PTI Digital has been appointed by Wasps Sport to deliver its technology strategy across the Coventry Building Society Arena campus.
PTI will look to develop a best-in-class digital experience for all visitors to CBS Arena, home of Premiership rugby union club Wasps. The stadium was formerly known as Ricoh Arena but rebranded earlier this year as part of a 10-year deal with Coventry Building Society.
PTI’s deal with Wasps Sport will cover CBS Arena itself, as well as the on-site hotel, exhibition hall, hotel, casino and arena. PTI’s work will include rebuilding the core network, enhancing Wi-Fi coverage, developing IPTV and live streaming capabilities and improving the fibre capacity to the site.
Stephen Vaughan, chief executive of Wasps, said: “We recognise that our technology estate needs to evolve to meet the demands of the post-COVID age. It is imperative we are able to deliver a world-class digital-first experience.
“Creating a technology infrastructure that can enable that is a critical first step. For us, being able to mobilise quickly is vital and the agility PTI have already demonstrated in resolving critical issues we were experiencing with our hotel Wi-Fi platform embodied exactly what we needed.”
There are also redevelopment plans afoot for CBS Arena. Proposals to transform the venue (pictured) ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games progressed in April after stadium chiefs unveiled plans to construct a new entrance and convention centre.
Wasps Group submitted a planning application to Coventry City Council to develop a pavilion entrance at the south side of the venue, along with a state-of-the-art Commonwealth Convention Centre in the venue’s existing lower halls ahead of the sporting events it will host at Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games.
Mike Bohndiek, chief executive at PTI, added: “Working with Wasps and the entire Coventry Building Society Arena campus is a major win for PTI. We have already demonstrated our ability to deliver an end-to-end strategy for the likes of Edgbaston and Ashton Gate and we were delighted to be appointed to help Wasps achieve their ambitions. We are looking forward to working with Stephen and his team over the next five years and being a part of their growth journey.”
The deal has been signed after PTI was last week appointed by London Stadium to deliver a connected stadium roadmap for the home of Premier League football club West Ham United.
The roadmap will seek to optimise London Stadium’s customer experience and revenue maximisation. PTI said it has been engaged to “define a strategic approach” to deliver a commercial return on London Stadium’s investment on partnerships with O2/Cisco and EE.
PTI also holds partnerships with Oak View Group, Norwich City, City Football Group, Edgbaston, Bristol Sport and Ashton Gate. PTI recently announced that it would be launching a dedicated managed IT service provision for its clients.
CBS Arena also serves as the home of Championship football club Coventry City. In March, Coventry and Wasps ended a period of enmity between the two clubs with an agreement for the football team to return to the stadium from the start of the 2021-22 season.
Coventry had previously been playing matches at St Andrew’s, home of Championship rival Birmingham City, due to a long-running battle between Sisu, which owns the football club, and Wasps Holdings Limited, the parent company of Wasps and CBS Arena.
Image: Wasps Group
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