sports event management - FIFA/CIES International University Network

TechnologyTomorrow’s World…alex miller takesa look at howtechnologycontinues to enhancethe organisation,performance andspectator experienceof sportS events.Advances in technology havebecome increasingly evident in everycorner of sports stadia, from electronicscoreboards and advertising hoardings,to high-resolution replay screenswith crystal clarity and concert-levelsound quality.It was only as recently as theBarcelona Olympics in 1992 that thefirst PC was used for recording data butsince then there has been exponentialgrowth throughout the industry. The levelof importance has changed too. Wherein the past technology was viewed asan enabler for organisers of events, ithas become an increasingly importantelement for commercial parties,spectators and other stakeholders.Outside of stadia, it is the same story.The term ‘armchair sports fan’ isbecoming increasingly dated as fansare able to tune into games or highlightsservices while on the move via theirlaptop or mobile phone.Within stadia, the material andinstallation budgets for audio andvisual improvements at major facilitiescan run to tens of millions of Euros.But these technologies generally havethe capacity to generate revenue aswell as enhancing the experience ofwatching sport.Pay back comes in many forms fromthe ability to host creative advertisingand branding (with a sponsor’s messageat the push of a button) or by allowingsponsors to have their message featuredon electronic advertising at key momentsin a game.Technology is also enabling greateruse of facilities. At the New MexicoState University’s Pan American Centerin Las Cruces for example, organiserscan mechanically tilt or adjust the lowerlevel of stadia seating to provide betterviews depending on the type of eventtaking place.Cisco rolled out two technologies atLivestrong Sporting Park in Kansas Cityover the summer, designed to furtherenhance the match experience for itsMLS fans.As a result, Sporting KC fans can nowconnect to stadium Wi-Fi to wirelesslyharness high-speed Internet through theirmobile devices. Having installed 196 highdensityrouters, Cisco provides access tomobile applications (such as the team’sapp, Sporting Explore), social-networkingsites and others. Even if the stadium isfilled to capacity, 80% can connect at thesame time with minimal lag.Cisco also installed StadiumVisionto deliver HD video to any of the venue’s300 HDTVs. The platform enablesupdates throughout the game andoffers content ranging from advertising,scores from other games, a variety ofcamera angles and team trivia, throughto weather updates. All suites connectto StadiumVision and users control thevideo using an iPad app. While both36