Image credit: The Nike Joyride Trial Experience, produced by The Mill.
Live sport is no longer judged only by what happens on the field. For a growing segment of fans, the real value of attending a game lies in the experience that surrounds it. From immersive visuals to personalised digital interactions, technology is reshaping what a stadium visit feels like and what fans believe it is worth.
Explore how immersive technology is reshaping the value of live sport experiences →
As competition for attention intensifies, stadiums and rights holders face a commercial reality. Ticket pricing pressure is rising while audiences are more selective with how they spend time and money. Immersive technology offers a path forward. By extending the live moment through digital layers, venues can:
In this context, technology becomes a revenue driver rather than a cost line.
So why are fans willing to pay more for digitally enhanced live environments? What is changing in fan behaviour and how experience led technology to drive measurable commercial value? We explore this and more.
The shift toward technology enhanced stadium experiences is grounded in clear behavioural signals. Industry research consistently shows that fans place higher value on live environments that offer interaction, personalisation, and moments they can actively participate in rather than simply observe.
Findings from the PwC Digital Stadiums Report highlight that “Digitally enabled venues increase perceived value by transforming attendance into a multi layer experience.”
Fans respond positively when technology removes friction, adds meaning, or gives them a sense of control over how they engage. This includes:
Deloitte’s 2025 Global Sports Industry Outlook also reinforces this trend. The report notes that “Fans are more willing to pay premium prices when the live experience feels distinct from broadcast viewing”. The presence of immersive technology changes how fans judge value. A ticket is no longer just access to a seat. It becomes access to an environment designed around participation, discovery and shared moments.
See how leading stadiums are using technology to increase dwell time and perceived value
This willingness to pay more is closely linked to time spent inside the venue. When fans arrive earlier, explore more areas, and stay longer after the final whistle, they perceive greater return on their spend.
Technology only adds value when it is designed around how fans actually behave inside a stadium. Rather than leading with tools, FutureLabs focuses on experience formats that naturally fit high traffic, high energy live environments. Below are the key technology layers that consistently drive engagement, dwell time, and commercial return in stadium settings.
Large format touchscreens help fans navigate complex information quickly and intuitively. In a stadium context, this can include match data, player stats, schedules, precinct maps, sponsor content, or interactive storytelling tied to the event.
Instead of static signage, touch interaction gives fans control. They choose what to explore, how deep to go, and when to move on. This sense of agency increases time spent at the installation and makes information feel lighter, clearer, and more memorable even in busy environments.
Touchscreen systems work particularly well in concourses, fan zones, sponsor hubs, and premium hospitality areas where fans naturally pause between moments of play.
AI powered photo moments transform fans from spectators into participants. These experiences allow fans to step into the story of the event, generate personalised content, and take something home digitally that extends the experience beyond the stadium.
In live sports environments, AI photo experiences consistently outperform passive displays because they combine emotion, identity, and shareability. Fans are not just viewing branded content. They are inside it. This increases perceived value while creating organic distribution through social sharing and post event recall.
Gamification introduces purpose and progression into the fan journey. Whether through simple challenges, skill based interactions, or time based competitions, game mechanics give fans a reason to engage more than once and stay longer within the venue.
These formats are especially effective at smoothing crowd flow by pulling fans into underutilised areas and creating moments of energy away from the main seating bowl. Scoring systems, instant feedback, and visible outcomes turn short interactions into memorable moments that feel rewarding.
Importantly, gamified experiences support measurable outcomes. Participation rates, repeat plays, and dwell time can all be tracked and visualised to demonstrate value to partners and stakeholders.
Behind the scenes, real time data capture allows experiences to adapt to the crowd in the moment. This can include visual changes based on participation levels, live dashboards for operators, or dynamic content that responds to audience behaviour across zones.
For venues and sponsors, this data layer turns engagement into insight. It reveals where fans spend time, what attracts attention, and which experiences drive the strongest response. Over time, this informs better pricing, better layouts, and more effective sponsorship design.
Together, these technology layers form a connected experience ecosystem rather than isolated activations. This is how FutureLabs helps stadiums move beyond entertainment into value creation. When fans feel engaged, seen, and involved, paying more no longer feels like a premium. It feels justified.
Explore how real-time participation data unlocks new commercial and sponsorship value
As live sport continues to compete with at home viewing, the stadiums that thrive will be those that offer something meaningfully different. The opportunity is not in adding more technology. It is in designing the right experiences at the right moments. When immersive interactions are integrated into the natural flow of a stadium, they increase dwell time, elevate perceived value, and create premium environments that sponsors want to invest in.
FutureLabs specialises in building these value driven experiences for live environments. With deep experience across sport, entertainment, and large scale public spaces, the team combines strategy, experience design, and custom technology to help venues and brands move beyond passive exposure. Every project is designed to connect fan behaviour with measurable outcomes, from participation and data capture to sponsorship performance and long term engagement.
Whether it is an AI powered fan moment, a gamified activation, or a responsive digital layer across an entire precinct, FutureLabs focuses on one question. How does this experience make the live moment more valuable for the fan and more effective for the business?
If you are planning a stadium activation or looking to increase the commercial return of your next live event, now is the time to rethink how experience is designed.
Explore how FutureLabs turns immersive technology into value added stadium experiences.
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