Metaverse technology provider Immersal Oy has announced that its visual positioning technology is being used to create augmented reality experiences in and around Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.
The pilot application, which is currently available for Nokia and its VIP visitors at the arena, includes signs inside the venue, the arena being decorated with home teams’ logos, AR videos, and interactive AR experiences.
AR applications have the required data bandwidth and response times at Nokia Arena thanks to 5G base stations fitted by naming-rights sponsor Nokia and fellow telco Elisa.
Nokia Arena chief executive Marko Hurme said: “We want to serve and impress the visitors of Nokia Arena and AR innovations are one way to do this. Our cooperation with Nokia allows us to offer the latest 5G technology which opens all kinds of new services which visitors, artists, teams, fans – the whole community – can enjoy in the future.”
The 15,000-capacity Nokia Arena opened in December 2021 ahead of staging the 2022 Ice Hockey World Championship.
TQL Stadium, home of Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati, has become the latest venue to add Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology for checkout-free purchases.
The SuperBook Marketplace opened at the stadium yesterday (Wednesday) as FC Cincinnati defeated CF Montréal 3-0 at TQL Stadium. The venue is the first professional sports stadium in Ohio to offer the technology.
The Just Walk Out experience will be located in Section 116 of TQL Stadium, close to the main entrance gate. Fans will be able to buy food and beverages without needing to checkout by scanning their credit/debit card or Amazon One device upon entry.
The NHL ice hockey league has entered into a multi-year partnership with digital workflow company ServiceNow, which will enhance game-day operations, streamline employee productivity and support new connected fan experiences.
As part of the agreement, the NHL will bring operations for all of its games across all 32 arenas in North America onto the Now Platform to improve efficiency and streamline the process of managing resources.
Digital tasks such as personnel scheduling, status reports, infrastructure issue management, hardware management and asset management will now be centralised onto a single platform.
NHL employees will also be able to access a single system of engagement to handle critical back-office tasks, while ServiceNow will work with other members of the NHL’s partner ecosystem to connect the league’s digital workflows onto one cohesive platform.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said: “As we grow our technology and innovation efforts to further enhance our game and our game experience, we’re thrilled to partner with ServiceNow.
“This partnership will enable us to improve the NHL’s digital workflow efforts so we can optimise game-day operations in every arena and continue engaging our fans in new and innovative ways. The Now Platform will, with great efficiency, streamline productivity and support new, connected fan experiences.”
German Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich has signed a new partnership with SAP Emarsys, an omnichannel customer engagement platform.
SAP Emarsys will provide a fan experience platform for Bayern that can engage and reward supporters around the world. The platform will enable Bayern to centralise and analyse customer data, delivering personalised content across every touchpoint, from online and physical stores to club memberships, stadiums, apps and magazines.
Additionally, SAP Emarsys will enable Bayern to increase fan engagement with connected data and technology. SAP has been the official business software solutions partner of Bayern since 2014.
Major League Baseball team the New York Yankees has partnered with conversational chat platform GameOn Technology to enhance the digital fan experience at Yankee Stadium.
The GameOn chatbot will target improved online assistance for tourists and other fans seeking specific information about visiting the stadium. The company will also enhance ticketing and guest experience support via AI-enabled chat.
The platform will support fan inquiries by providing direct answers to fans’ most frequently asked questions. Future capabilities are expected to include the ability to answer questions in multiple languages and integration with Ticketmaster.
United Rugby Championship team Leinster has renewed a sponsorship agreement with management and technology consultancy BearingPoint.
The new five-year deal will see BearingPoint continue to serve as the team’s official innovation partner. The company will support the achievement of Leinster’s goals by providing digital transformation, technology implementation and consulting services.
Global payments provider Elavon has partnered with The Digital Line (TDL) on a voice-activated solution for the hospitality industry.
The solution, Audico, will use the Amazon Alexa device to deliver a variety of voice-driven services. Elavon is the exclusive payments provider for the Audico solution in hospitality, globally.
Audico has already been implemented at Ascot Racecourse, where premium customers can call for betting services, order food and drinks, and purchase merchandise from their private boxes.
