Evolution in technology delivers revolution in experience for SSE Arena Belfast
The SSE Arena, Belfast, is a beacon of success, a venue that has delivered sensible, simple innovation consistently since it first opened in 2000. With a focus on fan experience, delivering an atmosphere that engages and entertains, Northern Ireland’s biggest live events venue has gone from strength to strength with technology at the core of that drive.
With seats for 11,000 spectators, The SSE Arena is home to the Belfast Giants Ice Hockey team, hosts numerous live music, comedy, and arts events, a truly multi-purpose facility with a broad and diverse range of fans to engage.
Following an initial implementation of digital signage in 2015 during a major renovation project, The SSE Arena has seen its trust in the technology and the benefits of it for both supporting revenue generation and improving fan experience grow.
As part of a holistic approach to improving experience and operational performance of the arena, digital signage is now an integral tool. Whether through driving additional revenues, streamlining operational processes, or just adding a modern look and feel, Uniguest digital signage has played its part.
Since deploying the solution, our food and beverage, and merchandise sales have ultimately grown; digital signage plays a part in that. I also think the fan experience and the investments we've made right across the business impact that as well, but, it's fair to say that digital signage has played its part.
Fans are now more aware when we release special offers and discounts and we're able to communicate those through the digital signage displays. This alone has helped immensely, creating tangible benefits for us as a company. Clara Killen, Digital Experience Manager at The SSE Arena
We rely very heavily on the digital signage to deliver on several key areas for our business. There are the operational benefits. So, if you attend an event in the arena, we utilize the screens to provide health and safety information, directional signage.
We also use our digital signage to deliver on our commercial and brand sponsorship activations so that we can show who our sponsors are or promote packages and commercial offerings. Claire Cosgrave, Associate Director of Experience at The SSE Arena
An obvious, but often overlooked benefit of digital signage is that it is a creative media platform, a solution that allows the venue’s operational team to take advantage of their imagination.
A hugely popular addition to the arena’s game day repertoire is its Wheel of Cams. Using the ability to overlay graphics onto live video streams, the Wheel of Cams selects a dance, such as Bongo Cam, Dance Cam, or Karaoke Cam, and displays low latency live footage of fans in the arena dancing, singing, or ‘playing’ the Bongos on the jumbo screens.
Clara Killen commented:
Moving with the times and changing the layout and configuration of our digital signage has allowed us to be more creative and more engaging with our content.
Rather than having static menu boards, we have menu boards that come to life, where we can change products, change pricing and be flexible with that. So as we have evolved, we've really decided to move with the times and make sure that we're using the digital signage to its full capability.
Additionally, the incredible content created by the Arena’s team displayed on the LED and screens around the venue has helped drive their brand awareness through social media.
Claire Cosgrave:
We've also noticed that from where we deployed new stretch displays on our concourse, organically, fans started to stand underneath the screens and take selfies when the screen above was showing the artist who was playing that night or the Giants. They are then using that to tag themselves at the Arena, using that on their social media platforms and, almost by chance, this started to become an ‘Instagrammable’ element that we hadn't really appreciated could happen with the screens.
The SSE Arena has deployed over 150 displays, using the Uniguest SP1 media player, a device built in partnership with BrightSign, powered by its Tripleplay software platform. The arena’s content team use the technology to deliver secure IPTV streams, from Uniguest Low Latency Encoders, and complex digital signage content to every display individually or as groups.
Summarising, Killen added, The relationship that we have with the team at Uniguest is first class. We want to be a premier venue that engages with fans and brings the biggest live artists to Belfast. And I think that Uniguest are on that same journey. And that's why they’re perfect partner for us.
About Uniguest
Uniguest is a global leader in providing connected technology solutions to enable those in hospitality, senior living, sports, stadiums, entertainment, healthcare, retail, education, government, corporate, and enterprise to engage with their audience. Uniguest is highly focused on creating deep client relationships as shown by its most recent NPS (Net Promoter Score) score of 81. Uniguest supplies turnkey technology solutions that include digital signage, IPTV, enterprise video and engagement apps, professional services, and 24/7/365 multi-lingual support.
James Keen
VP, Marketing
