A Success Story where technologies were incorporated to increase the experience of sports fans.
by Anixter
What do the fans want? In a world of 4K Ultra HD TVs and ever-growing home comforts, event venues face the challenge of getting people out of their homes through doors to live events. One site looking for innovative ways to get more people in their seats was the new $1.4 billion multifunctional venue that would house an NFL team and a professional football club. The venue will also host a variety of events throughout the year, including concerts and NCAA (College League) football games.
Among the reasons why attendance at the event is declining is simply that fans can watch the event from home and for a much lower price. Not only has this led venues to look for ways to create unique experiences that can't be replicated at home, but it has also led them to find solutions to the challenges of attending a live event, such as traffic and long bathroom lines, and incorporate more of the comforts and conveniences of home into the venue.
Driven by demand and the expectation to improve fan experiences, and by the potential revenue that analytics have shown such experiences can generate, the end user wanted to incorporate cutting-edge technologies that appeal to fans, including Wi-Fi and cellular networks to keep them connected, an attractive audiovisual system and advanced security measures to provide a safe and pleasant environment.
A project of this size and scope is inherently challenging. However, it becomes even more complex when built in a busy urban environment with little space for staging and storage. In addition, cities impose strict safety, presentation and noise standards, which require more supervision and planning than would be necessary in a rural construction project. The stadium needed a partner who not only understood and had experience with these challenges, but could also ensure that the project complied with the regulations imposed by the city.
Building the stadium of the future
After initial discussions about the project, the local Anixter team began to build relationships with local engineering teams and learned the logistics landscape of the area, so that when the project was awarded, they were ready to start working. Anixter worked together with the IT general contractor to win the project by offering an all-inclusive fiber-based solution that offered time and cost savings. Anixter's ability to supply the complete bill of materials allowed the contractor to provide a single-source solution with advanced supply chain capabilities, putting them ahead of the competition.
Anixter leveraged its vendor relationships with the source products to build a network proof of concept that would simulate the stadium environment to demonstrate to the customer how the solution would work. In addition, Anixter provided recommendations for wireless contractors in the area to test the design and made product and infrastructure recommendations to help the stadium achieve LEED certification.
With products from manufacturers in the industry, Anixter supplied the complete infrastructure and connectivity network materials for the stadium, including:
• Fiber network, passive optical LAN equipment hardware, cable, racks and cabinets
• DAS/Wi-Fi hardware, antennas and infrastructure
• Security cameras, video surveillance system and video storage system that are critical for the safety of fans and staff.
• Point of sale systems for stores and concessions, the stadium's main source of income.
• A/V wiring and connectivity to give fans the best video and sound quality available
As logistics was key to the success of this project, Anixter provided a project coordinator to be an inventory manager and logistics liaison between the IT contractor and numerous subcontractors.
Being in the middle of a big city, there was no storage in the workplace, so Anixter organized and managed the inventory outside his local warehouse to feed the work. With such a large volume of material – 900 different products – delivered to the workplace, it would be easy to lose or misplace the material, so it would delay construction and accrue costs as the group of installers waits to find or reorder the items.
Anixter provided kits, labeling, serial number capture and regular product reports to simplify installation, track material and ensure it would be delivered to its intended location within the stadium. These efforts, along with maintaining open communication with all parties involved, helped ensure a successful deployment and kept the project going.
Delivering an immersive fan experience
The stadium was completed as scheduled, just in time for the start of the NFL season. With advanced networking capabilities, a state-of-the-art audio/video system, and even an app that can tell fans the fastest transit routes and where the shortest bathroom queues and concessions are located, the stadium offers an enhanced fan experience that gets people out of their homes.
These technologies are having a positive impact on revenue streams and profitability from sales, marketing, advertising and more. The new stadium saw a 3 percent increase in average attendance over the previous year at the old stadium.
By partnering with Anixter, the contractor saved time and costs associated with sourcing, inventory management, and logistics. Anixter provided invaluable value to the contractor by recommending and procuring products for the various applications and obtaining samples for the network proof of concept.
Anixter also helped with research into what local resources were available to help manage the fan data traffic that comes from each game. In addition, he introduced the contractor to the local police department to ensure they could seamlessly integrate their security system into the stadium system.
Project Information
Customer
Large multipurpose sports complex and entertainment complex.
Challenge
Improve event attendance by improving the fan experience through the construction of a state-of-the-art stadium
Solutions
• fiber network
• Distributed Antenna System (DAS) / Wi-Fi
• Video surveillance system integrated with the local police department.
• POS system
• Professional A/V
• Supply Chain Solutions
- Anixter Inventory Management Solutions
- scaffolding
- Kitting
- Labelling
- serial number capture
- Product report
Results
• Time and cost savings.
• Smooth implementation
• Single source solution
• Increased safety and security
• Increased fan engagement
• Robust infrastructure to support future technologies.
• Three percent increase in average care
