Rogers Arena, back when it was General Motors Place, became Canada's most-wired and wireless sports venue, by virtue of hosting the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics hockey tournament.
More than three-and-a-half years later, as the puck drops for a new Vancouver Canucks season, nobody could be more enthusiastic about the next steps than Derek Boyd.
"We're starting to realize everyone wants to be on their smartphone; they're going to do it whether we like it or not," said Boyd, Canucks Sports and Entertainment (CSE) director of technology. "We know that the current cellular infrastructure can't handle that density, so we need to supplement it with Wi-Fi, but with Wi-Fi there is also a very interesting palette from which to leverage business, whether it's food sales, ticket sales or outside partnerships."
The key to it all? Customer relationship management (CRM). CSE has partnered with Microsoft Dynamics to explore and exploit the sales and sponsorship possibilities of data: who are Canucks fans, what are their tastes and spending habits at games and how might that benefit Rogers Arena operations and Canucks sponsors beyond the rink.
"We're looking for that way to get that precious data and put it into our CRM so we can figure out where our visitors are eating, how we can leverage that data and go back to our partners," Boyd said. "It's trying to tie all those things together into one information portal. We're starting to realize the power of data. The Dynamics CRM was our first foray into that. As that starts to pay off, the hunger gets greater and greater."
CSE already has the opt-in Canucks Member Card, which acts as a digital wallet for food, drink and merchandise inside Rogers Arena. Gathering and managing data through all facets of the operation can help CSE adapt to a changing marketplace. The Canucks are reliant on corporate ticketholders, but the actual client named on the account tends to share his or her tickets with staff or suppliers.
"We feel we're not as connected with the fans, the person who gets their tickets from their boss or buddies," Boyd admitted.
The Canucks claim to have sold out every home game since November 14, 2002, but don't publish the actual gate counts. Save for the Winnipeg Jets, who play in the NHL's smallest rink, Vancouver has the most successful franchise west of Toronto. Groups of empty seats were visible throughout the arena during the post-lockout 2013 regular season and playoffs, reminding the club that demographics and media consumption are both changing. The first of three towers connected to Rogers Arena will open in 2014, allowing the 18,910 capacity to increase yet again.
"Just like any other business, we're grappling with the changing of the guard," Boyd said. "We knew how to deal with the baby boomers. Now the gen X is coming in, so we're trying to find ways to cater to them and also the gen Ys who are right behind. We've got to make the experience better; we've gotta compel people to get out of their dens with their 5.1 [home theatres] and 60-inch plasma [TVs] and get them to the game, and that's through knowing our customers. That's the only way we're going to do it. The games are changing, money's changing, costs are going up."
Microsoft Dynamics general manager Rob Adams said pro sports franchises, like the Canucks and the NFL's Chicago Bears, are one of the company's highest growth sectors because they seek that business intelligence in a competitive market for the entertainment and sponsorship dollar.
Boyd also recently took over IT for Aquilini Investment Group, the company's diversified parent. It also needs data to help inform its real estate, hospitality and agriculture holdings.
"We're merging everything together. I don't need five email servers. I need one," Boyd said. "Same thing with business intelligence. The same platform that can be running the next great property app can assist in the next property we buy. Property is property, and Vancouver real estate is certainly a finite resource." •
