Stadiums and arenas have become so much more than theaters for thrilling sporting events. They are second homes to some fans, changing the concept of the sport venue dramatically within the past five years. Nick Sizer, head of mixed-use sales and strategy, Klutch Sports Group, moderated the “More Than a Game: Sports Venues as Culture Hubs” panel with Orlando Baeza, VP, brand and creative, Chime; Lindsey Dudzinski, VP business development and strategy, Milwaukee Bucks; Sarah Meron, chief communications and brand officer, IBM; and Brian Rappaport, CEO, Quan Media Group, that dove into trends that are changing the sports venue landscape.

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As Meron said right from the start, clients are human beings, and human beings have passion points. Many times, those passion points involve sports. One way to engage those fans, said Rappaport, is to meet people where they are heading before they get there. He pointed to Madison Square Garden, whose digital-out-of-home strategy has always been years ahead of everyone else. Newer stadiums, like SoFi Stadium and other Los Angeles venues, have taken the lead with digital billboards showing up ahead of the stadium on people’s journeys, taking advantage of cultural key moments.

“The venue isn’t enough anymore,” Dudzinski agreed. She told of the LED stair signage the Bucks brought to Fiserv Forum. The Bucks are the first to install StairMedia technology, transforming stairways into animated vertical billboards and bringing a 40% revenue lift to its partners.

Meron mentioned how IBM uses data visualization to bring experiences from inside the arena to your couch. IBM plans to enable users to pilot their way through the fan experience. This is where AI comes into play, allowing IBM to do things that were never before possible and do it at scale.

Contextual advertising, said Baeza, is a way to unlock the value outside the venue, where he feels more of the value lies. Fan engagement is one way to harness that. He pointed to a Cooper Flagg and Dallas Mavericks campaign that Chime developed. Flagg, a multimillionaire rising star, has money, but being so young, has no credit. Flagg shows the everyday fan that he is in it with them, which leads to activations of Chime’s financial services. Chime also has a lounge inside American Airlines Arena, and the only way in is with a Chime account, leading to increased engagement, but, more importantly, activations.

As Rappaport said, the key to keeping fans engaged and revenue flowing “is less about extracting value but creating it.” Fans still want to be connected; they want to be in the stadium, but it has become an expensive venture. Technology unleashes the ability to connect from outside the venue and even from the comfort of home, while creating future fandom and opportunities.

Improving what began back in 2019, TD Garden is upgrading its video experience to a larger size with the first and only 2.5mm pixel spacing in a centerhung application from Daktronics of Brookings, SD. The installation provides more than 4K resolution, currently the highest resolution in professional basketball and hockey, according to the company. Altogether, the centerhung provides 48.6 million pixels and it would take 24 60-inch televisions to cover the four main video displays.

The improvement to the centerhung takes the 2.5mm technology installed in 2019 and expands the digital footprint of all four displays to measure 18 feet high by 32.5 feet wide. Four new underbelly video displays were also added to the centerhung configuration to cater to fans sitting closer to the action. Each underbelly display measures 6.5 feet high by 23 feet wide and features 2.9mm pixel spacing.

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Above the 4K video boards, two new ring displays were installed on their own hoist system to allow them to be raised and lowered for the needs of the many events held at the venue. These displays each measure 3.5 feet high 179 feet in circumference and feature 3.9mm pixel spacing.

Supporting the load, two hoist systems are installed to hold the centerhung display configuration in place. The upper rings are on one hoist system and the main video and underbelly displays are on a separate hoist system. Altogether, the system weighs nearly 82,000 pounds and can be raised and lowered separately based on the needs of TD Garden and the events they host. 

[ Flexibility at Forefront as Stadiums, Arenas Welcome Back Fans ]

The main video displays are capable of variable content zoning allowing each to show one large image or multiple different zones. These zones can show any combination of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics, animations and sponsorship messages in coordination with their live game-day production.

"We started this transition back in 2019, so to see this new center-hung finally completed, as originally intended, is just extra special," said Daktronics sales rep Charley Bocklet. "Patience and perseverance will finally pay off for the fans of Boston."

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With the pandemic changing the way spectators engage with in-person events, and venues wanting a continued return to in-person attendance, integrators have been working closely with stadiums and arenas across the country on technology integration that increases interactivity, making spectators a more active part of the overall experience.

“After a year’s absence from sporting venues, fans are coming back in droves. But to keep them back, we’ve learned we have to create really remarkable experiences that engage fans,” said George Linardos, chief executive officer for event AV service provider ANC. “Whether it’s interactive elements, elements that drive ROI, or elements that help our clients provide 365-day use both inside and outside the venue, we’re getting requests for all of it. It’s not just about static scoreboards anymore.”

Moving away from one-way events, venues want to harness the energy and emotions of the crowd to help shape the competitive landscape. Rodrigo Ordonez, principal at AV consulting firm K2, said, “Fans have always used their noise level to influence a game. A few years ago, stadiums started using technology in the way of microphones, processing, and graphics on the big screens to show a live indicator of the current noise level generated by the audience. This is just a simple thing, but it distinguishes the stadium experience from the remote experience.”

With more people currently watching live events on television screens than in person, venues have to make the case that the in-person experience is worth getting off your couch or leaving your favorite sports bar for. “The AV experience can contribute greatly to that,” Ordonez said.

With this in mind, many venues are choosing to invest in stadium-wide integrated control and immersive sound. Depending on the event, these systems can provide concert-quality sound with low-frequency impact or ensure the back-of-house patrons experience the event no differently than those in the front row.

Chris Sullivan, vice president of business development at sports and live events company Diversified, said, “These days, loudspeaker systems from the touring side of the industry are more frequently in consideration than more traditional installed sound products.” These products offer venues increased flexibility and more inclusive capabilities.

A Feast for the Eyes

Digital signage technology is also advancing rapidly in the marketplace and changing the possibilities for interaction. Chris Mascatello, executive vice president at ANC, said, “We’re seeing ultra-fine-pitch LED, thin LED, and highly flexible LED, so we’re able to design and deliver custom creative solutions like the Power Portal at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. We’re also really excited to help bring the first and only fully transparent media glass to the United States, GLAAM Media Glass, which will really revolutionize sports façades for a much more interactive, engaging experience.”

Mascatello says clear glass façades built with GLAAM Media Glass can be controlled by a user’s smartphone, enabling interactivity on art pieces as expansive as the one installed on the exterior of a New York high rise. Mobile interactivity provides each spectator with the opportunity for a unique event experience while also limiting physical touch points throughout the venue, and Mascatello believes it will be deployed more frequently in the coming years.

Networked Experiences

Unified IPTV systems offer a means of interacting with fans at every stage of the event experience. Implemented over a converged network, information about parking, seating, concessions, weather, safety, and traffic can easily be shared using in-venue digital signage including wayfinding and menu displays. The system also provides a unique opportunity to share sports news and updates, including in-game and out-of-game scoring, statistics, standings, and replay. This level of interaction encourages attendees to view the venue as not only a place to experience live sports, but as the go-to location for fan engagement.

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Venues are converting to SMPTE ST 2110, a suite of standards that specifies transmission of audio and video over IP for real-time production, playout, and other professional media applications. SMPTE ST 2110 allows venues to manage their digital assets, including audio, video, and data, over an IP network, helping to control quality and offer increased flexibility.

Sullivan commented, “Most new builds are embracing the new standard. While some retrofits are moving to IP, others are staying baseband. There is no right or wrong decision and many factors go into it, including budget and long-term plans for the facility.” Diversified built and integrated one of the first video control rooms with an all-IP video infrastructure at the Chase Center, the new home of the Golden State Warriors, and the arena’s audio and video has benefited greatly from the SMPTE ST 2110 standards suite for live production bandwidth.

Revolutionizing the Sportsbook

In a May 2018 decision, the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting. With the launch of the first in-venue sportsbook in 2020 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and with many states recently changing legislation or with bills pending, venues are looking for ways to include sports betting as part of the overall venue experience. Linardos said, “We’re working with a lot of clients on premium sports bar spaces, ensuring they can easily transition to sportsbook-type experiences when the time comes. From an AV perspective, that involves the latest technology for crisp, detailed viewing of stats, integration of content management aligned with the sports betting programs, and also creating a luxury feel akin to a Vegas-type experience.”

Venues are looking to integrators to help reimagine the fan experience in these and other premium spaces to help them compete with the comforts of the at-home TV experience. “We’re getting really creative in our content integration services to create interactive and memorable experiences for the spaces we’re designing,” said Mascatello.

Creativity on a Budget

With venues dealing with tight technology budgets, K2’s Ordonez says cost is still the greatest limiting factor for technology integration within venues. Many are unable to find a satisfactory balance between what they want and what they can afford to install to increase engagement. Those who blow the budget on the large physical components of their AV networks, including loudspeakers and video displays, find they are left with very little to put toward creative.

“The main need we see is for creative options to add points of engagement within the budgets of our clients. For example, for school stadium/arena environments, there is a big need to provide a better experience for viewers at home who are streaming the events. But again, budgets are limited,” said Ordonez.

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Diversified’s Sullivan noted that infrastructure upgrades (both data and broadcast) need to be prioritized by venues in order to support these new systems. Delaying the upgrade of underlying systems will only cause a hold-up when they want to install a new AV technology.

On the other hand, ANC is finding that its clients have an appetite for bigger and better, hoping to set themselves apart by deploying unique and engaging center-hung scoreboards. “Unique configurations, ultra-high definition, and content management integration are really helping us to create highly custom experiences depending on client desires,” said Mascatello.

