Technology is about to drastically change the fan experience at football games.
Former Chief Information Officer for the Dallas Cowboys, Peter Walsh, addressed a crowd of technology experts on the top trends he predicts large stadiums will feature in the next few years. He spoke as keynote of the InnoTech Dallas conference geared toward leaders in the IT industry, held at the Irving Convention Center.
Walsh said large sports venues, for example, Cowboys Stadium, are banking on the future of technology.
"In the past, technology has been a sunk cost into most of these buildings," Walsh said, "Now technology is actually helping the stadiums and the arenas generate revenue."
Walsh, currently principal architect for the Sports and Entertainment Division of AT&T, said professional sports and colleges are looking for ways to engage fans in new and innovative ways. Walsh said smart phones will become key components to enhancing the fan experience.
"Do you have apps for it? Do you want to order food? Do you want to look at videos? Do you want to look at replays? So right now the real hot key is what we do inside stadiums to make it available to the fans so that they can use all their devices that they want to bring to the stadium," he said.
Walsh said watching instant replays while at the game provide an added element to the in-game experience.
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"Football games and baseball games have a lot of time in between plays. And so with that you're able to go back and look at all the different replays that you like to see," Walsh said.
Cowboys fan Brent Gette said it's great to know work is being done to make his experience inside the stadium even better.
"It's going to be exciting; I think to be able to grow," Gette said. "I'm looking forward to being able to order my shirt in my seat so I don't have to miss any of the game."
