Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Got Game? Venuetize Platform Lays Groundwork for In-Venue Mobile Experiences That Engage, Inform

12/06/2019

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.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/06/11/got-game-venuetize-platform-lay...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

15/09/2026

IBC 2026: Pixitmedia by DataCore to Showcase Cloud and Connected Production Workflows

At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designe...

15/09/2026

IBC 2026: Quantum Introduces Autonomous Data Management, Dramatically Reducing Storage Costs While Increasing Efficiency and Availability

Quantum Corp. today announced the release of Quantum Autonomous Data Management ...

15/09/2026

PGA Tour Taps Mike Mahar as Chief Technology Officer to Drive Digital, Data, AI Strategy

Former Wyndham Hotels & Resorts technology executive will focus on fan engagemen...

15/09/2026

Creator Sports Network and FAN.live Launch 3D NFL Watch Party for Creators

Creator Sports Network (CSN) and FAN.live have announced a partnership giving CSN's network of more than 2,000 vetted creators access to live 3D NFL broadca...

15/09/2026

IBC 2026 In Review: Our Complete Collection of Video Interviews with Industry Thought Leaders

SVG and SVG Europewere all over the IBC 2026 show floor out in Amsterdam, bringi...

15/09/2026

Rise Announces 2026 Awards Shortlist

Rise WIB has announced the shortlist for the Rise Awards 2026, returning to Troxy in London on Tuesday, November 17. The awards recognize outstanding women, adv...

15/09/2026

Major League Table Tennis Announces 2026-27 Media Distribution Lineup

Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) has announced its media distribution lineup for the 2026-27 season, beginning September 11. Every match will stream live on the...

15/09/2026

Willow Sports to Air 700 Hours of Free Asian Games Coverage for U.S. and Canadian Viewers

Willow Sports has announced it will serve as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian hom...

15/09/2026

Gravity Media to Broadcast MXGP of Australia Championship Finale

Gravity Media has announced it will provide outside broadcast production and technical services for the MXGP of Australia, the finale of the 2026 FIM World Moto...

15/09/2026

Scott Coker and Peter Y. Levin Launch Ki MMA Global MMA Promotion

Co-founders Scott Coker and Peter Y. Levin have unveiled Ki MMA, a new global mixed martial arts promotion launching in the first quarter of 2027. The announcem...

15/09/2026

Sony Announces FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS Super-Telephoto Lenses

Sony Electronics has announced two new G Master super-telephoto prime lenses for...

15/09/2026

Former NEP Group Exec Saeed Izadi Opens The Matrix, Next-Gen Remote Production Center in Singapore

GlobeCast provides facility for AI-power automated production core...

15/09/2026

Gravity Media Set to Deliver 2026 FIM World Motorcross Championship

Gravity Media, a leading global provider of production and content, and media services and facilities, is empowering Tourism and Events Northern Territory (NT) ...

15/09/2026

Audient unveil flagship Horizon interfaces

New Thunderbolt audio interfaces aimed at pro studios Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces desig...

15/09/2026

Sennheiser launch the Spectera SKM handheld

Completes core wireless system line-up The latest addition to Sennheiser's Spectera range is now shipping, completing the core elements of the company&#...

15/09/2026

Schwabe Digital reveal HiFAL 2

High-frequency dynamics plug-in upgraded Schwabe Digital have just released a major free update for their acclaimed high-frequency dynamics processing plug-...

15/09/2026

LUNA 3.0 & UAD Spark Studio from Universal Audio

DAW update launched alongside all-in-one subscription bundle The latest version of Universal Audio's DAW software has just arrived, and has been release...

15/09/2026

Rupert Neve Designs introduce three plug-ins

Three popular hardware units go virtual Rupert Neve Designs are entering the software market in style, with not one, but three of their sought-after hardwar...

15/09/2026

Argo M Powers Cloudbass' Next Generation OB Fleet

When longstanding OB specialist Cloudbass made the decision to expand its fleet to accommodate remote production facilities for a leading UK sports broadcaster&...