Ordonez finds it particularly exciting that advancements at the larger venues are slowly trickling down to smaller ones as the technology becomes more affordable, encouraging all venues to look at technology as an integral part of the experience rather than just a luxury. “The larger venues used by the large professional leagues will of course always drive the technology developments, but smaller venues are finding creative ways to use AV to provide a more intimate fan experience. We see this in some of the high school stadiums and arenas where the client’s requests are not only driven by intelligibility, but by maximizing the fan experience,” said Ordonez.

Click here to read more stories from the October 2021 issue of SCN.

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Held in Cologne, Germany, the Final Four of the EuroLeague, the top-tier European professional basketball club competition, deployed a number of LED displays with show control by the new Christie Pandoras Box Version 8 with video processing by Christie Spyder X80.

Spanish company Laser AV was commissioned with the integration and technical execution of the AV for the event held at Lanxess Arena, which included live broadcasting, signal distribution throughout the stadium, signal management of the screens, and signal relay via fiber optic.

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The centerpiece of the installation was an LED video wall measuring 44 x 3.5 meters (144 x 11.5 feet) made up of 640 panels with a pixel pitch of 2.97mm, giving a total resolution of 14,784x1176 pixels.

Laser AV installed a 6 x 3.5 meter (19.7 x 11.5 feet) LED display, which was suspended in front of the massive video wall while the scoreboard was a LED cube with each face measuring 6 x 3 meters (19.7 x 9.8 feet) with a resolution of 1536x768 per side. The company also installed 50 LCD monitors, ranging between 43 and 80 inches, throughout the stadium including changing rooms and the press room.

In addition, the Lanxess Arena had a media cube, hung above the scoreboard, comprised of four 8 x 4.5 meter (26 x 14.8 feet) screens with a resolution of 1920x1080, and a fascia LED screen with a resolution of 3840x2160 that lined the whole perimeter of the stadium.

To control the displays, Laser AV employed 12 Software Licenses, four Pandoras Box Servers, two Widget Designer Pro, and a Christie Spyder X80 multi-window processor.

It was the Spyder X80 that, in the words of Unai Sánchez, chief technical engineer at Laser AV, was “the heart of the installation,” from which the Pandoras Box Servers as well as the Zoom and broadcast signals were managed and integrated. “We chose the Spyder X80 for this event because we had to manage lots of screens simultaneously and to visualize all the inputs easily and securely,” Sánchez explained.

He went on to add that: “In an event of this kind, it is absolutely essential to be able to configure such an extensive canvas with virtually no restrictions, and that is precisely what the Spyder X80 lets you do. To give you an idea, for the 44-meter screen we only needed to use two 7392x1176 outputs, and the same goes for the server inputs. That meant we had more available inputs and outputs, and we were able to manage the whole event simply and with perfect adjustment. The performance of the Spyder X80 was flawless, and gave us the stability, flexibility, and security we were looking for.”

Regarding Pandoras Box, Sánchez said, “Given that it was a sporting event, you couldn’t program a fixed timeline. The client programmed events that varied depending on the quarter and on down times. Thanks to the conditional programming, we were able to configure actions that depended on variables that we could resolve in real time. Pandoras Box Version 8 conditional programming makes even the most complicated events much easier.”

This was the first time that the Laser AV team had used the new Pandoras Box Version 8. “We have been using Pandoras Box for over ten years now and I can safely say that this is the most powerful version yet and the one with the most features,” Sánchez said. “And, as always, its best virtues are its reliability and flexibility.

“The possibility of using virtual cameras is amazing. You can create a composition anywhere on the canvas and integrate it as an extra layer in another more complex composition.”

Sánchez also had positive things to say about other features of Pandoras Box Version 8: “It allows any CPU to have unlimited layers, as well as a total 3D environment, ingestion of files over 4K, and unprecedented, improved performance. The Laser AV team tested how many videos with a 14784x1176 (25fps hap) resolution you could run and the surprise was that we were able to have 10 videos playing at once, which was impossible with Version 6. In short, it has no limits in terms of resolution and number of layers. With regard to workflow, it is still as intuitive and flexible as ever, but it has eliminated license restrictions. To be honest, we weren’t able to spot any flaws or shortcomings.”

UPMC Cooper Field House is the home arena for most of Duquesne University’s major sports teams, including their NCAA Division I Basketball team, the Duquesne Dukes. During a recent renovation of the facility, Daktronics installed a Fulcrum Acoustic-based system to deliver the high impact sound that Duquesne was seeking.

Duquesne required a full range, high output sound system to maximize excitement during their sporting events, and strict pattern control was needed to maintain speech intelligibility and clarity of music.

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To meet these demands, Daktronics mounted Fulcrum Acoustic’s FH15 Full Range Coaxial Horns in a center cluster above the court. Four FH1596s were selected for their 90-degree by 60-degree pattern to cover the lower-tier seating, while narrower-coverage FH1565s cover the upper seats. A fifth FH1596 faces straight down to cover the court. The FH’s extended directional control keeps the sound focused on spectators while minimizing reflections, thus improving intelligibility and overall clarity.

