The demand for high tech in today’s sports venues is becoming a main focus for stadium managers. Attendance and following these days is based on what you can offer in the way of visual, audio, virtual and marketing. In the past, these were configured as individual tools, married together with a staff and a lot of preplanning. However, with the new generations of software that work with the video scoreboards, a stadium can have the high tech offerings with real-time live changes; all controlled by a single staff member.

Carver Arena in Peoria Illinois can seat around 12,000 people for their basketball and hockey games. Competition is fierce and to keep up with the demanding times, they made the decision to add to their existing scoreboard system with a complete SDI video and software that offers real time replays. It used to require a three to four people to integrate any of the feeds within the scoreboard presentations. Now, with new software, they have a single screen with touch screen apps that allow a technician to flip between scoreboard view and replays. The system also houses their own library for live-cam views, commercials, institutional presentations and promotions. All of this is easily controlled with a single touch app to switch from one to another. It also reduces the need for multiple servers, down to a single server.

Crowds are demanding, and the world of virtual attendance is increasing incrementally. The new scoreboards are offering real time feeds to the internet which can then be accessed via SmartPhone apps. Since the viewer receives promos and commercials, this is excellent exposure for the sponsors as well. Cost of the app itself can help to off-set costs, but the main focus is – it keeps the fan base hotly interested in the stadium and games. No need to go elsewhere, when everything is contained, packaged and presented from one location.

Stadium managers have decided to ‘do-the-math’ and have configured that the investment cost has a great return on investment Not only is the attendance at it’s best with the highest quality visuals on the electronic scoreboard; the sponsors are lining up to promote each event; but there is no need for an extensive technical staff to run the operations. The easy to use, touch screen gives the control to a single individual so that he or she and flip from one system need to another through the touch screen.

In the case of Carver Arena, they want to appeal to their hockey and basketball fans, but they also play host to a number of other venues, including musical concerts and circus performances. The investment into their new system gives them the power to offer the highest tech visuals and audio, which in turn increases the attendance as well as the shows that want to be at the arena. The latter is one of the most important because you want your venue to be included as top of choice when a well known act is planning a tour. This is a cascade effect, because the sponsors will quickly follow when they see the attendance.