sports event management - FIFA/CIES International University Network

TechnologyWorld Championships in a single day.”There will be a number of newtechnological developments on showfor the first time in London. One of theseis myInfo+, an internet application thatenables accredited media, sports officialsand athletes to access information oncompetition schedules, medal rankingtables, transport news and sportsrecords through their laptops.Another new technology will beCommentator Information System (CIS),which will be remotely available for mostOlympic sports. The system displaysresults on touch-screen PCs in less than0.3 seconds at venue broadcast sites,providing broadcasters with the resultsbefore they hear the roar of the crowd.“CIS is full real time information,meaning commentators in South Africa,Dubai and Brazil can all access the samedata at exactly the same time as thosein the stadium – meaning they are ableto commentate as if they are there,’adds Adiba.Technology is also proving invaluableto mass participation event organisers.Active Network is best known forproviding the electronic back-officesystems used by race organisers to allowcompetitors to sign up, pay and receiveupdates on competitions ranging from5ks and 10ks to marathons and otherendurance sports. Its technology allowssecure online registration and transactionprocessing, data managementand reporting.The company handles the registrationsfor US races, including the ChicagoMarathon and San Francisco’s Bayto Breakers race.Race organisers use Active Networkto avoid the nightmare of receiving andtrying to organise thousands of crumpledregistrations forms and bundles of cash.Bay to Breakers for example, generates55,000 runners. While the race adds a$5 service fee for the service, runnersappreciate the convenience of not havingto queue up to register.Sejal Pietrzak, Vice President –International, for Active Network, tellsSportBusiness International the companyare enjoying strong demand in theEMEA and Asia Pacific regions, withcompanies and events such as TriathlonAustralia, USM Events, World TriathlonCorporation (which owns the Ironmanevents worldwide), Brighton Marathon,Singapore Marathon and Tennis Australia.She adds: “What has driven thisgrowth has been a combination ofoffering our technology and customerservice to more events and helping thoseevents grow their participation, anddeepening our relationship with eventsthat have been working with us formany years.“Our system allows sports clubs andendurance sports events to be able toprovide their members and participantswith a secure and convenient onlineregistration system, while being ableto manage their data efficiently, both interms of financials and database for oneor multiple events.“Our event, participant and resourcemanagement technology solutions aredesigned to help sports organisationssimplify business operations andreduce their costs. We make it easierto get things done and because of that,our event and sports clubs’ clientsare able to focus on improving thequality and success of their events.”While the presence and range oftechnologies will surely continue todevelop, what will the landscape forsports themselves look like five yearsfrom now? Certainly there is a case forsuggesting that at present, some sportsmake better use of technology thanothers. Arguably, more technology couldbe used in football before it reachesthe mature levels of technology insports including ice hockey, tennis andcricket. As sports continue to evolve,technology will seemingly be furtherincorporated even into those whosefederations appear unwilling to adopt.And for spectators?“Going forward, smart mobilitywill continue to explode, as will thedevelopment of mobile devices andsecurity of data – not from a hackingperspective, but from the point of viewthat the correct data is available andready to be processed or used whenit is required,” believes Adiba.“People will increasingly choose howto consume an event in the mannerthey want and not be willing to betied to a schedule – they will want tobe their own TV directors. The useand functionality of mobile phonesand social networking sites will alsocontinue to grow,” he adds.38 SPORTS EVENT MANAGEMENT