Four of Fulcrum’s Sub218L Subwoofers are suspended from the ceiling in a vertical array providing wide low-frequency dispersion with vertical control. “The fidelity and output of the Sub218L is perfect for the exciting bass that fans are looking for,” said installer John Carlson. “The fans eyes light up when they hear that bass. Even at lower sound levels, the system maintains a full, clean sound.”

Seven CCX1295s provide supplemental coverage for seats shaded from the center cluster by the overhang from the upper seating deck. Fulcrum’s patented Passive Cardioid Technology enables CCX12 loudspeakers to provide high-output coverage without energizing reflective surfaces and degrading clarity.

Adjacent to the main arena is Duquesne’s practice gymnasium. Four GX1526s provide coverage for the entire gym. “As an installer, I like how easily the entire system comes together,” Carlson said. “I appreciate that they use the NL4 to just click and lock. I can utilize subcontractors who aren’t familiar with audio because these products are so installation friendly.”

Phoenix Suns Arena recently upgraded its audio with a new L-Acoustics Kara II loudspeaker system, installed in time for the 2021 NBA season, which began with a Suns win over the Dallas Mavericks on December 23, 2020.

Designed by AV consultants at WJHW and installed by Pro Sound & Video, a Solotech company, the new Kara II system is part of the $230 million Project 201: PHX Reimagined, designed to convert the nearly 30-year-old arena into a state-of-the-art sports entertainment venue for Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury fans.

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According to Pro Sound & Video, the arena’s management specifically requested an L-Acoustics PA system as part of the ongoing and extensive venue renovation, including new distributed sound systems for the arena’s concourses and back-of-house areas. “The venue’s management has had positive experiences with L-Acoustics in other locations in the past, and the brand has become widely accepted by NBA arenas,” Pro Sound said.

The integrator pointed out that Kara II was chosen for its light weight and powerful output capability. “We had to stay within certain weight limits on the steel for this project, especially since the system is designed to be pulled up and out of the way, potentially, when touring shows come through with their own sound systems,” they explained. “We worked very closely with the structural engineers to make sure we were well within the weight limits. At the same time, this is a large venue (Phoenix Suns Arena has a seating capacity of over 18,000) and the sound needs to cover the entire seating area and court. Kara II is not only compact and lightweight, but it also has a lot of power for its size. And it offers a lot of sonic transparency as well.”

With the number of fans in attendance still being strictly limited per current safety protocols, acoustical reflection and reverberation issues from empty seating areas are a potential concern. “Thankfully, Kara II has a tight dispersion directivity and high degree of speech intelligibility,” Pro Sound added. “Those have become more and more important in sports venue sound designs and are reasons why L-Acoustics is seen in more arenas and stadiums.”

Phoenix Suns director of engineering and AV technology Gary Gillespie agreed, citing hearing L-Acoustics systems installed at the NFL Arizona Cardinals State Farm Stadium and NHL Arizona Coyotes Gila River Arena in nearby Glendale. “I’m also a live-sound mixer, so I’ve had a lot of experience with L-Acoustics, and I’m a fan of their sound,” he said. “But our team leadership also highly values the intelligibility that Kara II brings to speech in the arena and the fact that L-Acoustics WST systems never cause ear fatigue for the fans. It’s just a great-sounding system.”

The arena’s new system comprises six arrays of 14 Kara II enclosures for a total of 84 Kara II, plus a hang of four SB18i subwoofers flown in a cardioid configuration directly behind each Kara II array. In addition, there are 28 short-throw X12 coaxials deployed as a delay ring. All of these are powered by 43 LA4X amplified controllers—36 for the main PA and seven for the delays—providing over 170 channels of amplification. Furthermore, a single LA12X powers eight A10 loudspeakers positioned underneath the center-mounted scoreboard serving as court fills. Self-powered, coaxial 108P monitors are also installed in the new media editing suite to replicate the response of the Kara II main bowl system for accurate media reproduction.

The design of the Phoenix Suns’ new sound system originally called for eight hangs of Kara. However, this was changed to accommodate revised weight-load requirements for touring systems. With last year’s addition of Panflex to the original Kara loudspeaker model, providing four-in-one directivity, Kara II was a “game-changer” for the Suns. Now, one box could cover any audience geometry and offer consistent coverage and SPL distribution with precise focus in four different directivity patterns: 70 degrees or 110 degrees symmetrical and 90 degrees asymmetrical, focusing directivity to either the left or right. In its 70-degree configuration, Kara II packs a full 2dB more than in 110 degrees. That prompted design changes that allowed just six arrays to fulfill the coverage requirements of the bowl without having to alter the product specification from Kara II.

