Expertise Vertive helps enhance the new Columbus Crew Stadium fan experience

Background
Anyone who is an avid follower of football in the United States will know that Columbus Crew became the champion of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2020. However, many fans living in the US state of Ohio, where the Columbus Crew is based, are unlikely to be aware of the crew playing in one of the nation’s most modern stadiums from July 2021.

According to Brandon Coward, Vice President of Information Technology at Haslam Sports Group (HSG), the new stadium, called Lower.com Field, was designed and built to create an optimal fan experience: We’ve built the stadium. To build the stadium, ask different target groups (Columbus Crew fans, general football fans, sports fans – non-crew players – and non – sports fans) what they would like to see on a field. “

Non-hassle access
The Lower.com field can accommodate 20,000 fans, including 30 rooms and 1,900 special seats. For Coward and his team, the focus is on improving the fan experience, providing fast and hassle-free stadium access, and streamlining the distribution of food, beverages and merchandise. That means no need to wait in long queues and improved access to stadium facilities.

“Our gates are one of the most advanced practices in live games,” Covert said. “We have a self-scanning system for tickets and a simple security detection system. Both are leading technologies in large public spaces. “

For example, if a fan walks to the stadium, he may choose one of two options. The first way is to use the barcode on your mobile phone to walk quickly through the unmanned counter. In addition, the stadium’s face recognition application can be used. In the latter case, fans do not have to access their mobile phone. They walk to a tablet, are recognized, and can walk without standing for too long.

Offer options for easy food and beverages
The HSG team also prioritized the point-of-sale (POS) experience for supporters when designing the new stadium. Secret: “Speed ​​and comfort are very important in creating an optimal fan experience so that fans can quickly return to their seats and not miss any action. In addition to traditional POS stands and portables, we prefer the mobile self-service option. Instead of standing in line, you can order your food from anywhere in the stadium and take it to different locations.

The challenge

Limited staff must guarantee availability during events

Fans are in constant contact with the entrance gates, POS units and digital menu boards when the crew visits the stadium. To ensure the continuity of these processes, the IT infrastructure must work seamlessly together for a better fan experience. Digital continuity is very important when events occur.

Technologies that enable an interactive fan experience secretly rely on partners’ ecosystems to support the network.

“Although Columbus Crew is a big brand, we only work in stadiums with 150 staff. We are a small team, it has to work on a big stage. So operating time is very important during these events,” Covert said.

Solution

Vertive infrastructure to meet time requirements

As one of the key partners, it supports the stadium’s work-critical systems by deploying vertebrate racks, emergency power, heating and information technology management systems, power supply equipment and remote monitoring software. These technologies are installed in the data center, main telecommunication room and distributed wiring shelves located throughout the grounds. Some vertebrate equipment is also installed in the nearby plaza and in the cafe outside the stadium. All of these solutions save the time of IT networks that support an interactive fan experience.

“Vertiv helps our hospitality entrepreneurs and ticket partners provide the reliable connection they need to operate as efficiently as possible. For example, if the ticket system crashes for even 10 seconds, it is essential for an event,” Covert says. We want to create a hassle-free fan experience that starts at the entrance to the building. “

Covert’s IT and networking teams have benefited in many ways by investing in Verdi’s infrastructure solutions. Here are some examples of Vertive products installed in the stadium and how they can help confirm the timing:

• Liebert® GXT5 and Liebert® PST5 UPS units – These units, installed in the data center and various distributed IT rooms, provide first-class power loss protection and continuous power conditioning in a small and flexible rack design. Computers can be managed remotely, and are well-suited to protect task-critical infrastructure in centralized and marginal network applications.
• Liebert® DS and Liebert® DSE systems for heat management systems – Direct expansion Liebert DS and Liebert DSE Free cooling and waterproof systems provide highly efficient cooling of IT assets. Both include advanced thermal controls to upgrade each unit and synchronize the operation of multiple units for optimal temperature and ventilation. Computers can be easily modified to accommodate IT loads and are ideal for upgrading outdated or inefficient cooling systems.
• Vertiv ™ DCE rack systems and Vertiv ™ VR racks – All Vertiv DCE racks, distribution and server enclosures in the stadium are flexible and easy to upgrade with door, panel, backup power, power supply and fan options. They are installed in the data center and telecommunications areas. Vertiv VR, on the other hand, supports a wide variety of equipment, from racks, servers and routers to emergency power and switches. They are installed in IT boxes scattered around the stadium. Both types of racks provide the necessary protection and cable handling to ensure availability.
• Geist ™ rPDUs – These Power Distribution Units provide reliable power supply to important IT equipment in a rack or cabinet. These basic rPDUs are available in a variety of electrical and outlet configurations and in vertical or horizontal orientation. Each unit was 100 percent tested for functionality and reliability before delivery. This helps to confirm the time once used in the field.
• Vertiv ™ Environet ™ Alert monitoring software – This software enhances the IT and network team with greater visibility in performance and enables efficient management of peculiar network behavior to ensure greater availability. The task force can use staff efficiently and operate remotely on distributed racks. Operational workers no longer have to manually check the status or alarms of the device by going to personal IT boxes. This gives employees time to focus on other support activities that are more focused on the fans.
• High performance Avocent® HMX KVM – Specially designed to meet high clarity and low latency transmission requirements. In the control room of the stadium, these switches allow access to any broadcast server with a graphical user interface (GUI) at any of the twenty user stations. It will be on all utility computers from the graphics engine to the replay, which is essential to keep the fans engaged and entertained.

Results

Ease of use and peace of mind for stadium staff
“The relationship we have with Vertiv is very special,” says Covert. “Vertiv’s global headquarters are located here in Columbus and we have jointly created a showroom data center in the arena for Vertiv and Crew clients to use. We recognize the reliability of technologies, and it certainly helps me and my staff that the risk of malfunctions or failures is now greatly reduced due to the reliability of vertebrate solutions, ”said Coward.

“Our team has a small team that manages three stadiums and two pro teams, so we need to come up with easy-to-manage technical solutions. This is now possible with Vertiv’s installed solutions,” Covert added.

Technology to help enhance the fan experience
“Going forward, we will continue to improve the entertainment experience for the crew, so they will get more of their money. Going forward, we expect our stadium to improve even five or ten years from now. This is the latest,” Covert said. . “We plan to continue working with Vertive to continue to meet the expectations of our fans in the years to come.”