Stadium Vision Archives | CDW Solutions Blog

…Synchronize live video feeds and content from the Jumbotron to digital displays, all the way down to each mobile device. …Allow fans to follow comments from friends, post event pictures and learn more from sports commentators on Facebook and Twitter - in real time. …Make commercial breaks a time to call up a player’s stats and enjoy replays, order a beverage or review stadium seating for another visit via a smartphone or tablet. Stadiums and arenas all over the world are turning to next generation technology to accomplish all of this. Whether fans are in their seats, buying food at a concession stand or moving around the stadium, they can participate in and share live event action. The foundation for delivering this experience is a highly scalable, secure wireless network designed specifically for sports and entertainment venues. The idea is to bring together all forms of access, communication, entertainment and operations onto a single innovative platform. Successful deployment of wireless technology in stadium and arena venues requires the following: A comprehensive assessment to understand the needs and challenges that are unique to each venue. Football, basketball, soccer, concerts, tailgating, and many more events require an understanding of how the facility is used. Physical layout, inside and out, also plays a part in the right design to support the services required. Careful planning to help ensure an adequate number of access points and their correct placement to support the required capacity. Imagine 50,000 fans using their mobile device of choice (smartphones, tablets, etc) to access the Internet on the venue’s wireless network. It requires a very unique radio frequency (RF) design to support this environment and insure great user experience. An understanding of deployment best practices to securely integrate any existing wireless networks that may be present in the stadium. Ticketing and point of sale are areas that typically have some form of wireless connectivity today. These systems must be integrated onto the single wireless infrastructure in a very secure way. Fine-tuning of access point channel assignment and RF power levels during implementation to help ensure proper coverage. Upfront design and installation of the wireless network is done when the venue is not in use. But what happens when 50,000 fans are in the seats? The wireless network must be optimized during actual events to insure the best experience possible. And when you have a very robust, secure wireless infrastructure in the venue, the results benefit the fans, the league, the cellular service provider, and the sponsors and advertisers. Benefits for fans: Fans now have reliable access to an increased array of data applications that work well over a high-capacity wireless network. In addition, due to the data offload, voice and text services are improved. Benefits for the league: With the improved coverage and capacity, clubs and leagues have expanded options for creating more engaging mobile applications to enhance the fan experience. Clubs and leagues can provide access to exclusive, in-venue, experience-enhancing applications for finding, food and beverage purchase and more. Benefits for service providers: Because the 3rd Generation/4th Generation (3G/4G) network is no longer burdened with bandwidth-hungry data applications, voice calls and texting work again, eliminating the customer complaints often heard by service providers regarding the use of cell phones in this type of demanding environment. Benefits for sponsors: Previously, because of bandwidth challenges, it has often been difficult to deliver effective advertisements on smartphones in the venue. Sponsors and advertisers can now extend their reach beyond the big screen and the displays in the concourses. No longer will smartphones freeze after only half of the advertisement image is downloaded Today sports decision makers are using technology to engage the fans in more ways than ever. They are allowing fans to create the interactive and personalized experience they crave. There is no question technology in stadiums and arenas is definitely a game changer. Find out more on how IT is changing the sporting world at WhatIsthe7thMan.com

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