L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D modeling software was used to execute the system design and all revisions quickly and accurately. This particular revision provided the venue with 28 additional Kara II from the original order that Gillespie and the Phoenix Suns management team decided would serve as onsite production inventory and be used as a flexible multi-use, in-house special-events production audio system.

Anyone in arena management knows to “expect the unexpected.” As fate would have it, those extra Kara II enclosures came in very handy almost immediately after the NBA directed their teams to implement their own enhanced crowd-noise systems for the current season. The additional inventory, plus eight more enclosures rented from the local shop of Clearwing Productions, now make up six hangs of six Kara II and are dedicated to the virtual crowd-noise system developed by Firehouse Productions for the NBA’s Orlando “bubble” last season, now in place at most NBA venues.

“Kara II’s Panflex update provided us with the extra speakers we needed for the crowd-noise system at exactly the right time,” he said. “We began to see ROI right away on what we had thought would be extra inventory, and it turned a frown upside-down. And with up to 3,000 fans allowed inside now, the system truly makes it sound like a full house. L-Acoustics, Pro Sound & Video, and WJHW really partnered with us to create a greatly enhanced experience for both the fans and the players.”

The frenzy of a touchdown. The magic of the “wave” in a packed arena. The sounds and sights of sports stadiums are as integral to the fan experience as the games themselves. Would a World Cup goal be as compelling without the roar of the crowd, the jubilation of fans, or the sighs of the crestfallen?

COVID-19 has disrupted just about every aspect of life, and its impact on the sports world has been equally notable. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis—every team and league has its own opinions about fan attendance during the pandemic. Some teams are living in isolated “bubbles.” The Chicago Bears football team will begin the 2020 season without fans in the stands. Other NFL teams, like the Houston Texans, will allow fans in their stadium at a limited capacity, with new social distancing and safety measures in place. Most teams are keeping the matter open, with the possibility of visitors taking their seats at live games when it’s deemed appropriate.

Safety is still a paramount concern; more than 193,000 Americans have been lost to COVID-19 as of September 2020. But to help beloved sports leagues weather the financial fallout, the sports shows must go on. Technologists and broadcasters are turning to artificial crowd noise, virtual fan walls, remote attendees, interactive software, and creative audiovisual solutions to keep the athletes’ morale up and fan excitement high.

Bring in the Noise

Bob Becker, executive vice president of productions at Van Wagner, knows his way around a baseball diamond. The Van Wagner company has been connecting brands to sports for more than 20 years, offering a range of services across the sports landscape: TV-visible signage, stadium construction and development, collegiate multimedia rights, video production, and other key aspects of the sports industry.

The way Becker sees it, AV professionals who service sport facilities must remain flexible. The variables of the COVID-19 crisis are pausing certain projects while ramping up demand for others. “When basketball and hockey started again, it opened a new model in the game presentation world because games would be played with no fans in the stadiums,” Becker explained. “That had never been done before.”

Becker quickly realized that fan engagement—crowd noise, cheers, jeers, laughter, riotous applause—was critical to the game experience. Not only does crowd noise amp up suspense and enthusiasm, it is crucial for the athletes. “The NHL and NBA—and most leagues are picking up on this now—realized that there was a void for the players and the fans watching at home,” said Becker. “It’s one thing to play in an empty arena or an empty stadium and not see fans, but it’s different thing to not hear them at all, not to feel them—not feel the crowd’s energy.”

Interactivity is Key

There have been various technological advancements that enable virtual fan engagement and mixing the ambient noises of a venue with remote sounds. Some digital signage boards located in broadcast rooms or placed by the competition surface bring in window tiles of fans and their real-time reactions. This dynamic method helps the players feel connected to the fans. It helps the viewer at home, too, because of the vital real-time experience.

Security

With interactivity comes vulnerability, however … like the rampant “Zoom bombings” that upended school districts at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why sports teams who use virtual crowd noise and interactive platforms are locking down security and, very often, using live moderators.

“There’s a moderator for the video side and there’s a moderator for the audio side of the experience to avoid any content you would not want seen on the screens or heard on the P.A. system,” Becker explained.

Optimizing Current AV

Arenas and stadiums across the country are evolving to promote social-distance guidelines and accommodate the mix of on-site and remote fans. Many venues are looking for new ways to optimize the core elements of their installed AV and game-presentation systems. “It’s not just audio but the graphics as well,” Becker said. “The ribbon boards are so important. If a player hits a home run, you better light up that stadium. A home run still needs flashing lights.”  

Another creative challenge: How can systems originally designed for live fan engagement, such as the “kiss cam,” be adapted to meet the needs of today’s hybrid sports lovers?

Digital Signage

While some digital signage specialists have paused their stadium install projects, there are many venues currently specifying large-scale video boards and software solutions for 2021.

Becker is optimistic. “There are so many visionaries out there,” he said, “people who know that we are going to get to the other side of this [pandemic], and when we do, we want to be truly ready.”

