In Their Own Words – AEG and Cisco Partner for Digital Success

I have to tell you – I love my job. I am truly passionate about the benefits of Cisco’s Connected Sports Solutions, and the transformative impact they have on a teams, venues and sports leagues around the world. And I love to tell people about it! But once in a while, it’s nice to sit back and let someone else do the talking. Which is why I’m thrilled to share this recently-completed look into Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) – a longtime Cisco partner and customer, and let them share how Cisco technology and solutions have transformed their business and customer experience.

AEG is one of the largest sports and entertainment venue owners / operators in the world, and a global leader in live event management and presentation. They manage hundreds of venues all around the world, including STAPLES Center, T-Mobile Arena and the O2 Arena in London, which is the world’s busiest music and entertainment venue. AEG has been a Cisco partner for more than a decade. Here are a few highlights of the value they see in their relationship with Cisco, in their own words:

“At AEG, our mission is to create a truly immersive experience for our fans where they don’t think for a second they could have gotten this same experience at home” – David Jones, Senior Vice President of IT, Europe, AEG

That’s the real challenge in today’s day and age, isn’t it? Giving sports fans an experience in the arena that they can’t get at home on the couch, in the comfort of their own home. While you certainly can’t replicate the atmosphere and excitement that exists at a live event, we need to be able to meld the at-home benefits with the unmistakable energy inside the arena, and give fans the same ability to use their mobile devices to check scores, see replays and post to social media platforms as they would at home.

“We are now able to speak to 62 percent of customers who attend shows at The O2. This increased reach resulted in 3.5 million connections since May 2015…When our sponsor is able to reach three times the number of attendees as we could before, it becomes a pretty easy business case to make for the value Cisco provides” – David Jones, Senior Vice President of IT, Europe, AEG

Making an investment with Cisco digital network architectures and solutions is truly a win-win scenario, delivering seamless, secure connectivity and much more. When your fans are more engaged with the in-venue experience, it becomes a better value proposition for your partners and sponsors. And deeper insights into fan needs and behaviors – gleaned from a more connected environment – further demonstrates a commitment to provide the unique experiences digital fans demand. On the operational side of the house, Cisco Vision allows a venue to seamlessly and efficiently transition from event to event, customizing content, offers, dynamic menus and more to the specific audience demographic to better maximize revenue potential.

“When we launched [Cisco Vision], we actually increased our revenue straightaway by 10 percent” – Paul Samuels, Executive Vice President Global Partnerships, AEG

I mean, need we say more? The facts (and the customers) speak for themselves. See what else the AEG team has to say about partnering with Cisco to create the best experience for both fans and partners.

With more than 350 venues in over 40 countries around the world representing all of the major sporting leagues, Cisco has been an industry leader for nearly a decade in bringing digitization and innovation to the sports and entertainment industry. Learn more about Cisco’s Connected Sports Solutions here.