Oak View Group names Cisco as 'Official Technology Partner'
Some big news in the stadium-technology world broke today when live entertainment infrastructure and services giant Oak View Group (OVG) named Cisco as an "Official Technology Partner."
No chance yet to interview any of the company officials but according to the press release, OVG said it will "look to standardize its technological infrastructure on Cisco’s industry-leading solutions across its expansive venue network." For starters, Cisco will now become an "Official Partner" of five prominent OVG venues, including Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in New York, the Moody Center at the University of Texas in Austin, CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore and Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif.
While Cisco already has technology in some of those venues, the first "hard win" of the deal is that OVG will put Cisco technology into the Moody Center and Acrisure Arena.
“A seamless, exceptional guest experience across our ecosystem of operations is at the forefront of every decision we make at OVG Venues,” said Katee LaPoff, chief technology officer, OVG, in a prepared statement. “Our strategic technology partnership with Cisco enables greater consistency, reliability, and a leading-edge experience for the teams, talent, and guests across our venues. We’re excited to continue expanding our partnership with Cisco and harness the power of technology to unlock new possibilities for live events."
Bryan Bedford, director of consumer industries and business solutions at Cisco (which includes leading Cisco's sports and entertainment business unit), has a blog post about the announcement.
"The big takeaway? OVG isn’t just looking for a vendor; they’re choosing a strategic partner that can handle their diverse needs across every market, venue type and use case," Bedford writes. "That’s where Cisco shines."