Solutions, like Hypersign’s The Arena, are helping to bridge the gaps between soft-codec conferencing and broadcast. The Arena Fanwall consists of LED video walls positioned in the stands that broadcast life-size images of remote fans cheering and participating in the event. It offers integrated one-way broadcasts to streaming services including Akamai, Facebook Live, Twitch, YouTube Live, Ustream, and Wowza for on-network services.

Tighter Collaboration with Broadcasters

Sports AV specialists have long worked side by side with broadcasters and the networks, but the pandemic is requiring closer collaboration.

“Typically, game presentation and broadcast go their own separate ways and eventually meet up together for a few moments at game time,” Becher said. “But even then we’re doing our own things for the 80,000 people who are out in the stadium, and they’re doing their own thing for the millions who are watching from home. But now we have to work in tandem with each other and let them know, ‘When you come back from break, we’re going to have this graphic on the board,’ or ‘We’re going to have this headshot of this hockey player who just scored the goal.’”

This is why Becker’s sees AV becoming even more important to the broadcast experience. Pro AV is helping people at home feel like the game is one cohesive entertainment package. “That’s what we’re seeing now—much more cooperation between those entities,” he said.

Step Up, Vendors

The pandemic has introduced new chances for AV vendors to innovate by delivering higher-quality, broadcast-driven video platforms for the sports ecosystem.

“I would love to see a more robust broadcast package or quality,” Becker said. “We’re doing more and more virtual presentations. For instance, when we did the NFL draft, it was virtual. In this kind of broadcast, it is based on finding somebody on Zoom or another type of platform and putting them on the broadcast. We need to find ways to do things remotely at much higher quality. We have to be prepared to continue to provide the same level of entertainment to the fans whether they’re at home or—God willing—in the stadium.”

Going forward, games should be shot with the best quality cameras and transmitted with the highest quality transmit devices. Anything that would typically be done for a broadcast or an in-stadium show should now be done for people watching on computer screens, phones, or tablets.

There is no excuse for poor quality just because it’s virtual.

Silver Lining for Sports AV Specialists

Becker is proud of his colleagues in the pro AV industry because “we’re figuring out new ways to provide the same level of game presentation and excitement that we’ve always had.”

Still, he confessed, it’s been hard. There’s been a lot of convincing to do. But showing your resilience, ability to pivot, and creativity will help companies grow. “The men and women in this industry have really taken to it and are doing a great job,” said Becker.

AV integrators, vendors, and broadcasters are learning new ways to work in sync to re-conceptualize fan engagement.

Daktronics has continued a partnership with Keeneland Association, Inc. to manufacture and install six new LED displays in Lexington, Kentucky. Five displays replaced existing signage with increased resolution, while a new display was added to the racetrack’s paddock area. The new technology will be on display when the Breeders’ Cup returns to Keeneland this fall.

Entertainment and sports venues are exploring the trends driving today’s hyper-connected consumer in an effort to enhance the fan experience during live events—something that will be paramount in the struggle to return to normalcy after this pandemic. Analysts report that the average consumer now walks around with at least three devices, and goes home to an environment that features close to a dozen screens to address various professional and personal needs. This constant connectivity has changed how people work, and is transforming how people consume all kinds of entertainment at home and on the go.

“Keeneland is once again proud to partner with North American-based Daktronics for our LED video upgrades,” said Keeneland director of broadcast services at G.D. Hieronymus. “The expertise, manufacturing, customer support and services provided by Daktronics are second-to-none and we know that our displays will provide years of world-class entertainment for our customers.”

The new main infield display now features a 15HD pixel layout, an increase in resolution from the 23-millimeter pixel layout display installed by Daktronics in 2006. It still measures approximately 19 feet high by 38.5 feet wide. The four displays flanking the main video board were each improved to 16-millimeter line spacings, again upgrading from the previous 23-millimeter technology. Each of these displays measures 9.5 feet high by 38.5 feet wide.

New to the internationally renowned racecourse is a display with 6-millimeter line spacing in the paddock area. It measures 3.5 feet high by 30 feet wide and is used to share current odds, race information and other details surrounding the upcoming race.

"We’ve been working with Keeneland for roughly two years to help bring this new vision to life for their venue and their visitors,” said Travis Borns, Daktronics project manager. “They’ve been using our ProStar technology for nearly 15 years, and it’s a great feeling to have this opportunity to bring new technology with a higher resolution to their beautiful racetrack. It’s going to have a great impact on their upcoming events and we’re looking forward to seeing it happen.”

The five infield displays combine to share live video as well as current odds and information for current and upcoming races. All six displays can also be used for other events held at the racetrack, for example, their horse sales.

