News & Trends

AVIXA’s Experience Event at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in March brought together a panel of experts who developed and executed the AV systems creating one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the world. Cindy Davis of customMedia.co moderated the panel conversation with Dean Brantly, IBM Sports & Connected Venues Executive IT Specialist; Ben Dolinky, Mercedes-Benz Stadium Video Engineer; Brian Emerson, Barco Regional Sales Manager Southeast; Doug Stancil, Baker Audio Visual Engineering Director; Tom Sullivan, Diversified Managing Engineer; and Curtis Walker, Dimensional Innovations Technology Director.

The panelists discussed the challenges they faced, from environmental issues to developing the first of its kind, large-scale IP-based audio and video installation.

Key takeaways for attendees included:

• If You Create the Fan Experience, They Will Come
• Technology Can Help Drive Attendance
• Sponsors’ Activations Can Contribute to the Experience

Key Takeway: If You Create the Fan Experience, They Will Come

Credit: Barry Grossman Photography, @Grossmanphoto, www.grossmanphoto.com

Craig MacCormack of Commercial Integrator was on site for the event and interviewed several of the panelists. One of the main focuses for the stadium is making sure it is future-flexible and creates a “digital immersion” of content for the fans. The goal being to bring fans in and keep them coming back.

Read the Commercial Integrator full take: How Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium Delivers an Immersive AV Experience Sports Fans Expect

Key Takeway: Technology Can Help Drive Attendance

IBM, Baker Audio Visual, and Diversified worked together to develop not just leading-edge technology, but systems that had not existed. One of the key strategies to success was creating an offsite lab environment where systems were simulated for testing before implementation.

Read the details from IBM on The Future of the Fan Experience through cloud, infrastructure and mobile apps.

The combined result brings that technology directly to the fans and the teams. Danny Branch, CIO of AMB Sports & Entertainment, noted the importance of technology in driving attendance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Key Takeaway: Sponsors’ Activations Can Contribute to the Experience

Curtis Walker of Dimensional Innovations led the team that designed and implemented all the sponsor activations within the stadium. He discussed the need to create a unique fan experience around the brand, rather than just being an advertising opportunity for the sponsor. Each sponsor activation was developed with the fan interaction in mind to promote a specific feeling, while maintaining a cohesive design for the stadium.

Join us at the next Experience Event at T-Mobile Arena on September 26 in Las Vegas. Visit avixa.org/vegas to learn more and register.