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Disney technology holds promise for sports events

We are often asked about what new technologies we think could be game changers in event sales, retention and fan experience. What’s getting positive buzz? What experiences have we had with the technology?

I have heard a great deal recently from sports and entertainment sources about Disney’s new MyMagic+ customization technology. I decided to check it out for myself on a recent morning at Walt Disney World, and I can understand why it was named by Fast Company and Fortune as one of the most progressive designs and technologies of the past year.

There are a number of things at work here: MyMagic+ is the overall vacation-design experience, where consumers can use MyDisneyExperience.com to plan their trips, reserve rides/dining/experiences and download the mobile app to get real-time information while on the premises. MagicBands, colored wristbands equipped with radio frequency technology, connect all the choices one makes.

 
MagicBand allows expedited access to rides and shows and can serve as a room key and wearable wallet.
I wasn’t an ideal test case for various reasons. My visit was very brief, so I couldn’t fully utilize the functions of the database and, as someone without children, I don’t believe I could fully understand the processes or benefits. But like many, I don’t like lines, am not fond of big crowds or large, slow-moving masses of people, and can be impatient at times. So with that behavior pattern, I was a good test case.

The new technology can provide smart, sharp, customized and personalized experiences. The technology will allow a family that plans well to build a seamless, functional schedule, ideally allowing family members to do much more — and wait around much less — while they are visiting Disney.

The MagicBand can be sent beforehand or picked up during check-in. What did it allow?

It’s a wearable wallet with all transactions — resort access, food and beverage, merchandise — going through MagicBand with a PIN that you create.

It serves as a room key, has FastPass+ that allows for expedited access to top rides or shows with specific prebooked ride times, and has PhotoPass that allows for photo identification and sharing. For example, I waited roughly 10 minutes to experience Epcot’s very cool “Soarin’” through FastPass+ access, when those without the pass had an estimated 50-minute wait.

The MyDisneyExperience app is able to send text alerts of time waits, dinner reservations, updates and other information.

Company executives were reluctant to share much information with me — user data, early behavior, adoption, etc. The few things they would share is that 50 percent of resort guests are using some form of band after only a few months of rolling it out, and they believe they’ve been able to “spread the field” of their guests throughout their venues because of the prebooking ability.

While I see the promise of great analytics on user behavior, habits and personal information that Disney could glean or even event-staff, Disney executives stressed that no personal data is stored on the MagicBand. But it does sync up some of the information with the events or experiences visitors have selected. One would believe such data could be used in future segmented marketing and communication.

Most of the park visitors I spoke to wearing MagicBands were comfortable with the technology and felt it delivered an easier, more efficient experience. The only issue that came up from more than one parent was that it truly forced vacationers to fully plan their visit months out so they can benefit from the technology. So for the nonplanners in the bunch, it could be a work in progress.

There are issues: privacy of guests, especially children; security information; and once everyone is using it and customizing experiences, will the on-site experience still flow smoothly? Anecdotally, there were no reports of technology shutdown or failures.

Overall, the technology has great promise from which sports organizations should test and learn. There are certainly versions of this program around specific events or with fan ID cards for teams (Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays), but I’ve seen few that offer such a frictionless experience across such a wide area of venues, experiences and commerce options. It represents a significant investment and technology gamble to aid the customer experience and remain ahead of the times by one of the most historic and respected customer brands in entertainment.

The sports complex is preparing to host thousands for Disney Spring Training.
WIDE WORLD: It’s been more than 15 years since I visited the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a vast array of fields, complexes and temporary athletic facilities that last year drew close to 300,000 athletes, 51 percent of whom where female. It’s also been the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves for the past 18 years.

On a Tuesday morning in February, it was quiet. But on weekends and throughout June to August, it’s filled with young people, parents and coaches, spread out over the 23-acre facility. Since I last visited, it’s fair to say the venue is showing its age, but designed by David M. Schwarz Architects in 1997, it remains a vast, versatile athletic center, serving as a production and innovation test lab for ESPN, a Tom Shaw Performance Training facility, and as the regular-season home last season to Orlando’s USL Pro team, set to join MLS this season. It is a true destination for amateur (and some pro) athletes, and while it may never reach the business success Disney executives envision, it remains a loss-leader that helps fill room nights and vacation stays at Disney’s resorts.

On this day, the facility was cleaning up from the more than 50,000 athletes who ran in the Disney Princess Half Marathon two days earlier, while preparing for more than 400 college and high school baseball teams with more than 7,500 athletes to visit over the next eight weeks for its Disney Spring Training. With fairly new leadership — Maribeth Bisienere was named senior vice president in charge of the complex and other Disney properties March 2014 — this facility still has room to grow, and look for efforts to continue around the running community, as the facility has had very good success with its runDisney series of events.

Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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