The Los Angeles Dodgers announced a partnership with crowd-intelligence system provider WaitTime, to better understand crowd behavior inside different parts of Dodger Stadium.
WaitTime, which uses a combination of camera feeds and artificial intelligence software to provide real-time analysis of crowd flow and fan behavior, can help teams and venues better understand how crowds behave in certain spaces like concession stands and concourses. With that insight, teams and venues can theoretically better understand how to structure their venues to optimize fan traffic, in ways like shortening lines in crowded areas and putting sponsor activations in high-traffic areas for better exposure.
The deal is a significant one for the Detroit-based WaitTime, since it is the first large public contract for the company after a mid-pandemic pivot from initially being a provider of “wait time” information about venues, like bathroom and concession lines, a service that had been used at venues like the Miami Heat’s American Airlines Arena and the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia. In January, WaitTime and Cisco announced a partnership where WaitTime’s expanded focus on crowd analytics would be part of Cisco’s venue solution set.
In a prepared statement, the Dodgers said they will use WaitTime data, paired with actual game data, to gain insights into the fan behavior inside parts of the stadium at any given moment of time.
“We’ve made assumptions and different attempts, including the use of Wi-Fi datasets, access control, and other transactions, to understand where fans are at any given time, but to have WaitTime’s technology, which is incredibly accurate, is very powerful,” said Ralph Esquibel, vice president of information technology at the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a prepared statement. “We’re using this information to understand the impact of various points of interest, and this information will allow us to not only think about long-term revenue strategies but also understand how to better engage with fans and what is most impactful to them.”
According to WaitTime, the company’s solution uses video data from Meraki MV smart cameras, along with artificial intelligence software, to accurately count the number of people in a given area and determine whether they are passing through or waiting in line. Venues must typically install a series of cameras to cover the areas they want to analyze, since according to WaitTime existing security-camera networks typically do not provide enough coverage in all the places where fan behavior needs to be tracked. According to Zachary Klima, CEO of WaitTime, the Dodgers have been using the WaitTime system in selected parts of the ballpark for the past three months.
“The Dodgers are known as one of the most forward-thinking teams in baseball, so it’s fitting the team is turning to WaitTime to provide a cutting-edge solution that’s going to give them an accurate view of fan behavior,” Klima said, in a prepared statement. “WaitTime will allow the Dodgers to make data-informed decisions like never before.”
