Stadium in-seat food delivery could become a reality for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar through an idea pitched for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)’s regional innovation award, Challenge 22.
Using a chatbot called Evii, built into Facebook Messenger, fans would be able to order food or merchandise via chatting.
The team of innovators from Jordan came up with the idea while waiting in line at a food stand in a stadium.
Co-founder Halah Hajahjeh explained that partner Samer Tarazi is a product manager and that she is an online consumer behaviour specialist.
“We put our brains together to come up with a solution for the long queues we had to stand in at concerts and matches.
“We didn’t want to invent a new application; we wanted our solution to be part of something people already used.”
As one of the most popular apps, the co-founders said Facebook Messenger provides individuals the opportunity to order food and drink to their seats without downloading any other software.
At this stage in the competition, the pair submitted their idea to Challenge 22 with the goal for it to be implemented during the 2022 World Cup.
To receive further feedback about the initial idea they also contacted stadia in Europe, America, and Dubai. As the response was positive, they launched a prototype on a smaller scale in coffee shops and cinemas with the help of the third co-founder, Odeh.
The winners of Challenge 22 – who will each take home $15,000 (€14,200/£12,200) to develop their ideas and become eligible to apply for a grant of up to $100,000 – are revealed at an awards ceremony in May.
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