When you’re heading to a sports game, conference, or concert, the main event makes up only half of the experience that you’re having. Think about it… even if you attend a great sports game, your experience can be dampened if the food, the arena, the drinks, the entertainment, or the technology is not up to par. On the flip side, stunning visuals and technology can easily elevate a mediocre concert and create an interactive experience that keeps you entertained and excited throughout.
All of these elements outside the main event itself are what we call the “fan experience.” It starts even before your attendees walk through your doors. In reality, it begins when they pull into your parking lot and includes every interaction in between – from finding their seats to ordering food and drinks.
There are a number of ways you can create a great fan experience and increase fan loyalty, like exceptional customer service or unique branding. But some of our favorite ways to create an attendee experience that goes above and beyond is through technology.
Here are four of our favorite in-person fan experience ideas.
1 – Photo Experience
In the age of social media updates, Instagram selfies, and TikTok reviews, it never hurts to load up your event with photo-ready moments. Find a couple of spaces in high-traffic areas around your concourse or lobby and set up a well-lit, engaging background for a photo engagement kiosk. Make sure you put your brand name or hashtag in the background so that when attendees share their selfies with friends back home, they get a bit of the experience your fans are having and you can expose your brand to even more people.
Touchless LED kiosks also have interactive screens so that your fans can put their favorite player or singer next to themselves in their selfie, add emojis or props, and even share the photo right to their email address or phone for easy sharing.
2 – RFID or NFC Credentials
If you’ve been to Disneyworld in the last few years, you’ve surely experienced their all-encompassing MagicBand wristband technology that personalizes the park experience and serves as just about everything you could need while you’re at the park – your tickets, your credit card, your photo pass, and more. This experience is an RFID or NFC credential, which outfits your guests with technology that can affect their experience at your venue, whether it’s a sports arena or concert venue.
There are a number of great ways that you can use RFID or NFC credentials to create the ultimate fan experience in real-time, such as playing music when fans enter certain areas of your venue or giving VIP guests priority or exclusive access to different lounges or areas of your event.
3 – Projection Mapping
One of our favorite ways to add branding, entertainment, or visuals to a live event is through projection mapping. This stunning technology allows you to project large-scale images, videos, and visuals all throughout your event, from the ceiling of your arena to the buildings surrounding your event.
Projection mapping is a great way to keep fans and attendees entertained during breaks between activities, shows, or plays. For instance, you can project advertisements from your sponsors onto nearby walls, show instant replays at sporting events, or even play funny clips that attendees will enjoy while waiting in the food or bathroom lines.
Bluewater also has proper credentials for this technology, so you can rest assured all of our projection equipment meets or exceeds industry standards.
4 – Concourse Interactions
Last but not least, one of the most valuable areas to add tech for the ultimate fan experience is the concourse or lobby of your venue. After all, this is the first place attendees will be when entering your event, the place they have to go between innings or plays, and the last area that fans will be before they leave.
Therefore, ensure you take advantage of these areas to promote your brand, offer entertainment experiences, and even showcase your sponsors and partners to attendees. Fan engagement interactions in the concourse can include a brand-sponsored food stand or bar, or even an interactive game. The ultimate goal of any interaction you create is to give attendees a place to mingle with other guests, get ‘out’ of the main event area, and explore what the rest of your space offers.
If you want to learn more about tech and creative services that can capture and keep attendee attention, be sure to contact Bluewater today. We offer a number of marketing and event technology, AV integration, brand activation, and environmental creative services that will help you create the ultimate fan experience. Contact us today.
