What does the future of tech look like for UK Stadiums? Vindico’s Rhys Perkins sums it up.
We have a long history of working with stadiums, venues, and sporting arenas. And we’ve used tailored tech to help some of the biggest names in the business adapt during the pandemic – and after.
So, when we travelled to TheStadiumBusiness Summit this month, it was no surprise that the attendees – stadium owners, operators, and developers – were discussing the very same challenges we solve day in, day out.
“The same obstacles kept cropping up over and over again,” says Vindico’s Head of Partnerships, Rhys Perkins. “Staffing, loss of knowledge within the sector, keeping fans in the venue for longer, trust, fear, competition, costs – Covid has had a massive impact, and everyone’s looking for a more robust plan for the future.”
They’re problems we hear – and solve – every day at Vindico. And most venues are struggling with the same issues.
“They want to know how to keep fans returning week after week, and how they can use tech to enhance the fan experience to gain greater emotional buy-in – not just around a team or event, but also around the whole experience.
“Everyone wants to make things better and simpler. Whether it’s the work itself, the systems, the processes, the communications, or the delivery of the experience. And that’s where automated tech can help.
“We’re using tailored tech to help free up time so staff can do their jobs easier and serve their customers more effectively. Of course, every stadium is unique, but the beauty of tailored tech is that it’s unique to each organisation – giving you only the elements you need for ultimate ease, effectiveness, and ultimately adoption.”
And it’s helping stadiums to become greener too.
“I heard how Billie Eilish has a ‘green’ rider and wanted to know how venues deal with carbon neutrality, recycling, and waste. And she’s not alone. Gen Z audiences are pushing for greener change, and stadiums are bringing this to the forefront of the business. Our tailored tech is helping our stadium and arena clients to drive greener practices by eliminating the need for hard copies and paper. It also helps to streamline manual processes to further cut emissions.”
Key Take-Aways from TheStadiumBusiness Summit
- Stadiums are looking for simpler and better technology
- The fan experience – and keeping fans engaged – is a huge focus
- Stadiums are seeking smarter, automated tech that helps humans do their jobs better
- Despite Covid, stadiums have been resilient – and the forward-thinking venues are already exploring tailored tech to plan for the future
- The environmental impact of stadiums is high on the agenda – and, driven by Gen Z, greener practices are coming to the forefront
- Purple goes with everything and fits everywhere – which made for some stealthy marketing appearances in almost every event photo (from beer mats on every table to shout outs by event speakers to us, “ThePurple Guys”!
- Rhys is too tall (he gets this a lot)
- It’s a really hard acronym to pronounce but stands for ‘What We Don’t Know We Don’t Know Yet.’ And it was the core theme of Vindico MD Jo Polson’s speech
To find out more about tailored tech, and how we’re helping stadiums, venues, and arena solve old problems and plan for the future, drop Rhys a line today on rhys@vindico.net
