Industry update: more on hospitality, technology and fan experience

Read more on the tunnel club concept at Northampton Saints, a virtual 3D tour of Real Madrid City, club operations at Valencia CF and more in ESSMA’s weekly industry update.

Operation & Ticketing

• Valencia CF have modernised their entire club operations via the changes incorporated to their new Club App to enable data capture across all departments. Fans have access to features linked to ticketing, retail and content through the mobile application. The features include:
  • Club news, articles and videos
  • Club TV and radio 
  • Option to purchase matchday tickets and scan at the entry for easy access
  • Retail purchases at the club store
  • In-seat ordering possibilities and picking up the food at the kiosk of their choice

Fan Experience & Hospitality

• Northampton Saints is enhancing their matchday hospitality offering by launching a Tunnel Club at Franklin Gardens. From the start of the 2019/20 season, guests will be able to enjoy an exclusive hospitality experience with seats directly behind the player’s dugout. 
  
  
• Fans of Real Madrid CF have the opportunity to experience a virtual 3D tour of the Real Madrid City training ground complex including the first and youth team residences, the basketball facilities, Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, the training pitches and all other facilities.
  
• Sunderland AFC partnered up with Eleven Sports Media to upgrade and enhance the club’s fan engagement possibilities including LED screens within the stadium’s concourses, hospitality suites and executive areas. Sunderland fans will be able to experience:
  • StadiumTV - a fan engagement channel that provides club news and information, social media streams, promotions, and matchday content
  • StatTV - a live match day channel featuring statistical content
    
    

General News

• City Football Group is welcoming 11 start-ups to the Etihad Campus for their City Startup Challenge. The week-long workshop will focus on five key pillars:
  • Sustainable Stadium - How to reduce waste, improve energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint
  • Easy Stadium - How to make matchday quicker and easier by removing queues and improving access to services
  • Vibrant Stadium - How to leverage home advantage and engage the crowd even more in the action
  • My Stadium - How to provide each fan with a personalised experience
  • Global Stadium - Ensuring all supporters feel part of a family that isn’t constrained by physical location or time

• During the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, ESSMA Stadium Partner Signify is providing lighting to five hosting venues in Egypt. Signify was selected as partner to replace the old, conventional luminaires in the stadiums with new systems due to its unmatched experience in stadium lighting. In addition, the lighting meets the broadcast standards for flicker-free Ultra-HD 4K television.