By Bill Smith

When Major League Soccer’s newest team, St. Louis CITY SC, hosted its inaugural game at CITYPARK on March 4th, fans enjoyed a seamless fan experience thanks to SKIDATA’s groundbreaking Connected Stadium technology. The technology allows fans to use a single credential on their smart phones to access everything the stadium has to offer. When fans arrive at the stadium, they use their phones to access and pay for parking, enter the stadium, and even pay for concessions and souvenirs.

“The connected stadium is the future of venue management, providing complete access to an event and all the associated services with a single credential,” said Andrew Feffer, Head of Venues and Events for SKIDATA. “St. Louis CITY SC’s fans are going to enjoy the convenience and benefits provided by this technology.”

The credential connects the fan’s device to an enterprise platform that manages all elements of an event. The platform also provides rich data to stadium operations managers so they can better understand individual fan preferences and behaviors. This will allow the team to send personalized promotions, offers, and added value benefits directly to fans.

“As one of the few professional sports teams with our new stadium, offices, practice facilities, and parking structures all located within one urban setting, we chose to invest in campus-wide technologies that support a seamless and fully connected fan experience,” said Matt Sebek, St. Louis CITY SC Chief Experience Officer. “This approach allows us to manage the entire guest journey from parking to ticketing to multi-channel commerce while also simplifying the operational management of many roles and permissions on our campus.”

Bill Smith is with Smith-Phillips Strategic Communications.

After the cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed into bankruptcy in late 2022, the arena the Miami Heat played in because known only as the “Miami-Dade Arena.” We may soon have a new name for the arena — the Kaseya Center.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a proposal for a $117 million naming rights deal with the software company based in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. County commissioners will vote on the agreement April 4. The NBA hasn’t signed off on an agreement. The sponsorship deal cannot be finalized without league approval.

FTX only held naming rights on the arena for the 2021-22 season and the beginning of the 2022-23 season. From 2000 to 2021, the center was known as the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Kaseya is a privately held company with about 900 employees in Miami. The company will receive $4.6 million in subsidies from Miami-Dade county if it meets its goals to hire 3,000 more employees in Miami.

By Annie Merrill

Dan Phillips, AIA, has joined HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice as a principal and senior project designer. Based in Dallas, Phillips brings more than three decades of experience designing high-profile stadiums, ballparks, arenas, and training facilities across the globe.

“Dan is known for his ability to bring a client’s vision to life while supporting their revenue generation goals,” said Nate Appleman, HOK’s director of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to HOK.”

Phillips has dedicated his career to designing sports facilities that deliver an exceptional experience for fans and athletes. His recent notable collegiate projects include Amon G. Carter Stadium and Schollmaier Arena at Texas Christian University, Brian Patterson Performance Center at Rice University, College Park Center Arena at the University of Texas at Arlington, and Hunt Family Baseball Development Center at the University of Arkansas. He also has designed spring training facilities for Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers and helped lead the design of Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers.

“Dan’s deep experience with clients in the region and commitment to design excellence will play a crucial role in the growth of our Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice in Texas and beyond,” said Jay Tatum, HOK’s managing principal for Texas. “He will be instrumental as we design and deliver sports facility work from our Dallas, Houston, and Austin studios.”

Annie Merrill is Associate / Communications Manager for HOK and based in Kansas City, Missouri.

By Karen Caro

The Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority announced the hiring of Robin Canada to the position of Director of Human Resources. Canada has more than 15 years of experience as a human resources director. She will be responsible for recruitment, employee relations, benefits, compensation, training, development, payroll, and labor relations for Cobb Galleria Centre, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and ArtsBridge Foundation.

“Robin’s background and credentials bring a new perspective to our venues that will elevate our employee experience,” said Michele Swann, General Manager & CEO of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority.

Canada holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management from Purdue University as well as SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications. She has worked for multiple hotel brands in several states, most recently at the Atlanta Westin Perimeter.

Karen Caro is Marketing Manager for Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.

Audiovisual systems manufacturer Daktronics has been appointed by North Carolina State University to manufacture and install a new video display at Wayne Day Family Field at Carter-Finley Stadium.

The HDR-capable display will be one of the largest in the Atlantic Coast Conference, spanning more than 7,100 square feet and featuring more than 6.6 million pixels. It will be installed in the spring.

The display will be located in the north end zone of the stadium and will measure around 43 feet high by 166 feet wide. It will be capable of variable content zoning, allowing it to show live video, instant replays, statistics and game information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.

Corey Williams, Daktronics sales representative, said: “This display is going to be significantly larger than the previous display and will require extensive coordination and engineering to make this project become a reality. We’re extremely proud to partner with NC State and their amazing team of people and look forward to being a part of this landmark installation on campus.”