While there’s still nothing quite like watching your favorite team in person, home entertainment systems are getting pretty close. With wider screens and surround sound, some fans may be tempted to stay in for the night rather than fight for parking downtown. Sports venues are no longer able to rely on the game itself to draw in crowds. Instead, the fan experience has taken center stage. By utilizing cutting edge LED technology, stadiums can offer fans an immersive, multimedia experience. Creating an engaging and vibrant culture around the game through the use of LED screens is a great way to keep fans coming back time and time again.

We’re not just talking about the jumbotron. Everything from improving architectural aesthetic to providing an easy to use tool to guide fans through the venue can be achieved through the use of LEDs. Imagine walking into an arena for the first time, but instead of merely filing through security, you are surrounded by a hallway made entirely of screens showing the season’s highlights, past triumphs or an update on other games from around the league. In that hallway, there are even wrapped columns featuring current players portraits, making it feel as if they’re with the fans. It would be an unbelievable first impression.

Here at PixelFLEX, actually built something very similar for the MLB All-Star Fan Fest. Essentially a giant theme park for baseball fans, this event gives fans the chance to meet with their favorite players, watch live broadcasts of sports talk shows, and even participate in training drills. When it was hosted in San Diego, PixelFLEX was tasked with creating an arched entry way into their interactive fanzone. With the help of San Diego based MSI Productions, we developed two screens that were 16 feet high and 25 feet long, arcing elegantly over fans as they walked through. The LED entry way provided an immersive fan experience that many may never forget.

LED screens can be used for more than just entertainment. Bridgestone Arena, for example, turned to PixelFLEX to install a screen above escalators that carry 95% of visitors to their seats. Since Bridgestone is ranked sixth in the world for ticket sales among sporting venues, this screen provided ample opportunity not only for advertisement revenue, but also promotion of their own events as well.

Regardless of whether they are used as maps throughout the stadium, engaging entryways or advertising, LED screens can improve the fan experience, and in turn keep them coming back game after game. As an American-based LED manufacturer with expertise across a wide range of industries, PixelFLEX is dedicated to developing creative solutions tailored to the exact need of any space, be it a conference room or a giant stadium. To see what PixelFLEX LED is capable of creating for your sports venue, visit https://pixelflexled.com/portfolio/ today!

It’s no secret that fans attend games for an experience. Today’s organizations are more focused on bringing fans an engaging atmosphere off the court more than ever. State-of-the-art venues are a key resource for teams to drive revenue and increase fan satisfaction. With this, innovative signage plays an important part of game day for any sporting event.

Fans probably never realize the impact digital, interactive signage makes during the game. Imagine announcing a starting lineup without the visual effects of a LED ribbon or quality scoreboard.

Creative uses for LED signage increase the demand for top technology and operation of these solutions. Location, content, and optimization are key elements for venue upgrades and stadium development. Today’s LED signage can be seen in elevators, at concession stands, VIP suites, and even bathrooms.

From Entrance to Exit
A fan experience begins from the moment a patron parks. Thin LED window hangs offer a new opportunity for external messaging without sacrificing internal natural light. The slim, low-res mesh design is versatile for creative design and graphics. FLEXClearTM is a unique, LED display that is 65-75 percent transparent.

Clear - Sports

Ribbon boards are the norm throughout the sports industry. They continue to evolve, increasing in size and resolution. LED ribbon boards are utilized for court activities, crowd commands, sponsorship elements and score updates.

With the help of LED solutions, the sports industry can leverage the main focal point of any event – the sporting floor. Whether it’s the court or concourse, floor graphics immerse the fan in a full 360 experience from the moment they step into the arena. In-floor lights, like LumiFLEXTM surface and floor products, can provide consistent, head-turning content from the upper deck to the hardwood. The possibilities are endless and add additional features to the entire game day presentation.

Floor_Sports

Increased Demand for Engagement
No matter the venue or event, at any given moment all signage should enforce the team brand. Features that display the logo, sponsors, and opportunities to create fan engagement are important parts of the entire patron experience.

With digital signage, fans now have an opportunity – and expectation – to be part of the action while in the stadium. The demand for fans to interact with content, such as social channels, contests, and polls through smartphones, make LED solutions more important now than ever.

PixelFLEX®, an industry leading LED solutions provider, has created LED signage solutions for many sports arenas and stadiums. PixelFLEX® is dedicated to providing top tier customer-focused support throughout the entire client experience.

