Fan Engagement: Cool versus Creepy

2017-04 (see also LinkedIn) For a long time, professional sports teams and event organizers have been trying to solve a conundrum: How to better engage with their fan that comes and visits their game, or event, whilst statistically only having one name recorded for every 2.8 tickets sold?

In-venue fan engagement

Memberships only go so far, particularly when season ticket holders pass on their seat to a family member or friend.  Some venue operators have converted from original paper stub to digital ticketing platform via using smartphone technology.  The majority of professional sports teams now also offer a branded app for fans to get additional information while watching the event.  A recent lawsuit of a fan against the Golden State Warriors claimed that the basketball team’s official mobile app was eavesdropping on fans.  A Federal Judge ultimately dismissed all charges.  However, the use of beacon proximity technology, in combination with access permissions of apps, according to experts, serves as a reminder to check access details of an app downloaded.  A number of fans probably think it is cool to access insights and stats during the game as if they were sitting directly behind the bench, but others might feel uneasy when being ‘surveyed’ and as a result, advertisements being pushed onto their device.  How would you feel if a drone delivered a freshly-tapped beer to your seat after noticing that moments before you dropped an empty smart cup into the weight-controlled garbage bin after tracking your movements all the way to the urinal: Cool or Creepy?

Additional information

If you are looking to get insights into current trends in fan engagement, sports marketing and stadium tech, please contact Chemneera.