Live events are fully back, bigger and better than ever
Through our work with over 300 marque stadiums and arenas around the world, we have seen consistently that great wireless connectivity is fundamental to revenue growth.
It underpins a great fan experience whether that’s easy access to sharing their experience on social media, or frictionless digital ticket entry, or access to innovative, live action close up video. It also unlocks new commercial opportunities such as tailored merchandising, in-seat food and beverage (F&B) ordering, and targeted advertising campaigns based on fan behaviours. Ensuring the best possible fan experience, will open up new commercial opportunities but these can only be delivered if there is high capacity, reliable mobile connectivity throughout the venue. To better understand these revenue drivers and how connectivity enables them, we commissioned a survey of more than 6,000 event-goers in the UK and the US to look at what fans really want from live events. Our research shows that fans expect reliable mobile connectivity at live events; with 87% of those surveyed engaging in social media campaigns, 77% preferring paperless tickets and 73% with a desire for in-seat F&B ordering to be available. Fan’s expectations around mobile coverage couldn’t be clearer, with over a third, 35%, blaming the venue itself for bad network coverage. However, it’s not only reputation amongst event-goers at risk with poor connectivity. In order to secure the biggest events, venues need to provide the best possible fan experience, with brand activations, social media tie-ins and bespoke experiences tailored to fan behaviours to name a few. Wireless connectivity is the essential building block that underpins of all these key venue differentiators. This report presents the results of our survey in more detail, and the picture they paint is very clear. From the biggest football stadiums to smaller local arenas, venues need to take control of connectivity on their premises to guarantee service quality, provide the experiences fans expect and drive revenue. Venues need to start implementing the infrastructure required to enable the experience fans demand now and whatever might be waiting around the corner. Boldyn Networks is here to help make it happen.
Paul Osbourne Chief Commercial Officer, UK and Ireland
