After experimenting with using Verizon's 5G and virtual reality to bring NBA closer to its fans, the Sacramento Kings basketball team says it is far from finished with technology projects.
From linking a smart arena to a smart city, to exploring the future of blockchain and cryptocurrency, Sacramento Kings CTO Ryan Montoya says the team is dabbling in whatever it takes to improve the fan experience.
A "21st Century Colosseum" and a hot dog challenge: Pushing tech in the arena
In designing the $500 million Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento, the Kings had four goals: To be iconic, as the world's first indoor-outdoor arena; to be the most sustainable arena, with 100 percent of its power coming from solar panels and 90 percent of food sourced from within 150 miles; to be the most technologically advanced arena; and to use data to personalise fan experiences and remove friction.
With this in mind, the arena was developed to be smart from arrival -- with its smart entry points allowing 1,000 people per hour to enter the venue instead of the 300 allowed by traditional turnstiles -- all the way to game time, with fans able to use the tie-in app to watch multi-camera replays, upgrade their tickets, pay for parking, order food and drink, buy merchandise, and even adjust the under-seat thermostat vents.
To meet its technological and data-driven goals, the Kings team made hires from Apple and Qualcomm early on. A Disney Imagineer was even signed on to help design the world's largest indoor 4K scoreboard so that viewers would never have to crane