The 2018 Super Bowl is fast approaching. As the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles gear up to face off this coming Sunday (February 4, 2018) we’re taking a look at the top tech used to power through and upgrade the ultimate experience of every fan watching the 2018 Super Bowl.
From fan experiences to security and communication, both the U.S. Bank Stadium and the entire town of Minneapolis, MN are prepared to make this year’s game one for the books.
Here’s what technology to expect at the Super Bowl LII:
Fan Spotlights & In-Game Entertainment
Throughout the entire event, fans can expect to not only tap into their social networks to share their opinions, but to share videos and pictures of their experience and even participate in a variety of competitions.
#BrandBowl52 – Aiming to be Super Bowl 52’s top social media platform, Twitter has created the first ever #BrandBowl for advertisers and users to collectively discuss the Super Bowl. Conveniently, the #BrandBowl will also be handing out awards for ads that drive the most engagement (even if they don’t advertise with commercials throughout the game). To subscribe, users simply retweet a tweet from Twitter’s Marketing Account (@TwitterMKTG). Read the full story here.
Mercedes Contest – Taking the “Last Fan Standing” physical contest to another level, Mercedes-Benz is giving away a free car to one lucky, determined fan. All you have to do, is keep your finger on your smart phone and you could win a Mercedes-AMG.
15 Seconds of Fame – Ever made it onto the big screen at a sports game and missed the recording on your DVR? This app eliminates that worry. Fans are encouraged to use the NFL Partnered “15 Seconds of Fame” app at the Super Bowl LII to capture their on-camera big-screen appearances and get personalized video clips sent right to their phone.
Audience and Emotion – By geofencing the stadium, BlueMedia and Ampsy are teaming up to bring you real-time audience’s social media posts and moments. See how many people are elated about the score (or frustrated) in real time at 52.ampsy.com.
Pre-Game Fan Experience
Can you see me now? – The Minnesota Vikings U.S. Bank Stadium is outfitted with 13 Daktronics Video Boards spanning more than 31,000 square feet and a massive 55-foot tall, curved LED screens attached to look like a sail. Expected to display ticketing information, parking information, restroom waiting times, concession stands, game plays and instant-replays, fans won’t be able to miss these screens.
Augmented Reality – Purchases made through StubHub allowed fans to view their seat selection in an AR version of the stadium to ensure the perfect view for the right price. Furthermore, fans inside the U.S. Bank Stadium will be able to play augmented reality video games designed by Virtex Arena to further enhance their experience.
“Not Done Network” – The New England Patriots have released their very own live streaming network to provide fans live content leading up to the Super Bowl, throughout the game, and after the event. Check out the nonstop coverage at http://www.patriots.com/notdone-schedule.
Scorekeeping Bridge – Minnesota’s Department of Transportation has an interesting take on how to celebrate the Super Bowl LII. Embracing the event’s spirit, the 10-lane I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge (less than a mile from the stadium) will be hosting a LED show. Features include: bright red display when a team enters the red zone and the appropriate team color (red & blue for the Patriots, green & silver for the Eagles) displayed for scoring plays. What a fun way to engage downtown Minneapolis!
Data Connections – With over 125,000 people expected to attend the Super Bowl LII, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are bolstering their networks and antenna systems around the stadium to accommodate the extreme network infrastructure of fans’ data usage. AT&T is using drones to identify heavily saturated wireless areas to equip such areas with 5G bandwidth. Last year, Verizon reports 11 terabytes of data used. Can anyone guess this year’s total?
Law Enforcement Security
Last but not least, fans can expect 80 officers in the command center representing approximately 60 local, state, and federal Law Enforcement agencies to be equipped with top-notch technology keeping their eyes on every aspect of the game. With 2,000 fixed cameras throughout downtown Minneapolis and neighboring areas, 3,000 officers working the Super Bowl, and over 400 cameras inside the stadium, the public safety teams are on high alert.
FieldWatch – Local Minnesota Company, working with the Minneapolis Police Department, Securonet built an application that runs on smart phones and enhances officer and command staff communication with location tracking, real-time videos, stored views, and more.
Designed to give Law Enforcement tactical awareness, the app allows its users to track officer locations on the ground. The officer can then send a real-time view of their surroundings to communicate directly with the command center giving a real situational awareness of what’s happening outside of their control room. Over 2,000 officers will have the application installed on their cell phones for the event.
Super Bowl LII
Approximately 1.5 million people will “call in sick” the Monday after the Super Bowl. Maybe that has something to do with the 1.3 BILLION chicken wings that are expected to be consumed. Whatever the case, we have no-doubt the Super Bowl LII be a record setting event for technological innovations across the board. Here at L-Tron we love reading about the latest and greatest uses of technology and especially how technological innovations can help keep Law Enforcement personnel and entire stadiums of people safe and secure. Be sure to look for exciting ways that technology is used in this year’s Super Bowl and share your finds with us on social media @LTronCorp!
Amazon’s Alexa has made her prediction for the 2018 Super Bowl Champion. Cast your Vote now!
