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Home , Comcast, Comcast Spectacor, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Flyers

FOOTBALL OF THE FUTURE

THE TECH-ENHANCED EXPERIENCE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH: The Next Generation ...... 2

High-Tech Refurbishment ...... 4

Luring the Stay-at- Fan ...... 6

Sharing Knowledge ...... 7

Acknowledgments...... 8 Imagine the next generation of football stadiums as some in the sports industry do, among them John Penhollow, director of new stadium partnerships for the Minnesota Vikings. These structures o!er every imaginable form of entertainment and convenience, supported by backup systems designed to trouble- shoot any crisis, ranging from power outages to emergency evacuations. Endless screens guarantee you’ll never lose sight of the event wherever you may be on the premises and provide coverage of the action and scores for other games (other sports, even) around the world along with constant stats and commentary. And if all 65,400 in the Vikings stadium want to be on simultaneously, no problem. A formidable Wi-Fi network will guarantee that nobody has to wait for a signal, whether it’s to locate a friend, transmit sel"es of yourself tailgating before the game or order food to be delivered to your seat. Given all of this, no wonder there’s a gleam in the eyes of those who are designing and building these new stadiums and refurbishing others.

These enthusiasts include David Scott, president of -Spectacor, a sports and entertainment company and Comcast . He sees a quadruple business opportunity stemming from the construction of new stadiums along with convention centers, arenas and the like, as well as in the up- dating of any of such event spaces—a process that essentially means the installation of massive amounts of Wi-Fi-enabling "ber optics. “We operate four kinds of companies: facility management, food services, ticketing and our front-row marketing arm. We’ve been trying to bundle these products and services together. We can bring a lot more value to our clients by bundling everything we do,” says Scott. “We’re focusing on the infrastructure side because we know we’ve got to have the best Wi-Fi, we’ve got to have the connectivity, we have to have the .” Comcast-Spectacor will need to test all these innovations, says Scott. “We de"nitely will have some focus groups with the fans after a trial period so we can see what they like.” But he’s sure there’ll be a lot to like. “The fact is, once you have the infrastructure in place, the apps are unlimited. Mobile has changed everything.” The ubiquitous nature of , in fact, means that among other things Comcast-Spectacor and everybody else involved in new stadiums are eyeing how to set up su#cient charging stations throughout every location, a convenience once o!ered exclusively to those in suites or more expensive seats.

2 | FOOTBALL STADIUMS OF THE FUTURE Scott acknowledges that “we’re in the real early innings” in respect to the technology that will make future-stadium visions possible. Robert Jordan, senior vice president of Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment and technology consultant to the Vikings, goes further. “The sports industry got left behind in its ability to use IT and data, certainly compared with "nance or retailing,” he says. The good news: “IT in sports is now moving on a pretty phenomenal trajectory, probably much faster than non- sports businesses. We’re getting caught up very quickly.”

This adds to the thrill of coming up from behind for those in the stadium business, a rush any sports fan would recognize. For football stadiums, construction hit a peak between 1995 and 2003, when 17 opened, and then lost speed. The next eight years saw only four new buildings. Rising prices doubtless played a part in the slowdown. The MetLife Stadium, which opened in 2010 as the new home for the New York Jets and Giants, cost a reported $1.6 billion and the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas (2009), $1.2 billion. Next to kick o!: the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. The former’s Levi Field in Santa Clara is scheduled to open in 2014 at an estimated cost of $1.3 billion and counting, and the Vikings’ still-unnamed new home in 2016, for $1 billion.

For some time now new stadiums have also been hobbled by their dated design. Eric Grubman, the ’s executive vice president of ventures and business operations, argues that stadiums that opened even 15 years ago already re%ected decades-old thinking about what was needed.

“ THE SPORTS INDUSTRY GOT LEFT BEHIND IN ITS ABILITY TO USE IT AND DATA, CERTAINLY COMPARED WITH FINANCE OR RETAILING...” — Robert Jordan Senior Vice President, Wagner Sports and Entertainment

COPYRIGHT © 2014 FORBES INSIGHTS | 3 The Wells Fargo , home to the Comcast-Spectacor-owned Flyers, a team, as well as the of the National League, is still relatively new (opened in 1996). Yet Comcast-Spectacor is deep into upgrading the facility as a way to keep it consis- tently busy with all kinds of other entertainment and events. “So it’s not just having hockey fans able to stay on top of their sports and their games. Historically, if you were a suite holder, you’d get a playlist of the band that’s going to be opening. Now we’re thinking, with the new apps we want to get content to people before, during and after a concert. I think that’s going to be the key and really keep it alive and exciting. Keeping the fan (of hockey, football or U2) engaged is a big potential payo! of social media, says Scott. “It’s what song do you think they’ll play next, and afterward you can download the show or a song, download a video. It’s keeping the engagement going, not just you bought a ticket, you went to the show, you went home, and it’s over. We’re looking at the whole thing, what you can do in an arena or stadium, plus how do you take it back to your home and then view it and listen to it.”

