Screen shot from VenueNext’s Levi’s Stadium app
According to Don Muret’s “Breaking Ground” column in today’s Sports Business Journal (subscription required to view), Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said the team is “in talks” with VenueNext to “upgrade mobile technology” at Amway Center for next season. While the report seems more than a little bit unclear on what exactly VenueNext does — it develops and deploys mobile applications, not Wi-Fi gear — the report did say that Magic officials and representatives from the Orlando concessionaire visited VenueNext at Levi’s Stadium for the recent Stadium Series hockey game.
If the report ends up becoming fact, it would represent the first venue outside of Levi’s Stadium to use VenueNext’s stadium-specific mobile application software. VenueNext, which said publicly that it is seeking multiple new customers for its software, hosted a steady parade of prospective customers during the football season at Levi’s Stadium this past fall.
The SBJ report also seems to think that VenueNext technology would somehow replace the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, which simply doesn’t make any sense. Our guess is that the Orlando team might look to add VenueNext’s ability to do things like instant replays and food ordering, which are fairly unique in the stadium app marketplace.
Jeff Lutes, the Orlando Magic’s vice president of technology, said in an email that “With respect to the article in the SBJ, the Orlando Magic are performing due diligence around the VenueNext mobile application. This does not impact nor replace the AmpThink portal for Wi-Fi registration and on-boarding.” Lutes also said that the stadium’s Cisco-based Wi-Fi network gear would not be affected by any new app. Louise Callagy, VenueNext vice president of marketing, said the company had no comment on the SBJ report.
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