
Got Game? Venuetize Platform Lays Groundwork for In-Venue Mobile Experiences That Engage, Inform District Detroit Mobile App handles ticketing, food pickup, navigation By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 - 11:07 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
One of the major trends in sports-venue design is that the day of simply dropping a venue into a neighborhood and seeing what happens is giving way to an era of creating a district from scratch, complete with housing, restaurants, shopping, and other entertainment offerings. And such districts are creating the need for digital services like apps that can help visitors more easily engage. The role that Venuetize played in District Detroit shows the opportunities that await.
Venuetize's Craig Duncan: The goal is to communicate with patrons, so they come earlier and stay later.
The teams and venues want to have the fans engaging through their application and their brand because there is a tie to loyalty, says Craig Duncan, chief revenue officer, Venuetize. With a single application where everyone works together, all parties benefit.
District Detroit, for example, is home to Ford Field, Little Caesars Arena, Fox Theater, Comerica Park, Detroit Masonic Temple, and more. It hosts more than 240 live events per year, and the District Detroit Mobile App handles event and parking ticketing, express pickup for food and beverages, and navigation. Connecting via Bluetooth improves wayfinding and ensures that visitors can find the shops, restaurants, and activities they want. And an interactive chat box makes it even easier for consumers to use.
How do we use technology to improve traffic or ticketing and not just for the games but also for retail and hospitality? says Duncan. The goal is to communicate with patrons, so they come earlier and stay later. We want them to spend more money.
Venuetize provides a platform as a service that is below the application layer and, thus, can give cohesion to multiple apps and backend systems. The goal is to integrate what were previously fragmented technology silos that could require consumers to use multiple apps and create multiple accounts. The Venuetize team helps with the strategy, design, and development of an app and mobile environment that meets the needs of teams and the venue.
We stay involved post-launch as it is a multi-year iterative process, Duncan says. You aren't just launching an app. It has a life and will continue to evolve, and there may also be new integrations you will want to do. So we provide the services and support to augment the technology you build your applications on.
The key to a district-wide digital strategy is making sure that connectivity is robust across the entire location. With that in place, the Venuetize platform and team integrate all the digital entities and parties.
Unified app experiences make it easier for fans in the stands to purchase food and merchandise, embrace electronic ticketing, and locate the experiences that are most relevant.
There are dozens of technology integrations that need to happen as we extend the platform out and bring in other ecosystems so that they can tie together seamlessly and the visitor has a seamless experience, says Duncan. You want the consumer to have an easy experience doing things like parking and buying food: if it is more enjoyable, they will be more apt to share more data and trust it so that they can enhance their experience.
One problem with trying to create a one-off app solution that doesn't evolve over time is that corporate sponsors and partners that ideally will be integrated with the app might change. The Venuetize team manages those relationships and swaps out technology components as needed to best meet everyone's needs.
It may seem like a small thing, Duncan says, but there can be dozens of partners, or something like the ticketing partner can change two months before the season. We handle those integrations seamlessly to reduce the risk, the costs, and the possible loss of revenue.
Venuetize also ensures that new types of offerings, such as those that use augmented reality, can more easily be integrated within an app. At Little Caesars Arena, for example, the use of AR allows fans in the entire arena to take part in things like pizza tosses, with those in the upper levels catching virtual pizzas.
You can do gamification and reach the younger audience, Duncan explains. There are multiple benefits that come through gamification driven by AI.
He adds that any efforts around the launch of an app, especially one used in multiple venues and by multiple teams, requires that all the stakeholders be involved in the decision-making process from the beginning.
Mobile engagement touches every part of the organization, he notes. You also might want to bring in fans and corporate partners to be part of the design phase.
Leaving it to the digital and marketing teams can often result in an app or offering that is out of step with what management or even ownership is looking to offer.
Increasingly, Duncan adds, data-privacy experts are important and are playing key roles in ensuring that the best decisions are made to protect data and keep fans on board.
If you go wrong with things like GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation], it can impact the entire business, he says, and the trust that you worked so hard to build will go away very quickly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
10/09/2026
Duff Foreman is an AI-generated announcer who will add color to this month's New Mexico Open...
10/09/2026
Bitmovin is rolling out Encoder Version 3, the next major release of the technology behind its VOD and Live Encoders. Version 3 is built on a premise every stre...
10/09/2026
At IBC2026, on booth 1.B47, Net Insight will showcase Open Live Media, its architecture for delivering resilient live media services across networks, partners, ...
10/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and Scripps Sports have announced a national broadcast rights agreement for the 2026-27 season, a landmark par...
10/09/2026
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN), the global content security initiative powere...
10/09/2026
The NFL is launching its most expansive creator programming yet, bringing togeth...
