March 7, 2022
/
Posted By: Big Digital
With crowds back in seats for major leagues sport and the return of live music around North America, stadiums and venues are enjoying pent-up demand for live entertainment and renewed enthusiasm for what they have to offer.
As the return to normal continues, venue managers are looking for ways to enhance the experience, improve communications with guests, and upgrade their wayfinding solutions.
Despite the return of live events, stadiums still face challenges such as stagnating attendance for live sports, stiff competition from consumers more comfortable in their home theaters, and 24/7 access to games and commentary. When it comes to live music, the year ahead looks to be a busy one as canceled tours and gigs begin to compete for booking time slots and venues.
One way that venues are competing with the at-home environment is enhancing their amenities while they’re cutting down set-up time and staying nimble between events. Digital signage is an integral part of both the logistics and the experience stadiums provide, and it can play a central role in the transformation to a smarter stadium. There are many benefits of digital billboards and portable displays for different industries. Today, we’re highlighting the role of permanent and portable billboards in stadiums and venues.
Event Networks
In the lively, often chaotic atmosphere of a sports game or live concert, it can be hard to get the crowd’s attention. Whether you’re communicating event information, highlighting your sponsors, or providing wayfinding, our digital event networks were designed to be highly visible and attention-getting at events.
You can send real-time communications through a network of freestanding digital billboards and interactive displays. Through digital signage, stadium operators can implement an extensive communications infrastructure for safety messaging, schedule updates, weather alerts, and more. When there are real-time scheduling changes, event networks allow organizers to communicate right away to eager and sometimes impatient crowds.
Wayfinding
Wayfinding is one of the top priorities for managers of large buildings like stadiums and concert venues. Directing attendants to the appropriate lines for ticketing and security, their seat section, washrooms, concessions, gift shops, etc., can be a major challenge in big arenas and concert venues.
Traditional wayfinding solutions tend to be easy to ignore. Sometimes attendees ignore built-in wayfinding in multi-purpose entertainment complexes because they assume that it’s only directional signage for the venue rather than something event-specific. Adaptable and portable digital billboards allow event organizers to make it much clearer when wayfinding is event-specific, incorporating digital content that’s unique to the event.
Digital wayfinding signs can be custom-designed to fit the environment and the need, as well as the event. When key locations change for different events, they also need flexibility out of their signage. Not only is digital signage quick to reprogram, but BIG Digital’s portable signage is uniquely easy to move and install in new locations.
Advertising and Monetization
Digital billboards open up revenue streams anywhere that draws a crowd. Venue operators can take advantage of programmatic advertising and create flexible playlists that merge in-house messaging with third-party advertising. Digital billboards can provide practical wayfinding and messaging solutions while also generating advertising revenue.
Besides advertising, another popular feature found in digital billboards for venues and stadiums is QR code-activated options for selecting and upgrading seats. It’s a seamless way for guests to enhance their experience without having to wait in line to wait to see someone. When stadiums make it easier to upgrade, guests are more likely to bite.
VIP Promotions
Every buzzworthy event has a VIP lounge or exclusive event. They’re a way for event organizers to provide top-tier experiences to top-paying guests. Most major concert tours now include some kind of VIP ticket packaging, capitalizing on superfans to generate new revenue streams by providing an elevated level of luxury, access, or entertainment compared to the traditional concert-goer.
With so many tours relying on VIP promotions for revenue, venues need to be able to accommodate. Digital billboards provide wayfinding, welcome guests, display exclusive content, and help with VIP sponsor fulfillment.
Outdoor Billboards
The stadium experience starts long before you walk through the doors. The exterior is just as important when you’re trying to create a lively atmosphere while also managing crowds and traffic flow. Outdoor digital billboards can be deployed in parking lots and garages, where they can be used to direct traffic to the appropriate entrances and exits and advertise in-venue vendors or sponsors.
But digital outdoor billboards have to be weather-proof and portable. In the past, outdoor digital billboards required expensive and complex truss-based structures. They simply weren’t practical for day-to-day uses like wayfinding.
Our portable billboards compared to traditional rentals are much more flexible and easier to move when and where you need them. Our patented portable billboards can be moved with a simple forklift without having to go through the expensive process of building a frame structure or applying for permits. They’re also certified for winds up to 160 kph.
Sponsorship Fulfillment
Sports sponsorship is a major part of live events, and stadiums need to be able to fulfil their obligations to an often-long list of corporate partners. Sponsors expect their recognition to be highly visible and engage audiences. They’re sponsoring teams and events to get their name out, and they want to make sure they’re getting an appropriate return on their investments.
Digital billboards make sure they feel like they’re getting what they paid for, and they can prove it too. BIG Digital’s display solutions also come with data collection and analytics that help operators show what kind of coverage and engagement their messaging is getting.
Gamification and Augmented Reality
If there’s one thing stadiums and venues specialize in, it’s providing a one-of-a-kind experience. Playing host to the biggest and most memorable events, stadiums and venues are in the business of making memories.
Gamification and Augmented Reality are innovative spaces in digital signage, and they’re adding an element of engagement and surprise to events and brand activations. Working with BIG Digital, venues and stadiums have an opportunity to create interactive gaming experiences that will wow audiences eager to soak in the atmosphere that only big, live events can provide.
Make BIG Digital your source for portable digital signage across North America. Our plug-and-play solutions fit right into stadium and concert venue environments. Use digital billboards to improve wayfinding, enrich the event-going experience, and open up new revenue streams through advertising and VIP promotions.
