A fan leaves their seat during a break, checks the nearest concession stand, and joins a queue. Play resumes before they reach the front. The venue’s app and screens can keep them connected, but neither gives back the moment they missed.
Fan experience technology includes the digital and physical systems that help people access, enjoy, and move through a live event. From finding the right gate to buying a drink and returning to a seat, its value comes down to one thing: giving fans more time with the event they came to see.
AiFi helps venue operators and concessionaires improve that journey with Frictionless, its checkout-free concessions offering. Fans can collect what they want and leave without a conventional checkout stop, spending the break enjoying the event instead of waiting to pay.
Key takeaways:
Judge each technology by whether it gives fans more time with the event.
AiFi Frictionless helps fans complete concession purchases during short breaks; Wimbledon served 911 customers an hour at peak.
Place and time replays, apps, and interactive fan zones around the tasks fans need to complete.
Start with one stand, prove the result at live events, and scale when the evidence supports it.
Computer Vision for Venues: Improve the Concessions Journey
The concessions journey shows what giving time back can look like. At Wimbledon, AiFi-powered concessions served 911 customers an hour at peak. At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, stores handled about 2,000 items an hour per store. Leicester City Football Club reduced transaction time from 70 seconds to 18 seconds. These measure different parts of the purchasing journey: customers served, items sold, and transaction time.
AiFi Frictionless lets fans enter using the supported payment or access method, collect their items, and walk out without stopping to scan and pay at a conventional checkout. Computer vision builds the basket as they shop, and payment follows the configured flow. Less time purchasing means more time back at the seat.
Make Buying Easier During the Break
The commercial result matters alongside the fan experience. Co-op Live reported 32% higher revenue per fan, while the Detroit Lions reported a 170% increase. These venue-specific results show the opportunity when fans can complete a purchase within the time they have; each venue should validate the result under its own event conditions.
Keep Service Personal in Premium Spaces
In clubs, suites, and hospitality areas, the same aim applies: let guests get refreshments without interrupting the experience. AiFi’s premium venue configuration supports those spaces, where service quality and spend per guest matter alongside time saved.
For the checkout process, staffing considerations, and deployment detail, see our guide to cashierless checkout at stadiums.
Give Fans Useful Replays, Displays, and Interactive Fan Zones
Screens and interactive fan zones should add something fans can’t easily get from their seat: a replay of a disputed play, player statistics, or a family activity before the event. Put concise information where fans pass during breaks, and place longer activities where people can stop without blocking the concourse. The test is whether the feature adds to the visit without costing fans time finding it, using it, or getting back to the event.
Make Mobile Apps Helpful Throughout the Visit
A venue app earns its place when it answers the question of the moment: which entrance to use, where to find the nearest concession stand, or when the next train leaves. Tickets, maps, updates, and ordering should help fans complete those tasks quickly. If mobile ordering is available, make collection times, pickup locations, and assistance clear so time saved ordering isn’t lost in another queue.
Use RFID Where It Adds Useful Product or Access Information
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses tags and readers to identify an item or credential. Product tags can distinguish shirts in different sizes, while a separately configured wristband may support access or payment. Matching the setup to the task helps fans find and purchase what they need without extra steps. Our guide to combining spatial intelligence with RFID explains how product tags complement camera-based understanding for apparel and other soft goods.
Look at the Whole Journey, from Gate to Seat
A quick purchase only helps if fans can reach the stand, find what they want, and return to their section before play resumes. Walk that route during a busy event. Look for confusing signs, congested paths, unavailable products, and collection points that hold people up. Use what fans and staff tell you to decide which stop to improve next.
Entry belongs in the same experience. The aim is for fans who are ready to enter to keep moving without an unnecessary stop at the gate, with clear assistance for anyone who needs help. Consider that arrival experience alongside concessions and the route to the seat so one improvement doesn’t leave another frustrating stop in the journey.
Measure What Fans Actually Experience
Match the evaluation to the time fans have: a halftime break, a concert interval, or the arrival period. Compare queue time, completed purchases, spend per fan, and feedback across similar events. Keep customers served, items sold, and transaction time separate, and account for attendance, assortment, and stock availability. That shows whether fans are getting time back and whether the operating result supports expansion.
Give Fans More Time with the Event
Start with the concession journey where waiting costs fans the most time:
Pick one stand. Choose a location with a recurring queue and agree on the outcome to improve, such as purchases completed during halftime.
Prove it at live events. Establish a baseline, deploy Frictionless with the required AiFi hardware, and compare similar events using operating results and fan feedback.
Scale when the results hold. Expand across the concourse and into suitable premium spaces once the experience and operating evidence support the decision.
Talk to AiFi about your venue to choose your first stand and plan a live-event evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fan Experience Technology
What Makes an Interactive Fan Zone Useful?
An interactive fan zone should offer an activity suited to its audience, location, and available time. Test whether people can find it, understand it, complete the experience, and leave without creating problems for nearby circulation. Participation is useful evidence alongside feedback and operational observations.
How Does Computer Vision Support Stadium Concessions?
AiFi Frictionless uses computer vision and the required AiFi hardware to interpret product selections and build a shopping basket. Combined with the configured payment and access systems, it lets fans collect items and leave without a conventional checkout stop, helping them return to the event sooner.
Is RFID the Same as Contactless Payment?
No. RFID identifies a tag through radio signals. It may identify a product or be part of a wristband-based access or payment arrangement. Contactless payment requires the appropriate payment technology and account setup; attaching an RFID tag to merchandise doesn’t make it a payment credential.
How Should a Venue Measure Whether Technology Improves the Fan Experience?
Choose a specific outcome and compare representative events before and after the change. Combine fan feedback with relevant measures such as queue time, completed purchases, assistance requests, and peak throughput. Separate what each system measures and account for differences in attendance, event type, and operating conditions.