The Denver Broncos have deployed technology from crowd-intelligence system provider WaitTime to better understand how fans enter and exit their stadium, according to a press announcement.
According to the team, WaitTime’s systems of cameras and artificial-intelligence software were deployed at several gates around Empower Field at Mile High during last season, in what is the first NFL deployment of WaitTime’s technology. The cameras and software are used to track fan movement in real time, providing hard data that can allow teams to make better decisions about how to configure and manage systems like entry and exit flows.
As previously reported in Stadium Tech Report, the Broncos this past season added some new “walk-through” weapons detectors that seemed to improve fan flow into the venue. And now with the WaitTime deployment, the team said it can bring definitive analytics to bear on such experiments instead of just guessing how they worked.
“Early WaitTime data is indicating that at gates where we have newer scanning devices and metal detectors, wait times to get into the game are shorter,” said Russ Trainor, senior vice president of information technology for the Denver Broncos, in a prepared statement. “These are the types of findings we hope to continue to prove out with WaitTime, so we can provide the best and most enjoyable experiences for our fans.”
According to WaitTime, its system can “precisely count the number of people in a given area and determine whether they are passing through or waiting in line, all while maintaining individual fan privacy.” The WaitTime system uses technology from Cisco Meraki and from Intel.
“We’re excited to bring WaitTime to the NFL with the Denver Broncos,” said Zachary Klima, CEO of WaitTime, in a prepared statement. “Truly understanding how people are entering and exiting the stadium will not only allow the team to put data behind their assumptions, it will also allow them to strategically implement operational changes that improve fan experiences game by game and in real time.”
According to Klima and the Broncos, the team plans to expand use of the WaitTime system to other gates around the stadium for both the forthcoming 2022 NFL season as well as for other stadium events. WaitTime is on a bit of a roll lately, having signed up the Los Angeles Dodgers as well as the NEC in Birmingham, England, to use its crowd-intelligence system.
