Neil Berry, chief executive of event and venue management software firm VenuePro, gives us the lowdown on the company’s partnership with Wembley Stadium.
What was the brief from Wembley?
Wembley were looking to digitise and automate their stadium and event management operations. They wanted to reduce the time, effort and resource required to manage event-day tasks, ensure all team members and departments were completely in sync and find ways to become more efficient and reduce costs. They wanted to automate as much of the day to day manual activities as possible, whilst ensuring greater transparency and reporting, so they could focus on looking after staff and delivering better experiences for visitors.
How has VenuePro delivered on the requirements?
VenuePro provided Wembley with an end-to-end solution, which was then also fully customised to their specific requirements. It has successfully digitised Wembley Stadium’s operations and allowed the team to automate a large number of processes which were previously done manually. The end result has been a reduction in manpower requirements which has meant significant cost savings.
What opportunities and challenges has the pandemic created for the partnership?
The pandemic had an impact on the timings of the final deployment as there were no events to manage and test it on. However, it allowed us to work more closely with the Wembley team to make the necessary changes, finalise the solution and gave us a bit more time to make the necessary improvements and enhancements to give them an even better end product.
With Wembley staging a number of pilot events and Euro 2020 matches, how much has the partnership stepped up in recent months?
VenuePro has played an integral role in the pre- and post-event day planning as well as on the event day itself. We’ve been providing increased support in the run-up to these events and during the event days themselves our team has been on hand throughout to provide support and assistance as and when required.
Does the service required differ between the various events Wembley stages (football, NFL, concerts etc)?
The general requirements and processes for pre- and post-planning and for the event day itself are largely the same. However, VenuePro is made up of 14 distinct modules which can be selected from based on a client’s specific requirements to create a completely tailored solution. Therefore, the Wembley operations team can utilise individual modules as required based on a particular need which ensures complete flexibility.
How pleased has Wembley been with the services provided by VenuePro?
The feedback from the senior management team has been extremely positive and the platform has already proven beneficial to them over the last few months with the test events and Euros. The VenuePro team has worked very closely with Wembley to really understand their specific requirements, ensure a seamless deployment and create a technology platform which is fit for purpose and delivers significant value.
What are the aims for the partnership in the months ahead as Wembley looks to return to full capacity?
As Wembley Stadium transitions from the test events, the main benefit the team foresee is the ability for them to get back to full capacity without the need to take on additional staffing resources. The presence of the technology will allow them to automate and streamline a large part of the operation which was previously carried out by numerous team members.
We are also developing new modules throughout 2021 and expanding VenuePro further. We’re consulting with Wembley and other venue owners and operators, and the response to the expansion plans is incredibly positive.
For more information on the services VenuePro provides, check out our previous Q&A with Neil Berry here.
