Wowza.
Cards' stadium goes high tech
Insight adds Net phones, wi-fi access
Jane Larson
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 27, 2005 12:00 AM
Fans will be able to order souvenirs using Internet phones in their suites and check their fantasy-football statistics wirelessly when the new Arizona Cardinals stadium opens next year.
It's all part of a technology and marketing deal being announced today by the National Football League team and Tempe-based computer marketer Insight Enterprises Inc.The deal will make the Cardinals' Glendale stadium the most technologically advanced in the NFL and raise Insight's profile to a national level, team and company officials said.
The plan is for Insight to equip the stadium with 700 Internet-enabled telephones, 700 flat-screen displays and high-speed wireless Internet access. The Cardinals' headquarters in Tempe and training camp in Flagstaff will be equipped with similar technology. advertisement
Each of the stadium's 88 suites will have an Internet protocol phone with a liquid-crystal-display screen. Fans can use the phones as they would use touch-screen kiosks, to order goods from the team shop, check scores and event calendars, or even keep track of their fantasy-football teams, executives said.
Patrons throughout the stadium will have wireless access for their cellphones, and handheld and laptop computers.
Insight also will design, install and maintain the data-voice-and-video network that will connect all the equipment. The stadium will be the first in the nation to have all three applications on a common backbone instead of separate lines, executives said.
Cardinals and Insight officials declined to disclose the value of the deal, saying only that it is worth more than $1 million over several years.
The new technology, which will be able to deliver updated results after every football play, will cater to fans' love of statistics and information, Cardinals Vice President Michael Bidwill said.
"As informed as we can make our fans during a game, that is a better fan experience," he said.
Convention-goers at the stadium also will benefit from the technology grid to be built into the stadium's floor.
The deal highlights Insight's efforts to move beyond its roots as a reseller of computer equipment to small and midsize businesses. Richard Fennessy, who took over as Insight's chief executive officer in November, said the deal will help the company's expansion strategy and its profile in Arizona.
The deal also extends Insight's football ties beyond its annual sponsorship of college football's Insight Bowl.
NFL fans will see Insight signs around the stadium and hear it mentioned in broadcasts. Insight also will take part in Cardinals events, charities and youth football program.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0427InsightCards27.html
A-Bomb
Cards' stadium goes high tech
Insight adds Net phones, wi-fi access
Jane Larson
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 27, 2005 12:00 AM
Fans will be able to order souvenirs using Internet phones in their suites and check their fantasy-football statistics wirelessly when the new Arizona Cardinals stadium opens next year.
It's all part of a technology and marketing deal being announced today by the National Football League team and Tempe-based computer marketer Insight Enterprises Inc.The deal will make the Cardinals' Glendale stadium the most technologically advanced in the NFL and raise Insight's profile to a national level, team and company officials said.
The plan is for Insight to equip the stadium with 700 Internet-enabled telephones, 700 flat-screen displays and high-speed wireless Internet access. The Cardinals' headquarters in Tempe and training camp in Flagstaff will be equipped with similar technology. advertisement
Each of the stadium's 88 suites will have an Internet protocol phone with a liquid-crystal-display screen. Fans can use the phones as they would use touch-screen kiosks, to order goods from the team shop, check scores and event calendars, or even keep track of their fantasy-football teams, executives said.
Patrons throughout the stadium will have wireless access for their cellphones, and handheld and laptop computers.
Insight also will design, install and maintain the data-voice-and-video network that will connect all the equipment. The stadium will be the first in the nation to have all three applications on a common backbone instead of separate lines, executives said.
Cardinals and Insight officials declined to disclose the value of the deal, saying only that it is worth more than $1 million over several years.
The new technology, which will be able to deliver updated results after every football play, will cater to fans' love of statistics and information, Cardinals Vice President Michael Bidwill said.
"As informed as we can make our fans during a game, that is a better fan experience," he said.
Convention-goers at the stadium also will benefit from the technology grid to be built into the stadium's floor.
The deal highlights Insight's efforts to move beyond its roots as a reseller of computer equipment to small and midsize businesses. Richard Fennessy, who took over as Insight's chief executive officer in November, said the deal will help the company's expansion strategy and its profile in Arizona.
The deal also extends Insight's football ties beyond its annual sponsorship of college football's Insight Bowl.
NFL fans will see Insight signs around the stadium and hear it mentioned in broadcasts. Insight also will take part in Cardinals events, charities and youth football program.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0427InsightCards27.html
A-Bomb
