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Edgbaston boosts fan experience with Sporting Pay

Edgbaston, home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, has signed a four-year partnership with merchant service provider Sporting Pay to further enhance the fan experience at the ground.

As part of the agreement, a new Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system implemented for contactless payments will be set up. The system will be in use at bars, kiosks and hospitality suites across the stadium.

The link-up with Sporting Pay ties in with Edgbaston’s plans to become the greenest cricket club and venue in England. Edgbaston became cashless last year in a move designed to reduce queue times and paper wastage.

Ben Seifas, commercial partnerships manager at Edgbaston, said: “We want everyone who comes to Edgbaston to have the best experience possible, whether that’s for cricket or an event, so we’re constantly reviewing our stadium operations and are identifying products and services that can make a difference.

“Sporting Pay has an excellent portfolio of clients in professional sport and it provides a great system. This will build on the work that we did last year in becoming a cashless venue and will provide greater confidence to spectators and clients who can use contactless payment points around the venue. We look forward to working with the Sporting Pay team.”

Chris Norminton, managing director of Sporting Pay, added: “As a payment provider specialising in working with sport we are delighted to partner with Edgbaston and further our support to the sector.

“Enhancing the fan and visitor experience at the ground is something we are particularly proud of, as we are fully aware of the advantages card payments bring including ease and efficiency. As part of the partnership we are also looking forward to working with local businesses in and around the local areas and are able to pass on the same low rates as Edgbaston.”

Sporting Pay recently partnered with Scottish Premiership football club Hibernian to aid the smooth reintroduction of fans at Easter Road. Hibernian said the four-year deal is worth a “substantial sum” to the club.

In other news, TGI, a subsidiary of QMS Sport Holdings, has acquired the exclusive global license for Dynamic Content Multiplication (DCM) technology in live sports via Appario Global Solutions (AGS).

DCM technology, otherwise known as Parallel Ads, allows in-stadia LED screens to display multiple advertising feeds to television viewers at the same time. Fans in the stadium view the venue feed, while Parallel Ads content is captured by the camera and displayed in real time.

The Parallel Ads content can then be captured on all cameras and angles, such as slow-motion shots and highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=8Gc8BzQputs&feature=emb_logo

The technology enables segmentation and regionalisation of perimeter LED advertising and creates new revenue streams for sports properties.

Image: Edgbaston