Entertainment and sports venues are exploring the trends driving today’s hyper-connected consumer in an effort to enhance the fan experience during live events—something that will be paramount in the struggle to return to normalcy after this pandemic. Analysts report that the average consumer now walks around with at least three devices, and goes home to an environment that features close to a dozen screens to address various professional and personal needs. This constant connectivity has changed how people work, and is transforming how people consume all kinds of entertainment at home and on the go.

So, what does this mean for live sports and entertainment venues?

To explore this very issue, we caught up with Joe Walsh, vice president of sales with the Sports and Entertainment Division of VITEC and Seth Koch, sales engineer with Daktronics to get their insights into how these trends will affect the way venues connect and engage with today’s digital fan base.

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Q: As consumers continue to embrace new digital technologies, how have you seen AV technology in sports venues evolve over the past five years, and where do you see this technology heading for the next five years? 

Seth Koch: The demands of the sports venue market follow the demands of the fans. That demand has not changed; the fans want to be part of an experience—an experience that’s uniquely different from what they can get at home. What has changed is technology.

While most consumers now live in a mature digital environment that is integrated and dynamic, that is not a situation they typically find when they go to a stadium or arena. Today, the technology in most sports venues is static. You have the center scoreboard and other banner displays within the “inner bowl,” plus a range of display screens throughout the concourses or “outer bowl.” In most cases, these are not connected. 

But, we know that fans want a more unified experience. This has prompted a lot of venue owners and planners—from top-tier professional leagues to college arenas and local stadiums—to look for new ways to engage with fans through integrated video, sound, and imaging. 

In a nutshell, it has accelerated the desire to put video everywhere within the stadium, and to ensure that everything works together in an integrated manner to enhance the fan experience and drive new revenue streams.

The goal is to architect an environment that makes it possible for fans to be able to leave their seats without ever leaving the experience, regardless of where they go throughout the venue.

Q: What changes will need to be made in order to reach that goal and provide that integrated stadium experience the fans are looking for?

Joe Walsh: It boils down to an industry-wide migration by venues to IP (internet protocol) infrastructures. Stadiums and arenas that hope to maximize the benefits of the digital world will have to rethink the implications of their video strategy. 

Many stadiums today rely on an RF (radio frequency) infrastructure; our goal (at VITEC and Daktronics) is to help our clients better understand the opportunities and options associated with moving to this IP environment. 

Now, we are not saying that this has to happen all at once—though it can depending on the nature of upgrade or renovation strategies. But with a proper and well-thought-out video strategy, venues can phase IP in over time, doing things like staged upgrades over a two-to-five-year timeframe.

The Green Bay Packers are a classic example. They migrated Lambeau Field, which holds more than 80,000 fans, over five years to a complete IP infrastructure. At the end of the day, that IP infrastructure will be one of the most important elements in supporting the fan experience.

This is a way to move forward without breaking the bank. As long as they ultimately get everything in the venue connected; that’s the end game, so to say.

Q: What types of things can venue owners expect to accomplish—and fans expect to see—when these stadiums move to an IP infrastructure? Can you give us some examples?

JW: There are all kinds of implications for enhancing how fans enjoy the experience, and how digital environments can be tailored at the venue for individual fans by allowing personal devices to be integrated into a facility’s network. Fans at home already augment how they view sporting or other live events across multiple screens to gather context on things like player stats and things like that. 

Venues have an opportunity to add more layers of value by integrating unique and exclusive experiences during events—experiences and access to information that cannot be captured at home...and on the go. But there are other benefits associated with integrating IP infrastructures at stadiums and arenas.  

Food service optimization is a great example. A lot of stadiums and arenas have upgraded their food services. While some fans still want a hot dog, others want a nice steak. These different culinary options—from low-end to high-end—today are generally promoted in a fairly conventional manner in most venues. A common digital platform can make it possible for marketers and facility managers to tailor their offerings in a much more targeted and personalized manner based on the data that they can now access.

They can also take advantage of that IP-based technology to better manage point-of-sale and inventory levels, and even change pricing on the fly. Let’s say, for example, one stadium has a glut of nachos; the venue can make a quick decision to have a “nacho sale” promote a lower price across concession screens and the main scoreboard from centrally managed consoles to move products more quickly. 

We can also use those displays to point fans toward the shortest concession lines. These are all part of the new equation that’s possible with a digital IP-infrastructure.

Q: Will an IP infrastructure help in other areas, or just within the stadium itself?

SK: The opportunities can extend well beyond optimizing the fan experience. This technology will blur the lines between business groups operating on the back end that have typically had no practical way of interacting with each other effectively. 

Marketing groups, for instance, do not typically interact with the guest services teams, which in turn have had little contact or interaction with game production crews. 

Even though they all wear the same team logo shirts to work, their missions are often completed in silos. By moving to a digital venue environment, there is a major opportunity to connect these silos and unlock a whole range of untapped value. 

Venues are in a better position to connect the dots between what's happening on the field and how it affects concession stand marketing in new, more effective data-driven ways. 

