dependence on them to run just about every aspect of our lives, it may be hard to believe that humans ever existed without cell phones. In those days of the seemingly distant past, when you would go to a sporting event, you couldn't check other scores, watch highlights of other games, or communicate with anyone who wasn't in the sta- dium. Instead, it was just you and the game. Go to a Portland Timbers' MLS match, and you would be for- given for having flashbacks, or maybe even think you were in a time machine. The Timbers play at Providence Park, a stadium that was built in 1926, and the club strives above all else to create a game- day experience that the team's owner, Merritt Paulson, calls "the most authentic, electric game atmosphere that you're going to see stateside." "Our in-game experience is not a technology story," Paulson says. "We use it when we believe it helps; we don't do things for the sake of technology." Providence Park does not have an in-stadium Wi-Fi connection. You can still get Internet access through your basic 3G, of course, but that's all. Paulson said the team will consider upgrading if fans start really pushing for it, but that hasn't happened just yet. The Timbers also do not offer in- seat food ordering. Instead, have to go to the concession stand and get your beer and food yourself. The team is also one of the few professional sports teams these days that doesn't have an app that constantly inundates fans with updates, offers, scores and video. The reason for this throwback atmosphere is not that the club is anti-technology (the club has a fervent social media presence), but rather that the Timbers want to create that special "in the moment" fan experience. And the strategy seems to be working exactly as intended, considering Portland has one of the loudest and most engaged fan base in the MLS. "Our supporters are on their feet, chanting the entire duration of the game. Really, thirty minutes before it," Paulson enthuses. On the other end of the MLS technological spectrum however, sits Sporting Kansas City, which has been pushing various innovations to a fan base that is just as active and engaged as Portland's. "Whether you like it or not, fans are going to engage. They're going to spend time on their phone," Robb Heineman, the team's CEO, explains. "Our average season ticket holder is 29 years old," Heineman con- tinues. "In order to accommodate them the best possible way, what we try to do is make every fan feel as though the experience is very customized, and that we care about them quite a bit. "We were the first stadium in the world to introduce high-density Wi-Fi for all of our fans. There's about 200 access points around the stadium that allow everyone inside to stream live video simul- taneously. Not only that, but Sporting KC uses all the information gathered from that Wi-Fi access to build the optimal customer expe- rience for each and every person in the stadium." The team collects up to 60 different data points about nearly every customer that walks into the stadium with a smartphone, including what average time they arrive to matches, and what they order at concession stands. "I'd say about 70 percent of the phones that walk into the stadium are smart phones,: says Heineman. "And [the infor- mation gathered] allows us to provide a pretty rich experience with the apps that we provide, and also through location-based services and beacons that allow advertising that's customized to the fan." In this way, Sporting KC's use of technology is similar to that of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, who even in a league that is very heav y on techno- logical engagement, stand out in relation to the rest. In keeping with the background of the team's owner, Vivek Ranadive, founder of tech compa- nies Tenekron Corp. and TIBCO, the Kings are at the forefront of arena tech- nology and have even more ambitious plans for its new downtown arena, expected to open in October 2016. "By providing the right information at the right time, we plan to elevate the fan experience to new heights. Through arena sensors, beacons, and a high-density network, fans will push data – through an opt-in network – to our arena's digital command center," Ryan Montoya, the team's Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Technology says. "There, data will be analyzed in real-time and information will be distributed back to fans. All of this means access to shorter food and beverage lines, unique video feeds and in-game statistics and analysis." The Kings have been quiet about the specific technology upgrades for their new arena, but their Experience Center (XC) is providing fans with a futuristic preview. "Our augmented reality system fea- tures 3D renderings of the ESC (Entertainment & Sports Center), including multi-angle views," Montoya explains. "We also have a vir- tual reality headset so visitors can take a 360 [degree] tour of the plaza and be transported to center court where they're greeted by Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. What's more, the XC overlooks the ESC so visitors can witness the construction's progress." Whether engaging fans through apps or other ways that cus- tomize individual experiences, franchises are emphasizing enhanced arena technology. Yet, their challenge is still to make sure that fans are engaged with the action on the field or court, because that part of the classic sporting experience will never become outdated. Sports Execs Debate How Tech Impacts the Stadium Experience by JaRed dubin G M e rri t t Pa ul s o n ( L) a n d Ro b b H ei n e m a n a t SX s p o r t s R I C H A R D M C B L A N E / G E T T Y I M A G E S