As Scott explains it, Comcast-Spectacor’s vision for the Wells Fargo Center is to make it nothing less than the showcase for technology. Here’s what the company has done and is doing to achieve that :

r$PNDBTU4QFDUBDPSJOTUBMMFEBOFX%BUB"OUFOOB4ZTUFN DPNQSJTJOHBMBSHFOVNCFSPGSFMBUJWFMZMPX power, short-range cellular antennas throughout the facility, thereby improving coverage.

r"TQBSUPGQBSFOUDPNQBOZ$PNDBTUTPWFSBMMTUSBUFHZUPDSFBUFUIF largest and fastest Wi-Fi network in the nation (8 million hot spots), the Wells Fargo Center today has over 100 X"nity hot spots to provide a great in-game or in-concert experience and plans to triple that number by January. The objective, says Scott, is to create the best- performing arena Wi-Fi experience, one that is capable of supporting new video and amenity services to fans and visitors via their mobile devices. More fans and concert goers are using their mobile devices to do more high- activities like sharing high-resolution photos and HD videos as well as updating their social media pages. Because smartphones and apps have put more information, such as scores and instant replays, at their users’ "ngertips, there’s more demand on the network. As a result, Comcast-Spectacor is expanding its Wi-Fi footprint inside the Wells Fargo Center to create an even better fan experience.

4 | FOOTBALL STADIUMS OF THE FUTURE r$PNDBTU4QFDUBDPS JT VTJOH êCFSCBTFE &UIFSOFU QSPWJEFE CZ $PNDBTU #VTJOFTT  JUT DPSQPSBUF sibling, to create a gigabyte connection to the Wells Fargo Center that will enable its Wi-Fi network to become even larger as demand grows. r5IF DPNQBOZ JT JOWFTUJOH JO OFX NPCJMF BOE MPDBUJPOCBTFE TFSWJDFT *U JT BMTP FOIBODJOH existing apps and investing in new ones with location-based services that use Bluetooth to expand on the visitor experience. For example, the mobile app is being upgraded for this coming hockey season to give fans a variety of new experiences, among them up- to-the-minute information on the game they are attending. One example: "ve things to know about tonight’s game. Other apps will enable fans to check into various exclusive Flyers content, such as the Hat Trick Display (a collection of headwear thrown onto the ice along with a notation of the player who scored the hat trick), the Flyers Hall of Fame and Flyers Experience concourse displays of team souvenirs. The new apps will also o!er various loyalty o!ers for Flyers merchandise and connect fans with the range of products, including free samples, o!ered by the team’s partners.

“Comcast-Spectacor provides services to more than 750 venues throughout North America, including arenas, convention centers, colleges and other public assembly facilities,” says Scott. “As we look to expand innovative technologies at the Wells Fargo Center, we’ll build on these initiatives and look to apply them toward new ways to enhance the fan/visitor experience at these locations.”

“...WI TH THE NEW APPS WE WANT TO GET CONTENT TO PEOPLE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A CONCERT.” — David Scott, President, Comcast-Spectacor

COPYRIGHT © 2014 FORBES INSIGHTS | 5 The technology catch-up that stadium builders and renovators have to play is exacerbated by the fact that the changing demands of fans have been better met in recent years by broadcasters and cable companies. The big hope is that the new and refurbished stadiums, designed for the future and rich with forward- looking technology, can attract the stay-at-home fan. With any number of HD TVs and handheld devices at home, he or she can watch multiple games, listen to any commentator, check out all the camera angles of speci"c plays, and call up replays as desired. He can do so, moreover, within easy reach of his own commissary (okay, his kitchen) and steps from his personal bathroom.

Much of this involves the instant grati"cation that watching sports events at home provides so amply. “Everybody wants information immediately,” says Scott, “whether it’s what the trades are, what the stats are, what’s happening on the "eld or on the ice. They want to know now. That’s what you’re seeing these days. That’s the big di!erence. Before, fans would go home after the game and read the story the next day.”

