Around the world, SAP helps professional sports teams and venues simplify their operations to become more efficient, profitable, and successful.
However, creating the optimal in-stadium experience for fans is a challenging undertaking for a sports franchise considering the sheer size and scope of managing a venue on game day — from thousands of full- and part-time staff to tens of thousands of fans, and managing various systems and vendors used for ticketing, parking, concessions, retail, and customer service. The ability to collect, consolidate, and generate insights based on real-time data across all facets of a fan’s experience at the venue is the key to unlocking operational efficiencies that keep fans satisfied.
While the San Francisco 49ers manage one of the most innovative stadiums in professional sports, they were looking to elevate how they capture, report, and respond to gameday operations in real time to improve the gameday experience for fans, increase operational efficiency, and drive cost savings.
Recognizing SAP’s experience helping create connected stadium experiences for FC Bayern Munich, Adler Mannheim, and TSG Hoffenheim, the 49ers collaborated with SAP to turn their challenge into a groundbreaking opportunity.
Following a design thinking workshop, SAP, the 49ers, and their partner NIMBL mapped out a three-month roadmap that would result in the creation of a first-of-its-kind venue management solution enabling the team to call operational audibles during games based on real-time data and analytics across the critical systems impacting a fan’s experience.
Tested during the preseason and fully operational since the team’s first home game, Executive Huddle allows the 49ers to monitor and evaluate real-time data visualizations spanning nine different sources, including ticketing and attendance, parking, food and beverage, retail, and social media. Housed in a suite at Levi’s Stadium and available on mobile devices, Executive Huddle enables the 49ers business analytics team to identify an issue or opportunity early, act on it in real time, and see immediate results.
“With the at home experience being so great, we want to make sure that every piece of a fan’s journey from coming into the parking lots, entering the stadium, and enjoying concessions and retail is all a first-class memorable experience,” said Moon Javaid, 49ers vice president of Business Strategy and Analytics. “We were determined to find a way to deliver real-time analysis and response capabilities to our valued Levi’s Stadium guests, and with an innovative partner like SAP, we knew it would be possible.”
The secret behind Executive Huddle is a variety of SAP technologies that provide flexibility and a foundation for continuous innovation. Executive Huddle utilizes SAP Leonardo technology, including SAP Analytics Cloud running on SAP Cloud Platform, as well as the SAP HANA database.
“Executive Huddle is a perfect example of collaborative innovation between SAP and its partners,” said Mike Flannagan, senior vice president, SAP Leonardo and Analytics, SAP. “Together, we identified a challenge, utilized foundational solutions like SAP Leonardo, and co-innovated to create customized tools to address our partner’s needs.”
With five home games remaining on the regular season schedule, the 49ers are well-positioned to act in the moment with data-driven insights to optimize their operations and create a memorable experience every time a fan steps foot in Levi’s Stadium.
