Sun Life Stadium The First Venue To Use IBM's New Crowd Monitoring Technology

Sun Life Stadium today will test the early phases of an IBM analytic software package when “several thousand fans show up for an international soccer match between Mexico and Colombia,” according to Mike Clary of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. Dolphins Senior VP & Chief Technology Officer Tery Howard said that the cloud-based technology, called Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities, is “designed to allow stadium staff to better monitor and anticipate potential problems related to parking, crowd control and concession stand sales.” Eventually, Dolphins marketers “will begin collecting personal information from ticket holders, other football fans and concert-goers.” Howard said, “If we know the route you take to the stadium, we could tell you where to park, the best gate to enter, and if you are socializing (with other registered fans) where your friends are." IBM VP/Global Business Partners & Midmarket Marketing Mike Gerentine said that the Dolphins are the “first team to employ the Smart Cities technology that is being used in New Orleans, London and other cities.” Although he “declined to reveal the exact cost of the system, Gerentine said it was in the ‘several hundred thousand dollars’ range.” Collaborating on the project with the Dolphins and IBM “is Flagship Solutions Group, a technology company based in Boca Raton” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 2/29). The SOUTH FLORIDA BUSINESS JOURNAL's Ashley Torres noted access to this real-time data “enables stadium staff to plan for concession and merchandise needs for specific events, which can help to increase business profitability.” In addition, security personnel “can utilize geospatial intelligence and audiovisual notifications to shift the flow of fans and minimize crowding” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/28).