Learn more about how PixelFLEX ® has been a leader in sports LED signage. Check out its portfolio of sports case studies.
Sports case studies link: https://pixelflexled.com/portfolio_entries/sports/

It’s late in the fourth quarter and a bead of sweat drips from Lebron James’s head onto the hardwood. The headband that was a staple of his wardrobe for years has been conspicuously absent this season and with the score tied 89-89 in the 2016 NBA Finals game 7 versus the Warriors, the entire stadium can feel the mounting pressure.

Kyrie Irving drives toward the bucket, completes a beautiful hop step with gracefulness not seen in mere mortals, and lofts up a high arching floater. The ball bounces into the basket, and right back out. Perennial 6th man of the year Andre Iguodala rips the ball down and starts the fast break. He quickly flips the rock to Stephen Curry who takes a dribble and delivers a flawless bounce pass right back. As Andre Iguodala goes to lay in what could be one of the final shots of the game, the massive hand of Lebron appears out of nowhere and pins the ball to the glass. The crowd erupts and the Cavaliers regain possession and go on to win the game.

Moments like this are why millions of people a year flock to sports stadiums. The energy of tens of thousands of fellow fans watching their favorite team is an almost unmatched experience. For centuries, these venues have been able to capitalize on world class competition to draw massive crowds.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for even the best sports teams in the country to sell out. Why? Two words: consumer choices.

We are living in what is perhaps the golden age of entertainment. Customers have a plethora of ways they can consume high quality content including cell phones, flat screen TV’s, VR, La-Z-Boy recliners, gaming consoles, and even their local sports bar, just to name just a few.

To create an immersive and successful experience, sports stadiums need an integrated digital approach that brings the game to life, creates additional revenue, and can even potentially affect the outcome. The solution is dynamic LED display systems.

LED displays can impact an arena in the following ways:

Creating New Spaces That Draw Visitors

LED signage can transform unproductive areas into destinations that create very high revenue per square foot. The Miami Heat, for example, took what was an empty outdoor concrete plaza and used digital signage to create the Miami Heat Xfinity Plaza. Using five custom built cylindrical displays, the Heat created an area that now generates profits for hours before and after games. They can even rent this space out separately for an additional income stream!

Increasing Fan Engagement

Did you know that nearly 83% of sports fans say they check Social Media while they are at the game?[1] By offering live feeds of fans posting pictures, videos, and comments on social media, digital signage can be used as an opportunity to heighten the shared experience. It’s important not to forget that chances for engagement are not limited to just the big screen. The reFLEXion model is a portable and customizable display, perfect for a space like the team gear shop.

Directing the Flow of Traffic

LED displays can act as great traffic managers. A clear and bright display is the best way to get spectators to where they need to be whether that is their seat, the restrooms or the concession stands. While they might not know it, fans are there for more than just the game. LED displays can make sure they know about everything the stadium or arena has to offer.

Providing Additional Advertising Revenue

As stadiums and arenas look to diversify their revenue streams, digital display solutions offer an extra opportunity for advertising dollars. Both local and national sponsors can use integrated digital displays to target key customers and offer unique deals.

The driver behind these possibilities is Fine Pixel Pitch technology.

Fine Pixel Pitch technology has an extremely high pixel density, dynamic high-definition display, enhanced brightness, and can be curved for custom or unique displays. The pitch on these screens which can range from 1.2MM – 2.5 mm, allows fans to clearly see displays from dozens of angles and substantial distances. HD video quality provides a high-end experience that trumps any handheld or digital experience a fan might have at home.

PixelFLEX is an AV industry leader that offers three fine pitch solutions that can be customized for a variety of products.

FLEXUltra

These 2mm curve-able LED displays create unmatched opportunities without sacrificing the resolution of the screen. The FLEXultra has a slim design that can be wrapped around curved surfaces and tiled for perfect video ratios.

TrueFLEX

TrueFLEX is a revolutionary product boasting fanless construction. This means that TrueFLEX can be wrapped around anything while maintaining high resolution.

reFLEXion

The reFLEXion LED stand is a plug and play video display designed for commercial users. This stand can be moved throughout stadium spaces to maximize viewer experience and is the perfect replacement for outdated backlit signage.

Sports aren’t going anywhere, but if stadium and arenas want to keep the games as compelling for fans as possible, they must embrace new digital signage solutions. Let our team help you come up with ideas on how to upgrade your visitor experience! See how PixelFLEX created a unique and exciting experience for Nashville Predator fans in the Lexus Lounge by clicking the link below!

[1] https://www.dailydot.com/via/morgan-2013-rise-of-sports-fan/