Of course, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of being at a game. But the new stadiums’ need to outdo what the fan can get at home “is a unique challenge for us,” admits Penhollow. His short solution for what’s needed? “As crazy as it sounds, a lot of it is fantasy sports driven.” To provide that fantasy, “we’re going to build a robust Wi-Fi ecosystem,” he says. “It will allow all 65,400 people in our stadium to jump on their phones or tablets simultaneously. Realistically, we know they’re not going to right now, but that’s the way it’s trending, so we need to future-proof the building. We also know that when people jump onto our Wi-Fi, they’re not necessarily looking at Vikings game content or even football. They may be accessing soccer, hockey or basketball highlights. We’re the conduit, and we want to make their experience great. We have some ambitious goals about how we’ll deliver content in the building and to fans’ devices. We’ll have highlights and di!erent camera angles from our game as well as highlights from other games.” The design of the stadium guarantees enough screens in and around the building that visitors will "nd it impossible to ever lose sight of the Vikings game in progress.

Penhollow also lays out a vision of how technology will take additional care of the fans on their way to and from the games, a “driveway-to-driveway philosophy,” as he calls it. He says the plan is to redevelop the existing Vikings personal device app to where it will help the fan "nd the best route to the game, maybe direct him to a grocery store partner for tailgating supplies or locate an empty parking spot. There’ll be help after the fan has parked his car, too, by way of helping him or her "nd a shortcut to the right seats or, perhaps, the hot dog stand. “If we know you have two kids and you seem to buy nachos every single game, based on historical data collection, well, we can tell you the nachos stand is 50 feet to your right and the retail shop, if you still need your Vikings jersey, is three sections up on the left.”

“The whole idea is that we’re creating bandwidth,” says technology consultant Jordan. “We’ll be taking "ber to every corner of the building.” The stadium will also have up to 7,000 data points, spots where the Vikings can connect some of the many pieces of hardware such as screens and speakers, cash tills and wireless access points.

6 | FOOTBALL STADIUMS OF THE FUTURE “The other side of the sports issue is that you never get a second chance,” notes Jordan. “Once that game’s over, you don’t get to do it again. It’s very, very, very much like selling airplane seats. Everything we do has to be future-proof. And everything has to be backed up.” Part of the backing up at the Vikings stadium is a diesel-powered, 200,000-kilowatt generator that can power all the lights, the elevators, the water distribution as well as the Wi-Fi system—and do so for a number of days, because various events can run back to back. “All this means "ber,” says Jordan. How much "ber? “Figure out how much you need when you’re building a stadium, double it, because that’s how much you’ll need when you open, and then double it again, because that’s how much you’ll need in the "rst 10 years of operation,” he says. That adds up to hundreds of thousands of feet.

The people who work in stadium design and construction are very much a community unto them- selves and welcome representatives of other teams who stop by to see how a new stadium is taking shape. Comcast-Spectacor’s Dave Scott, for one, is continuously on the road. “I go and visit as many of the new facilities as I can. The next step is to "nd an architect and "gure out the basics of making the fan experi- ence better, and then we overlay the technology on top of that.” In general, he notes, “they get each new stadium a little better. Every time one opens, everybody goes to see what they did and what they could take back and bring to their own venues. You’re looking at what they have done that can enhance the experience of our fans too.” It helps improve the stadium experience for the owner, the team and the fans.

“It’s a small group, because it’s very specialized,” says consultant Jordan of those involved in stadium construction and refurbishment—and poaching of ideas. “There are a lot of unique things that have to be done in stadiums and arenas that you just don’t pick up in a school.” Then, too, the stadiums aren’t in direct competition with one another, as the NFL’s Grubman points out: “There’s no reason for secrecy because if the Vikings build the best stadium on the planet, they’re not hurting any other NFL franchise.”

Right now, the 49ers’ Levi stadium is the further along of the two stadiums under construction and is probably attracting more curious visitors. “The building itself is going to be beautiful,” says the Vikings’ Penhollow. “What they have planned for technology is de"nitely something we’re keeping a close eye on because we have some of the same philosophies and beliefs.” But a close eye doesn’t necessarily mean the Vikings will be copying what the 49ers do. For example, Penhollow says his team will keep a very close watch on how the 49ers make out with their plans to let fans use their smartphones to order food and drink so that it can be delivered to their seats. “We’ll learn from their operational setup to determine how we’ll address that enhancement in our new stadium.”

Addressing those enhancements is, of course, the basic challenge facing the builders of new stadiums— and a sturdy communications infrastructure with bandwidth to spare will be integral to meeting it.

COPYRIGHT © 2014 FORBES INSIGHTS | 7 and Forbes Insights would like to thank the following executives and experts for sharing their time and expertise:

Eric Grubman, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF VENTURES AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Robert Jordan, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF VAN WAGNER SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT AND TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT TO THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

John Penhollow, DIRECTOR OF NEW STADIUM PARTNERSHIPS, MINNESOTA VIKINGS

David Scott, PRESIDENT, COMCAST-SPECTACOR

8 | FOOTBALL STADIUMS OF THE FUTURE ABOUT FORBES INSIGHTS

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