Vix Technology and Melbourne Storm roll-out Australia’s first ‘smart stadium’ at AAMI Park
Australian mobility company, Vix Technology, has successfully rolled out contactless payment and loyalty technology across AAMI Park for the 2015 season in partnership with NRL club, Melbourne Storm.
According to the company, this marks Australia’s first smart stadium loyalty and fan engagement solution, and after a successful trial during the 2014 NRL home and away season, the technology has become a standard component of Storm’s membership and loyalty program.
The new Vix SmartSite technology is embedded in all Storm membership cards and supports contactless reader hardware rolled out across AAMI Park for the 2015 season. It integrates payment, access, loyalty rewards and patron analytics technology.
For example, Storm members can now upload funds to the their contactless membership cards or NFC enabled smartphones (that have downloaded the Storm/SmartSite app scheduled to launch this month) online or at terminals around the stadium.
They can then tap their phone or membership card at Vix readers at food, drink and merchandise vendors to make cashless payments and earn Lightning Rewards points.
Vix Technology CEO, Steve Gallagher, said the technology has been designed to support sporting clubs create dynamic fan engagement and improve the match day experience.
“Our data analytics provides Storm with a distinct advantage over competitors by gaining a deeper understanding of its member’s behaviour with insights on purchases, detailed demographic breakdowns and movement into and around the stadium.
“Our vision is to empower clubs, sponsors and stadiums to better reward and cater to their fans in real-time,” Gallagher said.
Melbourne Storm marketing director, Mike Billing, claimed the solution provides a more convenient and engaging experience for its members and also allows it to track expenditure and footfall around the stadium.
“We’re making it easier for members to buy food, drinks and merchandise and connect with the club through the smartcard and mobile app, with the added bonus of earning loyalty points to access money-can’t-buy experiences, Storm and sponsor products through our Lightning Rewards program,” he added.
Vix is also working with AFL juggernaut Collingwood FC which has signed up for the technology to leverage its 80,000 members’ Vix-issued membership cards for loyalty rewards.
