We are witnessing an era of true innovation in stadiums, arenas and racetracks today. Digitally connected fans, with many hi-fidelity options to consume sports content, now refuse to visit what previously amounted to digital islands – venues disconnected from internet connectivity and digital display.
And for good reason. Even the living room can beat a digital island – if a fan happens to be anywhere near the cheap seats, chances are they could better view the event on an HDTV in the comfort of their own home.
Fortunately, leading venues have reacted in a big way.
Stadiums are digitizing beyond belief. From Wi-Fi to in-stadium exclusive mobile replay, video boards and interactive display, stadiums are enjoying the exact opposite of what one might expect – as consumers participate digitally they become more not less
One such venue is the legendary Daytona Motor Speedway which chose digital display to highlight their $400 million renovation. One thousand LCD Displays later and Daytona’s operator, the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) has achieved a level of fan engagement never before seen in the sport – and that’s saying a lot in the sport of Petty and Earnhardt lore.
But getting to the finish line required Premier Mounts.
Nothing Easy About Daytona
The Daytona 500 is a grueling 500 miles of speed, stops, starts, turns and fierce competition. As the pinnacle of the racing season, drivers come prepared for the harshest of competitive environments.
The coastal Florida climate isn’t much kinder, wreaking havoc on anything in its way—especially electronics. In addition to intense heat and humidity, Daytona is actually “brushed or directly hit” by a hurricane every 3.6 years.
Mounting and deploying over 1000 TV’s successfully and sustainably became an epic challenge.
Perhaps to accommodate the moisture while adding aesthetic value, the general contractor of the project specified a build without holes. Suddenly, commodity mounts were no longer an option. Turnkey installation was off the table.
Florida made the call to California in search of a solution. The result is a story of consultation, engineering and collaboration.
Pole Position
Premier Mounts took the lead in the project, blending customization and capacity to deliver a solution tailored to the needs of the ISC. Premier Mounts won with consultancy, ensuring the right products were engineered, delivered and installed the right way, with ample site visits to ensure success.
The product specifications also shined. Premier Mounts custom-built the mount solutions to UL standards, cutting no corners. And with the harsh, humid and corrosive environment set to take a toll on any piece of equipment in its way, Premier Mounts was proactive in extending the life of the mount and display assets with anti-corrosion coatings.
The genius in Premier Mounts’ design however was not it’s complexity, but in fact the direct opposite. An early-mover in modular construction and engineering, Premier Mounts offset the premium pricing associated with better mounts by lowering installation time and resources. Today Modular design is a considered a Top 10 trend in engineering as the industry trades cumbersome onsite builds for centralized, simple assembly, increasing efficiency by decreasing mount times and rework.
Winners Circle Requires Product and Service
No Daytona 500 winner has done it on the strength of his car alone. Its build, components and horsepower are only a fraction of the equation. Give the best car to an amateur driver and he’ll finish in last place every time.
Daytona’s AV challenge held a striking parallel.
1000 displays with stringent requirements and a tough environment would require consultation, planning, design, manufacturing, logistics and coordination of stakeholders. But with people working in conjunction with product – the same way drivers and pit crews strive for the lead – Premier Mounts could enable new technology through long-term expertise for a winning solution so uniquely their own.