10/09/2026
Sportsnet is set to deliver its biggest hockey season ever with a national sched...
10/09/2026
LiveU is now a Clarus Integrated Reseller, bringing Starlink's fast, reliabl...
10/09/2026
Mimir is the cloud-native media production platform built for teams that need to move media fast across live, archive, web, social, and broadcast workflows. At ...
10/09/2026
ATSC is being honored with a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award by the Nat...
10/09/2026
Audio-Technica has introduced the BP880R Contact Transducer, a specialized micro...
10/09/2026
TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, today announced multiyear U.S. media rights agreements with ESPN and Scripps Sports/ION to bring WTGL, the new women...
10/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) in partnership with Major League Baseball and the Pit...
10/09/2026
Tennis Channel announced today its launch as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel.
Tennis Channel offers viewers a single home for Tennis Channel and Ten...
10/09/2026
Dolby has announced major updates to Dolby OptiView, its live sports platform, ahead of IBC 2026. The updates include new AI-powered intelligence to better unde...
10/09/2026
Dalet has appointed Brian Doheny as CEO. Doheny joined Dalet as President and Chief Revenue Officer in April 2026. Since joining Dalet, Doheny has led the compa...
10/09/2026
Sony, as well as its partner company Nevion, is starting IBC 2026 with a handful of announcements for attendees to see on the show floor.
Sony Announces the 4t...
10/09/2026
The six-year-old venue is expanding capabilities for NFL action, Super Bowl LXI, 2028 Summer Olympics
SoFi Stadium, as well as the surrounding area known as Ho...
10/09/2026
Editing, restoration & mastering suite upgraded Acon Digital Acoustica 8 audio editing restoration mastering software.
Acon Digital have just launched the la...
10/09/2026
Classic synths & drum machines available to play
Based in Reading, UK, Readipop are a music and arts charity with a long track record of innovative, partici...
10/09/2026
Popular model updated & new addition introduced
With many of the models in Neumann's KH family now boasting onboard DSP and support for the company'...
10/09/2026
Improved desktop interface announced
The latest iteration of Arturia's flagship desktop audio interface has just arrived, introducing improved preamps, ...
10/09/2026
Progress needs proof: Rohde & Schwarz showcases its trailblazing test solutions ...
10/09/2026
France launch follows UK and Germany as Nielsen expands product across EMEA
Paris, France, September 10, 2026 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measuremen...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Leading professional audio manufacturers NUGEN Audio, RTW, Steinberg and Telos Alliance have joined forces with Fraunhofer IDMT to establish a common approach t...
10/09/2026
Built Into Setplex's Zapflex Platform, AI Insider Turns Video Service Data Into Actionable Insights
Setplex today introduced AI Insider, a breakthrough new...
10/09/2026
Managed service changes dialogue without actor-specific training or facial rigging while preserving the original performance and fitting established post-produc...
10/09/2026
The ACT Entertainment tvONE and Green Hippo Pixel Academy has released its autumn course schedule, with hands-on training dates in September, October and Novemb...
10/09/2026
Orange Polska continues to Rely on Viaccess-Orca for Secure TV Services and the Next Phase of its Technology Evolution
Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global leader in T...
10/09/2026
Generate and create directly in your timeline with new AI-powered innovations in...
10/09/2026
Tedial is introducing Media Business Hub (MBH) at IBC 2026, a new business enablement platform designed to help media organizations unlock the full value of the...
10/09/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will unveil the next phase of its transformation at IBC2026 with a preview...
10/09/2026
Fabric Data and TMT Insights today announced that the two companies are combining to create Fabric Insights, uniting authoritative data, purpose-built software,...
10/09/2026
Operative, the preferred advertising and broadcast management provider for the world's leading media brands, today announced a comprehensive slate of new pr...
10/09/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced the launch of its latest range of handheld signal generation, analysis and monitoring ...
10/09/2026
The partnership begins with native Zixi protocol support on the Kiloview D350 and will extend to deeper product integration and joint go-to-market initiatives
...
10/09/2026
Avid and FilmLight announce strategic partnership to reimagine the color pipelin...
10/09/2026
Maxon Brings Exclusive Preview of Fall Innovations to IBC2026
Brie Clayton September 10, 2026
0 Comments
IBC attendees will get the first look at new ...
10/09/2026
Puget Systems Launches Built Different by Puget Systems, A New Podcast That Go...
10/09/2026
Three Boston Conservatory Dance Alums Honored for Their Early-Career Promise India Hobbs and Demetrius Lee received Princess Grace Awards, while Lilly David t...
10/09/2026
MonoNeon Returns to Berklee to Kick Off Signature Series The Grammy-winning bassist and alumnus performs with students and faculty from the Planet MicroJam In...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...