The Focus: Stadium technologies we'll be covering

If you followed my reporting and analysis at Stadium Tech Report there should be no surprises when it comes to the "short list" of technologies our editorial coverage will focus on here at Stadium IT Forum. Quickly, here are the five categories of stadium technology you can expect most of our coverage to focus on, at least as we get started:

1) Wireless networks

2) Core networks

3) Concessions and Retail

4) Entry and Ticketing

5) IPTV, Lighting and LED

Wireless, the key to stadium operations

Wireless coverage in large public venues has been a primary focus of my work since people started putting these networks inside stadiums, and for good reason: It's a really hard thing to do, technically, and it hasn't gotten any easier over time.

To be sure, technical advancements and the maturation of standards like Wi-Fi and cellular "G" specs have significantly improved performance. Learned lessons and more technology advancements have also informed stadium network design, making it better than it used to be.

But the always-increasing demand for more bandwidth, from fans and venue operations alike, keeps making wireless deployments a challenge. Add in the increased economic pressure on the cellular side (with carriers no longer willing to simply pay for 100 percent of every DAS network) and more quality-of-service issues for Wi-Fi, and we've got a topic that is a daily to-do for almost every stadium technology team.

And if we can boast a bit, there ain't anybody who covers this topic better. (Of course, there ain't many people out there who actually cover stadium wireless closely but either way you get the point.)

Core Networks: Convergence, security and AI management

If core stadium networks were the unsung backbone before, they're getting some spotlight moments now. The growing trend of building or refurbishing venues with single, fully converged networks is a real thing, with measurable economic and administrative benefits. Of course when you are putting everything on one single network, things like network security and management become even more important. One of the topics we'll be following closely is how artificial intelligence is being used to help administrators manage these ever-growing networks, in what seems like one of the better, more understandable and less-controversial uses of AI.

Concessions and Retail: Making it faster and better

The post-Covid boom of technology deployments in places like concession stands and merchandise stores is likely to continue, as teams and schools that sat on the sidelines early on start to tap into the now-proven benefits of technologies like checkout-free concession stands, self-scan kiosks and devices, and RFID solutions for merch.

There's actually some "low" technology trends also happening in this space, like grab-and-go stores or drink-only stands which are all part of an overall strategy to get food and drink and souvenirs in fans' hands in the shortest amount of time possible. Looking forward to some more stadium visits to check how these technologies are maturing and whether or not they are truly delivering on their promise.

Entry and Ticketing: Scan, tap, walk-through and biometrics

The fact that there's still no single winning technology in the ticketing space means we're still in a moment where fans may be asked to use any one of a number of options, either scanning, tapping or biometrics, to verify their tickets for entry. It's been interesting to watch scanning devices evolve into entities that must provide support for all types of verification if they want to have market success.

On the security side, the proliferation of deployments of the first generation of walk-through security scanners has spawned a new breed of fast followers, who promise better detection abilities with the same speed of processing. But there are also still a lot of instances of big backups at events where higher security is required, and parking lot operations at many venues remain a mess. Plenty of topics to cover in this space as venues look to finally reduce some of the most persistent fan-experience pain points.

IPTV, Lighting and LED: Displays get integrated

Last but not least is this grab-bag of stadium display and lighting products, which are becoming a more integrated and more important part of a venue's overall operation. With the ability to include stadium lighting as part of a venue's "show experience," and the integration of venue-wide screens into a coordinated whole, displays are now part of an overall technology stack in a way they might not have been previously.

Frequency: Shooting for weekly!

With our newsletter-centric distribution format, we will endeavor to have something worth publishing on a weekly basis (at least once we reach full warp speed). If something time-sensitive happens we retain the right to let you know, but our whole goal has always been not to overload your inbox. You will always be able to find everything we publish publicly on the website, stadiumitforum.com. You can also follow me on Bluesky, X and LinkedIn. (Entries at those places may contain more than Stadium IT Forum posts but just another way to stay in touch.)