15/09/2026

Study: 3 in 4 U.S. TV Viewers Use Smartphones While Watching TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Agent TiVo Will Help Track Down Your Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Nielsen Marketing Cloud Launches Data Enrichment Capabilities

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards

Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to Widow's Bay, Beef, South Park, and Bad Bunny's Su...

15/09/2026

OWC Announces Acquisition of OpenDrives, Expanding Software-Defined Video and Rich Media Storage Management Capabilities

OWC Announces Acquisition of OpenDrives, Expanding Software-Defined Video and Ri...

15/09/2026

Podcast The Vertical Buzz Shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

Podcast The Vertical Buzz Shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro Brie Clayton September 14, 2026 0 Comments Production team builds premium p...

15/09/2026

Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026

Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026 Brie Clayton September 14, 2026 0 Comments New standalone solution gives production teams everything they need ...

15/09/2026

Brandon Woody Joins Berklee Student Ensemble for Signature Series Concert

Brandon Woody Joins Berklee Student Ensemble for Signature Series Concert The acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader will lead a Berklee student ensemb...

15/09/2026

IBC2026 Announces IBC Innovation Award Winners

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

IEEE BTS to Host Broadcast Technology Forum at NAB Headquarters

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Huw Mills Joins Technetix as SVP, Global Operations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

TiVo Introduces Agent TiVo

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Study: Younger Fans Are Watching More Sports Than Ever

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

NFL Melbourne Game Scores 18.5 Million U.S. Viewers on Netflix

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Applications open for Future Leaders Delegation to BitSummit 2027

Applications open for Future Leaders Delegation to BitSummit 2027 15 September 2026 Applications are open for Screen Australia's annual Future Leaders Dele...

15/09/2026

Red Seat Ventures' Supercast Launches Live Streaming, Bringing Real-Time Video and Community to Subscribers

Red Seat Ventures' Supercast Launches Live Streaming, Bringing Real-Time Vid...

15/09/2026

Arqiva recognised with Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award

Arqiva recognised with Armed Forces Covenant Silver AwardPresented to organisations that demonstrate outstanding support for the Armed Forces community -- Sh...

14/09/2026

ESPNs MNF Gets in Tune With Apple Music, Adds Ludacris to In the Air Tonight Open

Lil Baby's Dead Fresh kicks off ESPN's Week 1 Monday Night Football, ...

14/09/2026

ESPN's Monday Night Football Begins Its Super Bowl Run With Year 2 of Flagship, New Tech, and 4K HDR Distribution

With Super Bowl LXI waiting in Los Angeles, ESPN will use the regular season to ...

14/09/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Padraic McKinley, the Director of The Weight

By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. ...

14/09/2026

Sony expand WH headphone line-up

Three new models introduced Sony have just announced the launch of three new pairs of headphones that span their premium, mid-range and entry-level line-ups...

14/09/2026

Audient unveil Horizon interfaces

New flagship Thunderbolt units aimed at pro studios Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces designe...

14/09/2026

Cobalt Digital to Bring New and Enhanced Practical Solutions to Evolving Broadcast Workflows at IBC2026

Cobalt Digital IBC Stand 8.F90 // Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt Highlights...

14/09/2026

TV Tech Unveils Best of Show Winners at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/09/2026

TV Skyline Becomes 'World's First Ultrix FR30 Customer

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/09/2026

Bitmovin AI Scene Analysis Selected by Nine to Enhance it...

Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, has announced that Australia's largest media company, Nine Entertainment (Nine), has deployed Bit...

14/09/2026

Creativepool Annual 2026 Winners Announced

Creativepool Annual 2026 Winners Announced Brie Clayton September 13, 2026 0 Comments The creative industry's Most' awards celebrates another...

14/09/2026

Inside DPA's N-Series at IBC2026: Wireless audio without compromise

At IBC2026, Ren M rch explains how the N-Series combines DPA's renowned microphone technology with a high-performance wireless platform, offering a wide tu...