The 2014 Ryder Cup will break new ground for technological innovation after organisers announced that high-tech wristbands will be offered to fans at the Gleneagles golf course.

The wristbands, which will be handed out with course tickets at the Perthshire venue in Scotland, will utilise Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to allow spectators to access information, share experiences through social media and tap into fan-focused activities provided by the event’s commercial partners.

The RFID technology, embedded in the wristbands, will contain information about the wearer that can be uploaded to the tournament’s website when they register via a tablet or smartphone.

Ryder Cup Europe, which is operating the tournament, is also working with the Scottish government and mobile phone providers to provide ultra-fast 4G wireless connections across Gleneagles for the tournament between two teams representing the USA and Europe.

“Ryder Cup Europe and the key stakeholders wanted to deliver the best possible spectator experience,” Antonia Beggs, operations director for the 2014 Ryder Cup, said.

“As social media, smartphones and mobile internet have become a part of everyday life, the RFID technology seemed a natural choice to lift the event beyond the standard set previously.”
Serge Grimaux of Intellitix, the company behind the wristband technology, added: “Our RFID wristbands will mark the 2014 Ryder Cup out as something completely different to what has gone before in terms of interaction with spectators, media and indeed anyone visiting the course.

“The technology is totally secure and has been proven at a number of large scale events across the world.”

Some of the options available through the wristband include a ‘Walk the Course’ initiative, with prizes offered to spectators who check in at points around the course, and a simulated team competition with live scoreboards around the venue.

The wristbands, which will serve as a method of cashless payment at certain areas of the course, will also enable fans to show support for their team, offering a virtual ‘high five’ for the Europe or USA team.

The 2014 Ryder Cup, which will be supported by global power and temperature control specialist Aggreko, will take place from September 26-28.

[Source: OnePlan] The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a major event like no other, powered by innovation. For the organising committee and its stakeholders, this includes how the planning of the Games is being done, including operations, security, transport, workforce management and so much more.
OnePlan is the Official Supporter of GIS Mapping and Digital Twin Software for Paris 2024, and our award-winning software is being used to plan the Games. It includes a 3D digital twin view, Venue Twin, that any user at Paris 2024 and its stakeholders can access to provide life-like visualisations of how the venues will look – simply accessible via a web browser.
Our digital twin solution leverages some of the latest computing and processor technologies of Intel, worldwide partner of the Olympic Games. Read on and watch below how venues in central Paris are being transformed virtually by organisers of Paris 2024 to streamline its operational planning.

Eiffel Tower Arena
The Eiffel Tower Arena will be a magical setting for the Beach Volleyball and Blind Football at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With a capacity of 12,860 spectators, this temporary stadium will provide unique sporting moments during the Games.
As with all the temporary venues for Paris 2024, this venue currently only exists in Venue Twin. It gives the organising committee and their stakeholders a hyper-realistic way to plan and visualise all aspects of the operational plan for this arena, including security, transport, crowd management, workforce planning, and more.
The 3D digital twins wins we’re creating with Paris 2024 are fully interoperable with the 2D map views in the same system. When a plan is changed, however big or small that change, it’s instantly shown in the 3D view. This gives organisers hands-on access to real-time plans for every venue so they can plan collaboratively with whoever needs access.

La Concorde
Place de la Concorde is being transformed for Paris 2024 into an open arena to host urban sports in their natural environment at the heart of the city. Temporary venues will host Skateboarding, Breaking, BMX Freestyle and 3×3 Basketball, with these spectacular sports taking place virtually non-stop for the duration of the Olympic Games.
In planning Concorde, organisers have to take into account a myriad of factors to ensure the events are safe and successful. This includes how the existing city infrastructure needs to change to accommodate these temporary venues, security scenario planning, traffic management, workforce positioning and responsibilities, fan experience, optimizing for peak sporting conditions and so much more.
This is all being visualized in our state-of-the-art Venue Twin software, which can be viewed by any stakeholder any time, from anywhere. It’s reducing the time and costs of planning the next Games, thanks to our powerful cloud-based solution that’s easy for anyone to use.

