Integration Use Case: Professional Sports

As a sports fan, I really enjoyed hearing Matthew Jafarian, Vice President Digital Strategy and Innovation for The HEAT Group and AmericanAirlines Arena, share his use case on how he is using the Software AG integration platform to integrate more than 10 integration points with the NBA and TicketMaster.

Two years ago, the Miami Heat embraced mobile to improve the fan experience. 85 percent of attendees now scan their tickets on their mobile devices (a 152 percent increase) while 35 percent of attendees now have a Miami Heat app on their phone (a 254 percent increase).

This enables the Heat to know who their fans are, the number of visits they make, as well as what they like, which enables The Heat Group to target their fan base with relevant Heat-related information and offers, as well as other AmericanAirlines Arena event information.

Fan data is driving the business for the Miami Heat and other events at the arena:

• Lead generation — every game generates thousands of new leads from people who have already been here. Those leads flow to the sales staff and helped fuel a 30 percent year-over-year increase in season ticket sales.
• Social campaigns — data fuels Facebook and Instagram advertising efforts. In just one ticket, the sales campaign last season $20,000 ad spend resulted in more than $400,000 in ticket sales. In retail, The Heat Group is actively retargeting 50,000 Vice buyers from last year to encourage them to buy Vice Nights gear.
• Monetizing mobile – building on the NBA’s highest mobile adoption campaigns, fans are now beginning to transact through the mobile app. This equates to more than $50,000 per month in direct mobile app revenue. Of this, $40,000 is ticket sales and $10,000 merchandise.

Relevant push notifications are being used to drive annual season ticket renewals and engagement by fans attending the games, as well as those not attending. These notifications are driven by information from multiple integration APIs 15 minutes before a game starts encouraging fans to tune in on TV if away from the arena and to come to a special venue in the arena to meet with their sales rep to discuss renewing their season-ticket package. 

The future includes a loyalty program for season ticket holders whereby long-term season ticket holders, aka "Legends," get 30 percent off purchases while "Rookies" get 10 percent off Heat merchandise in the arena and with retail partners. The app will also be able to used to make purchases in "cashless zones" within the arena where no cash will be accepted. This will lead to faster checkouts, shorter lines, and secure payment all to improve the fan experience. In addition, next year, the app will enable tap to park, tap to get in the arena, tap to pay to identify for loyalty purposes.

This is a great use case that can be replicated by any professional sports franchise or league. In fact, Software AG is already working with the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks on similar programs to improve the customer experience and heighten fan engagement.