Connected events: How Wi-Fi technology can improve the fan experience?
Whether you attend a sporting event, a concert or a trade show, you expect to live a unique experience. And, to do this, what better than to be an actor in this event and to act live by sharing your impressions on your favorite social networks? This enhanced experience is a reality in connected stadiums and events.
“The stadium of tomorrow is a stadium where technology is an integral part of the event.”
Duc Phan, Product & Strategy Director at UCOPIA.
But what are the concrete applications of a connected stadium for the visitor? How does the digitization of stadiums make it possible to meet the requirements of spectators, who are increasingly connected and active? And what do we really call a connected event?
Before the connected event: Simplify the customer’s entry into the premises.
Visitors arrive at the stadium and need to consult the map of the venue to find the sensitive points: drinks, snacks, shops, or to be guided directly to their seat. In today’s connected stadium, organizers can now view an interactive menu in the connected equipment browser. The information is therefore available throughout the user’s navigation, regardless of the page visited. The spectator experience begins even before the start of the event. He is immediately immersed in the place and in the atmosphere and accesses all the services available effortlessly, from his telephone and his place.
During the connected event : Amplify the user experience by creating sensation.
During the event, spectators want to share their experience on social networks and relive the highlights of the event in replay, from new angles to experience the action up close – all essential features according to 30% of spectators.
Half-time itself extends the connected experience by reducing waiting times at refreshment bars and snack bars thanks to online ordering systems, allowing spectators to consult the menu and make their choice from their seat.
So much time available for the organizer to interact with his audience in real time via targeted marketing operations such as tweet contests or online quizzes. This digitization of stadiums also represents an opportunity for sponsorship, an essential issue for all 2.0 stadiums, allowing more space to be offered to sponsor brands for even more visibility!
After the connected event : Start a personal chat.
Even before leaving the enclosure, the organizer has the possibility of maximizing the loyalty of the spectator by communicating information on the events to come. Videos of future concerts, advertising banners offering a promotion on subscriptions are all ways to guarantee the return of the audience and a high fill rate.
Digitization also allows the connected stadium to extend its area of impact, to get to know its audience better and to reach them, long after they have left the place! Indeed, the new captive portal technologies through which the user connects allow the collection of data on the latter (user profile, email address, etc.) and make very targeted retargeting marketing strategies possible. Spectators can thus receive personalized offers once they leave the stadium.
