THE TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEW
For Norman Rice, the modern stadium is no longer just a place to watch sport. Instead, he views it as a digital environment where connectivity underpins everything from ticketing and payments to safety, broadcast operations and fan engagement.
As Chief Commercial Officer, Norman leads sales, services and supply chain at the networking company, as well as serving as executive sponsor for the company’ s sports and entertainment business.
With this intrigue and passion, Norman is keen to illustrate just how the network has become the invisible engine of the live event experience, as well as why high-density Wi-Fi is now a mission-critical utility and what the next generation of smart venues will mean for fans and operators alike. While at Extreme Networks, the company has expanded and broadened its presence in sports and entertainment. Alongside relationships with major customers such as the NFL, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, Liverpool FC and Manchester United, Extreme’ s focus has evolved from simply keeping people connected to enabling a seamless experience across the full matchday journey.
At this year’ s FIFA World Cup venues, Extreme’ s technology will deliver what Norman describes as a seamless, tech-first journey for fans.“ In short: a fully connected, technology-first experience from the parking lot to the final whistle,” he says.
“Real-time network and movement data give stadium teams a live pulse on what’ s happening across the entire venue”
Norman Rice Chief Commercial Officer Extreme Networks
Extreme is providing the networking and network analytics backbone in eight World Cup host venues, including Gillette Stadium in Boston, NRG Stadium in Houston and Lumen Field in Seattle, which Norman says is the“ infrastructure that powers everything fans see – and a lot they don’ t”.
Fans now enter via mobile ticketing and cashless systems, then enjoy highdensity Wi-Fi enabling self-pour beer walls, seat-delivered concessions, in-app upgrades, interactive maps and real-time betting – all without interruptions usually experienced by people in high-density areas like sports stadiums and music venues.“ Behind the scenes, the same network supports critical stadium operations: security systems, staff communications, broadcast feeds, instant replays, digital signage, betting platforms and every point-of-sale device in the building,” he adds.
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