ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM)
today announced the Sports and Entertainment Global Consortium,
which was created to design, build and deliver the ultimate fan
experience. IBM also announced the new Sports, Entertainment
and Fan Experience consulting practice led by Jim Rushton, who joins IBM after serving as
Chief Revenue Officer of the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life
Stadium.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7696151-ibm-first-global-sports-consortium/
The consortium brings together IBM's world leading information
technology and recognized leaders in such areas as, construction
and design, network infrastructure, wireless and
telecommunications. Collectively, consortium members already are
working with more than 250 of the world's top venues. The sports
consortium offers clients an integrated capability spanning design,
strategy, technology and data to drive growth and profit across all
sports enterprise businesses.
Founding members of the consortium, include:
- Architecture and Design: HOK
- Construction and Design: AECOM, Whiting
Turner
- Infrastructure Technology, Software & IPTV:
Alcatel-Lucent, Anixter, CommScope, Corning, Juniper Networks,
Ruckus Wireless, Schneider Electric, Smarter Risk, Tellabs, Ucopia,
Zebra Technologies, YinzCam, Zhone
- Communications Solutions Providers: AT&T,
Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Level 3, Zayo
- Fan Experience Consulting, Mobile Applications &
Data Management Integration: IBM
According to A.T. Kearney, sports
annually generate nearly $700 billion
around the world and the market is growing faster than Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) in nearly every country. The modern venue
setting demands a sophisticated technology and wireless
environment.
"We look forward to working with IBM and our clients to
integrate new and emerging technologies into the design of
stadiums, ballparks and arenas to create a more memorable
experience for fans", said Brad
Schrock, AIA, a director of Sports + Recreation +
Entertainment design at leading sports venue design firm HOK. "Fans
will be able to use mobile devices to interact with the venue and
the team, which will create extraordinary experiences."
Yet less than half of U.S. sports venues provide even basic
connectivity on game days. Fewer still are equipped to meet fan
expectations for wireless services to mobile devices, e-commerce
and entertainment options, and delivery of data and analysis of
events and athletic performance.
As sports enterprises and venues look to digital capabilities to
create deeper levels of engagement with fans and convert that
engagement into new sources of revenue, they must be able to
deliver high-bandwidth connectivity, with services and content
increasingly customized to individual preferences.
This is especially true as the live in-venue experience competes
with the quality and convenience of high-definition television,
mobile and social channels surrounding live events. A fully
designed and realized experience moves fans from passive spectators
to active participants via multiple points of engagement, and
ultimately convert fans into customers of new offerings and digital
services.
"IBM's approach from the outset has been to combine the tech
savvy of its integrated systems expertise with the best practices
of its heralded fan-friendly, immersive data engagements at major
sporting events," said Jared Miller,
Chief Technology Officer, Arthur M. Blank
Sports & Entertainment Group, which signed on IBM as a
founding partner for its iconic downtown Atlanta Mercedes-Benz
Stadium set to open in 2017 as the home of the NFL's Falcons and
Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer. "From
supplying the robust infrastructure in its advanced fiber-based
optical networks and distributed antenna system that ensures
connectivity for fast, reliable WiFi to over 70,000 fans attending
a game, to the video displays and digital signage, IBM is building
the network backbone that will support the operational systems for
the Stadium, such as physical security capabilities including
cameras, managed doors and video intercom systems. Making those
experiences a reality requires more than dazzling displays and
flashy apps, but an innovative mindset that puts the fan experience
first."
In many cases, sports enterprises and venues have yet to
incorporate digital elements that are essential in providing a
seamless year-round experience that will delight their passive,
active, or high-value fans. At present, these enterprises must act
as their own general contractors to assemble an extensive list of
capabilities and integrate a complex stack of technology and
business components.
"Sports enterprises and venues need to look at ways to get to
know their loyal fans as individuals, and convert that fan loyalty
into new revenue streams - not just on game days but 365 days a
year," said Jim Rushton, who will
lead the new IBM consulting practice, which will deploy more than
100 global specialists in experience design, mobility, marketing
and data analytics supported by a global network of 20 digital
design studios. "It's an ongoing experience that starts when a fan
purchases tickets, travels to the venue, attends an event; and it
continues well after the event is over."
Members of the IBM Sports and Entertainment Consortium commit to
develop solutions, exchange intellectual property and collaborate
to design and deliver global opportunities.
The new Sports, Entertainment and Fan Experience consulting
practice formalizes the experience design that IBM Interactive
Experience, the industry's largest hybrid digital agency and
consultancy, has delivered for events such as The Masters and the
tennis Grand Slam events -- Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open.
The practice also becomes the integrating front end of IBM's proven
sports capabilities -- spanning personalized fan engagement (mobile
and web), data management for team performance with the clients
like the Ottawa Senators; and the optimization of stadium
infrastructure for venues like Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and
Kyle Field at Texas A&M.
"Today's sports and entertainment venue experience is no longer
the singular idea of a fan watching a game, said Richard A. Patterson, General Manager, Global
Technology Services. "In order to convert casual fans to loyal
customers, connection is everything. IBM and our consortium
partners are redefining the idea of the stadium with technology to
benefit fans and teams alike."
The full suite of solutions IBM brings to this market includes
Fan Experience consulting, analytics for team performance, the
cognitive capabilities of IBM Watson, fiber-based networking, flash
storage, wireless networking and open-standard hybrid cloud
delivery as the basis of emerging business solutions.
For more information on the new IBM Sports & Entertainment
Consortium and IBM Fan Experience consulting services, please visit
- www.ibm.com/sports.
Media Contacts:
Suzanne
Aronowitz
Media Relations –IBM Interactive Experience
+1 617 693 1811
saranowi@us.ibm.com
Conor Golden
Media Relations –IBM Global Services
+1 212-671-9422
cgolden@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM