Livestream and highlights from the ESSMA Spotlight Technology session
In our fifth and final ESSMA Spotlight session, we were joined by George Vaughan - Head of Technology at Ascot Racecourse - to discuss the technological implementations at the venue
In addition, ESSMA shared several insights from our connectivity survey.
Using technology to bring your venue alive
Ascot Racecourse is able to host up to 70,000 people to watch a race. Although these spectators are at the venue for up to 7 hours, they only enjoy 11 minutes of racing. By implementing technology, Ascot aims to entertain its visitors throughout their stay. One example is the activation of AR technology by holding a phone towards a certain image. The phone then plays back a piece of video and at the end of it, you have the opportunity to enter a competition. Because the application does not need an internet connection, people can not only do this at the venue but it also works for certain pictures on busses or on the metro.
“We are looking to explore the possibilities of augmented reality further. We could, for example, turn the venue into a digital museum just by scanning certain assets.” George Vaughan - Head of Technology at Ascot Racecourse
Ascot’s Golden Ticket
Due to COVID-19, Ascot Racecourse could not welcome fans at their venue for their races. Aiming to still interact with its audience, The British racecourse took their tickets and turned them into a marketing tool. The fans at home would receive their ticket in a digital wallet and during the event, the tickets of 1 or 2 spectators would turn gold, indicating they won a prize.
How connected are European stadiums today? A dive into ESSMA survey results
Only 48% of stadiums currently offer connectivity to the general public, according to our connectivity survey. However, 55% of those who don’t offer connectivity, are planning to invest in it in the near future. Furthermore, the survey amongst 28 football and rugby clubs in 11 different countries shows that cashless payment and/or digital pre-ordering increases F&B revenue by 40%.
This Technology session is supported by Motorola Solutions, so please have a look at their exhibition booth