How Data is revolutionizing Sport and its environments

Posted on: June 11, 2018 by Jordi Safont Guillen

Stadiums are much more than the physical space where sport competitions take place. They are becoming the beating heart of burgeoning event complexes, true poles of attraction for business, and iconic landmarks for their city.

The investments needed to build these complexes are measured in billions, extending over several years, and usually involve sophisticated partnerships and sponsorship deals. Such a complicated endeavor can only be justified by a satisfying return in terms of business generation and new services and opportunities for the city.

With so much at stake, the days when a stadium construction could be approached as a purely architecture project are long gone. Technology must be considered from the inception of the project, not just in terms of mere cabling and communication network infrastructure provision, but also as the core enabler of the services to be provided now and in the future for citizens, visitors, fans and athletes; as well as for operations of all the business and facilities of the complex, including the stadium and its surrounding areas.

Services that must be considered range from energy and building management, to security and fan services; from waste disposal to traffic control; from digital signage to ticketing. As wide as this scope is, these services cannot be considered in isolation. What will make a smart event complex stand out and realize its full potential, is the integration of all these building blocks into a unified IT solution, which must also interface with other city services, as a smart event complex is nothing short of a new neighborhood that must be connected with the rest of the city.

Having an integrated IT environment and access to the aggregated information of all IT systems to provide advanced services and generate new revenue streams is only a part of the story. Without efficiency and sustainability, the smart event complex will become in the long run a liability for its owners and the city. A complex with all its IT systems integrated, can implement a comprehensive management solution to help owners successfully face the challenge of maximizing the utilization of their facilities and simultaneously optimize their operation.

The construction of a smart event complex is no small feat, considering the investments needed, the duration of the project and the number of stakeholders involved. Nevertheless, they also have the potential to transform a city, and IT is the key element to do so.