Invalides
The Esplanade des Invalides is one of Paris’ preferred leisure destinations where locals and tourists enjoy sport, music and walking. For the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it’s being transformed into a show-stopping venue for Archery, Para-Archery and other sports.
The Invalides Venue Twin that we’ve created with Paris 2024 shows how event organisers are planning with temporary infrastructure on existing city environments. The centimetre-accurate placement of crowd infrastructure includes how fans with additional access needs will be able to easily access the venue and have excellent views of the action.
When planning operations at Invalides using the Venue Twin visualisations, organisers are able to view how the venue will look at different times of day and in different weather conditions. This is an innovative way in which the Paris 2024 organising committee is able to plan the Games with multiple scenarios in mind, and plan for any potential scenario.

[Source: PTI Digital] PTI Digital are delighted to have been appointed by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games– which kick off tomorrow in Birmingham and the West Midlands – as the Official Venue Technology Service Provider; using specific venue knowledge and expertise to support the deployment of key venue technology services more efficiently and effectively and providing further on-the-ground events expertise during Games-time.
PTI is assisting Birmingham 2022’s Venue Technology team and their Venue Network Integration supplier and bringing its consultancy expertise to guide and shape deployments at specific venues. The PTI team will be bringing expertise from a host of major events including the Ryder Cup, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Formula 1 and the IAAF World Athletics Championships.
Adrian Corcoran, Chief Information Officer at Birmingham 2022 said, “The Commonwealth Games is one of the biggest multi-sport events in the global calendar, taking place in multiple venues across Birmingham, the West Midlands over 11 days of sport. That comes not only with significant operational challenges but also a high degree of expectation around the experience from our stakeholders that require a seamless performance across our technology estate. PTI have outstanding experience in this space, always thinking about the end user and how that impacts on the technology requirements, bringing us operational and spend efficiencies in the process. Particularly with the compressed planning timescales of these Games and limited access to venues due to the pandemic, PTI have gone the extra mile in bringing venue experience and knowledge to accelerate the planning and deployment to specific and iconic Games venues.”
Laurence Smith, Head of Venue Technology at Birmingham 2022 said: “It’s been as pleasure to work with PTI for these Games. Their sports and venue specific expertise, combined with major event delivery knowledge as well as their exceptional partnership approach, have proved a great asset to my team, and this will continue through Games-time. We are also pleased that PTI is contributing to our legacy and sustainability strategy by redeploying key Games infrastructure to enhance network capability at other sports venues, thereby providing a lasting benefit to sport in the UK.”
This appointment adds further momentum to PTI’s exciting start to 2022, with Birmingham 2022 joining Premiership Rugby, Gloucester Rugby, London Legacy Development Corporation and Hibernian FC as new clients this year and longer-term engagements with OakView Group & Co-op Live, the London Stadium, Wasps & Coventry Building Society Arena, the NEC Group and Edgbaston Stadium. PTI also announced earlier this year that it had extended its relationship with Bristol Sport & Ashton Gate Stadium for a further four years.
Mike Bohndiek, Chief Executive Officer at PTI says “The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is the largest event ever to be held in the West Midlands and one of the biggest events staged in the United Kingdom since Glasgow 2014 and London 2012 and the past decade has seen unparalleled growth in the technological demands of staging major events. We are really delighted to be able to bring our experience to ensure we help Birmingham 2022 set a new benchmark for major events.”
PTI launched its specialist IT Managed Services division in September 2021, believing that the importance of the core infrastructure in sports and entertainment venues has never been greater. The post-Covid world demands greater digital enablement and – whether in digital ticketing or click & collect food and beverage – the fan’s device is now their window to experience – but this can only be the case if the underlying technology stack can enable this.
PTI is a specialist digital transformation consultancy and its digital transformation pyramid – which unifies its three core pillars of Venue Technology, Data & Digital and Commercial Strategy – lays the foundation for the holistic digital transformation of sports and entertainment organisations and venues. It is this integrated, efficient approach which begins with strategic intent and is informed by insight and powered by the right technology infrastructure which creates significant commercial advantage over the long-term.

John Langford, COO, AEG Europe

“I’m delighted to be joining the Host City conference in Glasgow this year. This is a great opportunity to share my thoughts on the industry and meet fellow representatives of sports, business and cultural events from across the globe. I look forward to discussing the challenges of hosting major event at our venues as well as discovering new opportunities and learning from industry leaders.

“There are a number of important considerations venue planners should bear in mind to maximise commercial opportunities around entertainment facilities.

“Firstly: know your market. Understanding consumer needs allows venues to match their capabilities with the expectations of customers. Providing a product and service that customers want is the foundation upon which volume and margins can be maximised.

