Crowd intelligence software company Armored Things has teamed up with Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC (LAFC) on a new technology initiative to help ensure the safe return of fans to games.
LAFC will implement Armored Things’ crowd intelligence solution at Banc of California Stadium to enable a real-time understanding of fan flow and allow for smarter decisions relating to crowd density, space utilisation, security and sanitation.
Armored Things’ Software as a Service (SaaS) solution provides venue operators with real-time dashboard analytics about the density and flow of people, while enabling data-driven decisions around gate crowding, event staffing, security and sanitation.
The solution also provides granular data on space occupancy and alerts for anomalies or overcrowding to ensure compliance with new regulations following COVID-19.
LAFC will adopt Armored Things across the 22,000-seat Banc of California Stadium, including areas surrounding entry and exit points. The club will leverage existing video cameras and Wi-Fi with other data sources to provide a real-time understanding of the flow of fans.
Armored Things will also allow LAFC to optimise concession staffing, adjust security operations, redirect the flow of people and inform decisions relating to sanitation schedules.
Christian Lau, chief technology officer at LAFC, said: “When fans return to Banc of California Stadium, the ability to measure crowd size and movement will be critical as we prepare to safely manage concourse traffic, operate concessions, and utilise club spaces.
“Armored Things’ crowd intelligence software provides us the ability to anticipate how our fans will move throughout the venue, so we can continue to enhance the guest experience.”
Julie Johnson Roberts, Armored Things co-founder and chief executive, added: “The ability to bring people back to live sporting events requires trust on the part of both fans and venues.
“We’re very pleased to work with LAFC to deploy the latest security technologies and tools to help build and enhance that trust and enable real-time response to optimise the fan experience while maximising their safety and security.”
The deal has been signed after LAFC earlier this month expanded its partnership with Patriot One Technologies to launch The Stadium & Event Safety Strategic Alliance. The venture will seek to utilise groundbreaking security technology to turn Banc of California Stadium into a global showcase venue to advance the vision of safety and security for public gathering spaces.
Meanwhile, Armored Things has raised $7m (£5.6m/€6.2m) in additional seed funding led by Will Ventures with participation from Splunk, provider of the data-to-everything platform. Investment has also been made by Glasswing Ventures, iNovia and MassVentures.
The new funding brings the company’s total capital investment to $14.8m.
Image: LAFC
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