Case Study: How Atomic Data and MNUFC Set the League Standard with Allianz Field Wi-Fi
Video Transcript:
Chris Wright: When I was looking at the IT, Wi-Fi, DAS space, we needed a partner to come alongside me and educate me about what we needed inside of this stadium to accomplish all of our goals.
Maureen Smith: What was really important for us with technology is it wasn’t just about checking off a list of things. It was about being the best that we could be and offering an experience that was second to none.
Chris Wright: We also decided that we needed a mobile-first strategy. When you think about the Millennial audience that we have today and how their life is all part of their mobile device. And their whole experience be generated through that and have accessibility to that during a game. It was really important for me to find the best partner who could deliver on that mobile-first strategy. I wanted to partner with Atomic Data.
Manny Lagos: Their journey with us started thinking about this sporting vision that we had and then we also had to create a business vision.
Chris Wright: And we had to future-proof everything that we were doing inside of Allianz field, because you don’t know where this industry is going.
Maureen Smith: The investment you can make in technology is endless, and so having a partner like Atomic that could help us really focus in on what was going to be most important to our fans and how we could be sure that we were including those aspects and making tough decisions about which features we were going to invest in over others.
Chris Wright: It starts with how do you get into the stadium. Wi-Fi must work for 20,000 people to be able to walk into your stadium. All of their tickets live inside of their mobile device.
There are many things inside of our stadium starting with 480 antennas. Our Wi-Fi system is the most robust anywhere inside of the MLS. That design was brought to us by Atomic Data. We also were really concerned about the design of the stadium, so we didn’t want anything obtrusive. When you look at routers, you look at Wi-Fi antennas they are all beautifully, seamlessly integrated into the design of the stadium. Very, very important that all of our POS systems are up and functioning every single day. We have an in-seat ordering system in our loge boxes. They’re all connected to Wi-Fi.
Maureen Smith: When technology works, that experience is seamless.
Chris Wright: Over 46,000 users during the season accessed our Wi-Fi system that is managed by Atomic Data.
Maureen Smith: Every decision matters in how you plan and doing that on the front end helps you be more thoughtful. It actually is a more cost-effective way to look at how you’re gonna plan your stadium and operate things cohesively.
Manny Lagos: We ask our players to care about the little things on the field to be successful and those little things add up to a lot. The fan experience is gonna add up and I think it’s very similar to how Atomic has approached us. They’ve approached servicing us with such pride and such importance that they made sure that our fan experience now could be elevated.
Maureen Smith: Allianz Field is becoming the standard for what technology should be in the stadium and we’re really proud of the partnership that we’ve created with Atomic Data, and the level of service we now offer that is being emulated by other buildings across the country.
Chris Wright: The league basically told us that we are the most prepared stadium for what is coming in 2023. So they hold Atomic Data, and Minnesota United, and Allianz Field very, very high in the standards that we have developed here in terms of future-proofing our stadium.
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