“Secondly: flexibility. Entertainment venues cater for multiple different audiences. Every night, our arenas see a different crowd from the night before. Facilities need to be able to flex from champagne at Andrea Bocelli to burgers and beer at ZZ Top – and everything else you can imagine in between.

“Thirdly: adaptability. Customer expectations change over time, particularly as new generations spend more in the entertainment sector. Flexibility in spaces, premium experiences, food and beverage options, access and add-ons all mean that venues need to adapt quickly to market changes.”

David Tunnicliffe, Commercial Director, GL events UK

“Host City will bring together excellent people for open, frank discussions that will allow us to share experience and best practice. The event combines a formal daytime structure with a more relaxed evening format, meaning there will be plenty of opportunity to network with new and existing contacts.

“Are venue owners fully informed of the opportunities available to them in terms of temporary infrastructure? Yes and no – this really depends on the venue, as well as the culture and approach of its team. General awareness can be an issue; while some venues can be so focused on their permanent USPs, or under so much pressure to deliver prices-per-head, that they overlook the many exciting creative possibilities presented to them by temporary infrastructure.

“Other venues – Hampton Court Palace is an excellent example, frequently innovate; enhancing and adapting their offering with temporary infrastructure and overlay.

“At GL events we’re no stranger to all kinds of requests and the possibilities for venues are endless. We’ve created entire temporary venues to support refurbishment works, as well as creating everything from additional kitchens to ballrooms, reception spaces and exhibitions on behalf of all kinds of venue. Temporary swimming pools, ice-rinks, cinemas… working with venues is a great opportunity for event infrastructure suppliers to showcase their creativity.”

Ken Scott, Head of Inspectorate, Sports Ground Safety Authority

“A pressing concern for organisers is what we call ‘Zone Ex’ – the area outside the stadium that spectators must pass through when arriving or leaving an event. Stadium and event operators can no longer think about the stadium in isolation. When considering safety, the sum of all parts is critical to creating as safe an environment as possible for everyone at the ground.

“We’re looking forward to attending Host City 2019 to discuss this and other safety issues with colleagues from across Europe.”

Cyril De Greve Managing Director, European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA)

“We’re expecting more and more from stadium management today. Besides a range of new threats (terror, drones, cyberattacks, etc.), it is not only delivering a safe and secure event; people are looking for unforgettable experiences. Training staff to deliver these experiences is definitely a challenge, as well as the demand for a more multifunctional use of the venues.

“Our aim at Host City 2019 is to share knowledge, expertise and exchange best practice with all delegates linked to the stadium industry.”

Host City 2019 takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November, organised with support from EventScotland. For more information visit www.hostcity.com

With a strong start to the new year, Smart City Networks, the leading event telecommunications and technology services provider for the convention industry, in the US, has announced a record number of contracts achieved at the close of 2016. Since early 2014, the company has been awarded 17 new contracts nationally, which are expected to generate a combined revenue of over US$285 million.

According to Martin A. Rubin, CEO of Smart City Holdings, the scope of the new venue contracts the company has added over the past three years encompasses 135 years of agreements, between initial terms and extension options.

“These contracts exemplify the sophistication and industry knowledge that Smart City brings is second to none,” said Rubin. “These numbers are a testament to the hard work and dedication the Smart City staff puts in every day to serve our local partners and community.”

The exclusive telecommunications and technology company for the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), Smart City provides technology services to more than 3,000 conventions and meetings annually. Most recently Smart City served as the technology provider for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show—the world’s largest construction trade show—which was held in Orlando January 10-12, 2017, and is slated to return in 2018 as well. With new homes construction embracing the full impact of the Internet of Things, Smart City’s extensive wireless network infrastructure at the OCCC supported NAHB’s exhibitors in their demonstration of all things IoT in home of the future.

Founded over 30 years ago, Smart City Networks designs, installs and maintains data, voice, electrical and utility platforms, coupled with voice, video and data network engineering, security and monitoring for more than 35 convention and meeting facilities across the U.S., totalling over 17 million square feet of exhibit space.

SOURCE: Smart City Networks

Using Ticketing3D’s virtual reality technology, Atlético Madrid has officially begun the move to their new stadium for the 2017-2018 season.

The relocation process began in June with club members applying online and requesting groups of up to 10 seats for family or friends at any location inside the stadium.

Through a 3D recreation of the new stadium, fans can experience the full panoramic view from the stands and every individual seat.

Although members cannot yet choose their exact seat, the club is assigning specific days and times for each group of members based on seniority between July 2016 and February 2017. This will be followed by a process that utilises a waiting list for non-members as well.

