COLUMBUS, Ohio &
ARMONK, N.Y., July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbus Crew SC today announced an agreement
with IBM Services [NYSE: IBM] and IBM iX™ to create a vision for
the design and technology to transform the supporter experience at
its new stadium.
Buffered by a groundswell of overwhelming support from
supporters and leaders who rallied to keep the Crew in Columbus, the Club and IBM are working
together to develop a strategy for a supporter experience and the
enabling technologies for the new Columbus Crew downtown stadium to
provide an interactive experience for the players, coaches, staff
and especially supporters of the Black & Gold.
IBM has a history of delivering digital experiences for some
revered sports and entertainment venues. Crew SC joins a roster of
IBM's sports clients including the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (home
of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United), Banc of California
Stadium (home to the Los Angeles Football Club) and
Kyle Field at Texas A&M, to name a few.
IBM iX™ designed and developed the historical FIFA World Cup
Highlight Machine, a one-of-a-kind, cognitive-based platform that
lets fans create and share their own customized soccer highlight
videos. Using this interactive platform, fans can browse and filter
FIFA's archive of past and current matches by year, team, player,
matches and type of gameplay like penalty kicks and goals. IBM is
also the digital reinvention partner for The Masters, Wimbledon and
US Open Tennis Championships, helping to make these events
much more exciting for viewers around the world by showing a wealth
of real-time data from every game taking place.
"As we look ahead to our new stadium, creating and delivering
the best experience possible for the Crew SC fanbase is a key
objective for the Club," said Columbus Crew SC President and
General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko.
"By collaborating with IBM, we will ensure that Crew supporters
have a unique experience at every event, setting the bar for future
sports and entertainment venues. We look forward to working with
IBM as this investment is a continued reflection of the commitment
from the Haslam and Edwards Families to make Crew SC a pace-setter
for the fan experience in North American sports."
"We are so pleased to be working with the Columbus Crew to help
them deliver an innovative experience for their very loyal
fans," said Matt Candy, General
Manager and Global Leader, IBM iX. "Digital technology has created
an expectation among consumers for unique, personalized experiences
and performance venues are under intense pressure to go beyond
staging live entertainment by providing a personalized and
interactive fan experience, whether a user is on their couch or at
the LIVE event and our goal is to help meet those
expectations."
Under this project, IBM Services and IBM iX™ will provide a
vision to define and create a unique, engaging environment for each
individual fan, in the 20,000 seats and various premium spaces at
the new 430,000-square-foot facility that's scheduled to open to
the public for the 2021 season.
IBM will provide:
- A comprehensive fan experience strategy fueled by research and
key insights - to help ensure every fan can have a best-in-class
MLS experience, uniquely positioned in a way that only the Columbus
Crew can deliver.
- A future-focused technology strategy, to enable what is
identified in the fan experience work, as well as ensuring that the
stadium design will be future flexible.
- Recommendations for potential technology services to position
the arena as a community hub by creating an experience for all
supporter groups, regardless of the event being held at the arena
including at-home games, soccer friendlies, away-game watch
parties, concerts, soccer state championships, or as a venue for
United States National Team matches.
Comprised of over 17,000 employees across more than 50 office
locations around the world, IBM iX remains one of the largest
hybrid digital agencies worldwide, and works at the intersection of
progressive strategy, creative vision and transformational
technology to help tackle the biggest business challenge: tomorrow.
IBM iX's global team of "Renegades and Realists" help IBM's clients
reinvent their business by design, by helping to tackle challenges
in today's changing technology landscape.
ABOUT COLUMBUS CREW SC
Columbus Crew SC (Soccer Club) is
the first club in Major League Soccer. Crew SC is operated by The
Edwards Family and The Haslam Family. The Black & Gold won
their first MLS Cup championship in 2008 and also won the 2002
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as MLS Supporters' Shield titles
in 2004, 2008 and 2009. The 2019 campaign is the Crew's
24th season in MLS and the 20th season at historic
MAPFRE Stadium -- the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States. The Club has qualified for
the MLS Cup Playoffs in four of the last five seasons, including
winning the Eastern Conference Championship in 2015. Website:
ColumbusCrewSC.com | Twitter: @ColumbusCrewSC | Instagram:
@ColumbusCrewSC | Hashtag: #Crew96 |
Facebook.com/columbuscrewsc | Snapchat: ColumbusCrewSC |
Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium | Training Facility: Crew SC Training
Center at Obetz
About IBM Services:
For more information on IBM
Services, visit https://www.ibm.com/services Follow
@IBMServices on Twitter
Media Contacts
Tim Miller
Columbus Crew SC Communications & Broadcast
tmiller@columbuscrewsc.com
+1 (614) 447-4176
Tricia Vuiton
IBM Media Relations
tavuiton@us.ibm.com
+1 (914) 765-4980
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SOURCE IBM