Our weekly tech round-up from the stadium and arena sector…
The San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer team has signed a multi-year agreement with Uber Technologies, through which Uber will serve as the official rideshare partner and official mobile ordering and delivery partner of the franchise.
As part of the agreement, fans at PayPal Park will be able to order ahead on their mobile devices through the Uber Eats app and collect their food and beverages at a designated pickup window.
Mobile ordering will service three concession stands: stand 2 near the main gate, stand 7 near the Audi Gate, and stand 9 near the supporters’ gate. The technology will be available from this Saturday and Uber Eats will also serve as the title night sponsor for the Earthquakes’ game against the Portland Timbers on May 18.
The English Football Association (FA) has renewed its partnership with independent wireless consultancy Real Wireless.
The three-year agreement will see Real Wireless provide network consultancy services to the FA, with the deal including event-day support at Wembley Stadium. The deal is an extension of the long-standing relationship between the FA and Real Wireless that began in 2007.
The new agreement covers support for public and private mobile service provision at Wembley and the National Training Centre at St George’s Park.
A new immersive 3D experience has launched in the NBA app through a link-up between the basketball league and technology giant Google.
The Google Pixel Arena will allow fans to engage with this year’s playoffs in a personalised and informative way. Within the NBA app, fans will be transported through their phone’s screen into an immersive digital arena, which will initially focus on half-time.
Fans who visit the Pixel Arena at half-time will be presented with various unique features including avatar customisation, first-half and post-game scoring recaps, and trivia. Fans will be given more opportunities to climb an in-app leaderboard with each game they attend.
Major League Baseball team the San Diego Padres has signed a wide-ranging partnership with Chicago-based telecommunications company Motorola.
Motorola will serve as the Padres’ jersey patch sponsor from the 2023 season and also becomes the presenting partner of the Padres Hall of Fame, which include all-new interactive technology displays and product integration.
Motorola will also serve as the official smartphone partner of the Padres and receive brand exposure at Petco Park. The Padres become the first MLB team to sign a jersey patch sponsor.
Software startup Audazzio has announced the first wave of the rollout of its proprietary Live QR technology, which leverages ultrasonic, data-encoded sound waves to instantly synchronise handheld devices.
Audazzio’s Live QR algorithm encodes data as sound that is ultrasonic, or inaudible, to the human ear but discernible by mobile devices. The company seeks to provide clients with tools to improve messaging directly to fans in real time, either at home or in a stadium or arena.