During just the first day of the virtual tour release, more than 25,000 fans visited the club’s web page to watch the video at https://nuevoestadiovirtualatleticodemadrid.com/.

Atletico Madrid’s current home ground, the Vicente Calderón stadium, has a capacity of 55,000. From the 2017/2018 season, the team will be playing in the rebuilt Estadio Olímpico de Madrid, also known as La Peineta, with a capacity of around 67,000 and a broader price range for tickets. Fans can see the different prices for each sector through Ticketing3D technology.

This new transfer process provided by Ticketing3D allows for a significantly faster and more efficient member-relocation process, in addition to offering an enhanced overall experience for the fans.

As well as hosting matches for the first team, the stadium will look to host the finals of national and European competitions.

The new stadium is designed to meet the highest standards of comfort, security and visibility. In order to access and enjoy the seats in the most satisfactory way, the distance between the rows has been increased.

More suitable accesses for disabled fans have also been set up. The location of the vomitoriums and the control of the traffic inside the stadium ensures the maximum safety for the spectators.

Ticketing3Ds clients also include Manchester City, Wembley Stadium, ATP Madrid Open, FC Barcelona, Liceu theatre and many more.

For more information visit http://ticketing3d.com/atleticomadrid

Organised by Major Events International (MEI), the only global major events professional network, the Summit brings together experts from current and future organising committees, sports bodies, venues & key commercial suppliers involved in major sports events to knowledge share and network.

Ensuring the format is as interactive as possible, ThinkWall’s display screens and real time voting system will enable attendees to have their say via social media and vote in opinion polls after each panel discussion. Tweets, photos and poll results will be displayed live on screens around the venue, creating a buzz amongst attendees.

Commenting on the partnership, Dennis Mills, Chief Executive of MEI said, “ThinkWall’s technology is essential to the format of the Summit which focuses on interaction. We are keen to differentiate the event from a conference with the emphasis on thought leadership, knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer relationship building. We are delighted to be working with ThinkWall, a member of the Major Events Network.”

The interactive displays will also be a feature of the Summit Awards dinner, which will be held on the evening of 12th October, celebrating the contributions of suppliers, experts and event organisers to global major events. 

Andrew Spode Miller, Director at ThinkWall said, “We are happy to be showcasing our technology at the Major Events International Summit, the leading gathering for major sporting event professionals, a key event in our calendar. We look forward to working with the team at MEI.”

England’s national stadium announced on Wednesday that advanced British digital communications company EE has become its lead partner.

The partnership will run for six years, starting with immediate effect. The first event at the EE-sponsored stadium will be the Capital One Cup Final on March 2. 

This is the first time Wembley – one of the biggest brands in football – has signed a lead brand partner in its 90-year history. The partnership will be represented by a new logo, but the world-renowned name of the stadium will remain unchanged.

Wembley National Stadium Ltd said the partnership has been agreed on the basis of an ambition to make Wembley the most connected stadium in the world – ensuring it sits alongside the most technologically advanced stadiums across the globe for years to come. 

Melvin Benn, chairman of Wembley said “As stadia around the world become increasingly more technologically advanced, EE is the perfect partner to assist us in fulfilling that goal, giving event owners and their fans the best possible and unforgettable shared experiences.”

Wembley will benefit from multi-million pound investment in its technological infrastructure over the course of the six-year partnership to offer visitors the best possible experience. The deal also includes the launch of Wembley’s first bespoke app, which offers fans a dynamic feed of event content as well as stadium and travel information.

Olaf Swantee, CEO at EE, said "Over the coming months, we will announce an exciting programme of upgrades and innovations to the existing infrastructure at Wembley that will ensure the stadium offers visitors a world class spectator experience for many years to come.”

Future technological advancements to come from EE over the six-year deal include mobile ticketing solutions, enhanced mobile network access and high speed Wi-Fi available for all. EE customers will benefit from exclusive ticketing and marketing initiatives from late March.

“I’m delighted that we have secured EE as Wembley Stadium Lead Partner,” said Peter Daire, FA Group head of sponsorship. “We have diligently taken our time, in collaboration with Wasserman, in sourcing a technology brand that shares our enthusiasm and commitment and EE will help to make the Wembley fan experience the best it can be.”

The partnership adds to Wembley’s existing sponsorship agreements with Carlsberg, Betfred, Walkers, Coca-Cola, Mars and National Express.