Digital Signage around Stadiums and Arenas

A growing number of sports stadiums are installing digital signage and information screens in and around the stadia. Using screens in sports stadiums, arenas and sports halls provides many advantages for the clubs, and for the supporters.

Screens providing relevant information to supporters such as seating information and wayfinding can ease the problems of getting everybody into their seats when they first arrive, often a challenge for sporting events, as people tend to arrive at similar times.

Keeping supporters informed of what’s going on during the game is another reason why digital signage is implemented around stadia. Missing that vital goal or point because you’ve gone to buy snacks of visited the toilet facilities frustrates many supporters. With digital signage, displaying televised feeds and scorecards eliminates such moments providing a better experience for customers and supporters.

These days, many sports clubs rely on branded merchandising as an important revenue stream and digital signage provides a good marketing tool for selling such products. Also, with so many food outlets around stadium, often supplied by big brand names, providing an advertising outlet on the displays can also generate revenue, as can selling spots to external advertisers.

Protecting the Screen

Stadiums are not, however, ideal locations for running digital displays. While an indoor location, the concourses around sports stadiums are drafty and can have similar temperatures to the outside. For some locations where temperatures reach excessive levels, protection is critical to ensure the screens will still operate.

A good example is the Olympic National Sports Stadium in the Kiev. Having won the bid to host the UEFA European Championship finals (Euro 2012), the stadium went through a dramatic refurbishment and implemented digital signage displays throughout the stadium.

Kiev can get very cold and the inside of the stadium has temperatures level similar to the ambient conditions outside, furthermore, in such a raucous location, with tens of thousands of football fans expected through the concourses, there was a need for protection, so the stadium fitted each screen in a temperature controlled LCD enclosure, which will ensure the screens remain operational, no matter how cold it gets.