Earthquakes president Dave Kaval seems over-the-moon about the club’s multi-year agreement which grants naming rights of the Earthquakes new stadium to Avaya.
Make that over-a-cloud.
The Earthquakes’ Avaya Stadium will not only pair two rising Silicon Valley brands, but it’s expected to be the first cloud-enabled MLS venue. The team weighed other offers, but it was tough to top Avaya’s remarkable technology-integration system. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Avaya was the official supplier of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014.
Kaval described the partnership as a “total natural.”
“I think all the things will create a very tech-forward, innovative experience for fans that can really be in the envy of stadiums from across the world,” Kaval said.
What will the fan in-stadium experience be like? There will be a mobile application in the stadium which will generate an interactive fan experience.
“We’ll have this cloud-enabled stadium that Avaya is powering which enables us to create a better fan experience for our customers,” Kaval said. “It starts with our app, our Avaya stadium app which we’re now launching. It will allow people to handle commerce, things like actually having their ticket on their actual app, and they’ll be able to use that to scan into the building; being able use it on concessions and things of this nature, and for ordering in some parts of the venue, which is great.’
Kaval said Avaya’s system will recognize who you are and what you’re doing in the network. Thus, they’ll be able to tailor messaging and general information to fans.
A new videoconferencing system figures to take player-fan relations to another level. Fans will be able see and hear players via teleconferencing in addition to just meeting them in person for autographs. The videoconferencing will also enhance the club’s day-to-day operations.
“There are lots we can do with our videoconferencing, which helps us out not only on the sales side, but also in finding good players, and all sorts of stuff,” Kaval said. “It’s really a great partnership, so we’re really excited about it.”
Avaya’s on-site lab department will constantly be launching new features, Kaval said.
“It’s a 10-year partnership, and so there’s going to be a lot of new things based on the agreement,” Kaval said. “We’re going to be able to roll out new technologies all the time, and our fans are going to be able to interact with our players in new ways … All of these things are possible because we have a new tech partner and you’re not beholden to an old tech system that you installed on the day you opened. That’s really nice, and it kind of gives is a cutting-edge feel over a period of time. It’s not a one-shot deal.”
Avaya is known for its resilient, agile communications. This month, Avaya won the 2014 Edison Award from the R&J Council of New Jersey, acknowledging its continued focuson research and development of highly innovative solutions in all aspects of collaboration and communications technology.
As it’s grown, Avaya has seen the relevance and importance of global sports, Kaval said. Its Olympic commitment attests to that.
Soccer, of, course, is the most global of all sports.
“This is a huge commitment and investment in soccer and in the Earthquakes and in MLS. Five or six years ago people would have be surprised that we’d have such a big deal, the third largest deal in the league, in San Jose,” Kaval said. “It says a lot about where our club is going and this community, and the interest in our sport, and it really foretells a great future.”