For instance, if the home team is unexpectedly getting blown out early in a game, we know that people will generally start walking out. In an enhanced digital venue, it will be possible to make decisions that keep those fans within the concourse by offering sales, promotions, or some other compelling reason to stay. It provides the option for making real-time decisions based on the dynamics of the day.

Q: Since this is a digital experience, the venues are using real data. How does that new information shape operational decisions? 

JW: It makes a huge difference, and can provide a range of opportunities depending on timing.

Let’s step back and look at the reason many fans come to games rather than watching from their couches. They like—they love— the social interaction. Looking at newer venues, architects have done a terrific job of designing far more open sightlines that make it possible for fans to leave their seats to areas where they can talk and socialize while still being connected to the featured action in the venue. Maybe it’s a bar or a food area. Venues now have an opportunity, within these small social settings, to create interesting and unique visual experiences.

Look at the National Hockey League (NHL), which is starting to put sensors in the pucks. They’re going to collect that data and create something that is visually appealing—and exciting—for the fans. If you provide this data only within the venue, and not for at-home viewers, you’ve got another compelling reason to attend the event live. It is an example that highlights the value of connecting inner-bowl data to concession spaces and enhancing the fan experience.

Q: Can venues expect a certain ROI from this digital investment?

SK: Absolutely. At the end of the day, it comes down to marketing opportunities and bringing more fans into the venue. We’re seeing a lot of ROI come through the creative use of displays. Venues are installing full video walls, not just a single or double display. These present new marketing opportunities.

If you look at older arenas, most of their information is displayed through printed signs or relatively static video experiences. These visual elements have almost zero impact on the fan. But, if you take that same message and you put it on a screen or an LED board, venues have a much better opportunity to get the fan’s attention.

Those are just some of the ROI models that will change the sponsorship conversations that the marketing team will have with prospects and organizational customers.

Q: So, if I’m a venue and I’d like to move to a digital environment, how do I get started?

JW: Well this is where we have to see a significant change in how venue leaders plan and execute upgrades and renovations. All too often, AV decisions are made as an afterthought. Migration to IP-based venue-networks requires a different perspective. For the increasingly connected fan, the digital experiences become integral to their overall satisfaction.

If you're going from RF to IP, you're going to have to put the network in place first and really engage with all the different groups contributing to the overall enhanced experience venues want delivered to fans. 

That is why it is so important when you’re choosing a company for that migration to work with companies that have done this before. There's a lot of interoperability that must be guaranteed. There's a lot of command and control. There's a lot of integration that has to happen. 

Digital experiences are things that key decision makers should consider carefully, even before selecting technology partners, to create the right fan experiences and the best operational efficiencies.

Q: What role are your organizations playing in this evolution?

JW: Well, we both have a lot of experience and expertise on these issues. More importantly, we have a lot of experience—a proven track record—working together on these complex upgrades and renovations. 

Daktronics focuses on the inner-bowl experience; we, VITEC, focus on the concession and social spaces, including luxury suites, that surround the focal point of the venue. 

Our aim is to have the displays—from the main scoreboard, to the ribbon banners, to the various concession screens, to the mobile devices in fans’ hands—deliver a seamless enhanced and unique venue experience. Fans want to be part of the events they attend. The goal is to provide them with a completely integrated, technology-based experience.

SK: Agreed. VITEC and Daktronics together have an encyclopedic knowledge of how this works. We’re experts in this. We truly provide a best-of-breed service when it comes to delivering in-stadium experiences to locations throughout the venue. 

VITEC and Daktronics bring a level of experience that help venues mitigate risks and maximize the digital fan experience in a profitable manner.

George W. Steinbrenner Field, the spring home of the New York Yankees, has undergone a $40 million renovation that includes a new Eastern Acoustic Work’s (EAW) distributed loudspeaker system designed by Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW), and installed by AVI-SPL, number one on SCN's Top 50 list.

“EAW MK Series loudspeakers were a terrific solution for this project,” said Jeremy Thomas, CTS, account manager AVI-SPL. “Our primary concern was vocal intelligibility, and the MK Series offers not only the clarity we required, but also a variety of horn patterns that allowed us to provide clean, even coverage throughout the stadium.”

The renovation included expanded stadium seating as well as a wrap-around concourse with plenty of social areas, outdoor bars, and clean views of the field. The new distributed system was made up of 54 outdoor-rated MK loudspeakers—an assortment of MK2391, MK2391i and MK5399—painted white and bracket-mounted under balcony areas, on walls, and on poles throughout the concourse with particular attention paid to the new outdoor bar areas. The new loudspeakers work in conjunction with the existing system that covers the main stands that run from first to third base.

“The point source coverage is excellent, allowing us to cover exactly what we needed to cover,” concluded Thomas. “It works seamlessly with the existing system to provide Yankee fans with a far superior game-day experience than they had before.“