Pac-12 takes step in fan engagement initiative

Walnut Creek, Calif. – The Pac-12 Conference announced today the next step in a long-term fan engagement initiative aimed at providing world-class experiences to Pac-12 fans. The long-term initiative will help universities better understand the needs of their fan bases and deliver solutions inside and outside the stadium.

 

The announcement continues the Conference’s commitment to improving attendance and fan experience that Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott started with the hiring of marketing, operations and ticketing staff at the Conference office to facilitate and share best practices among the member schools. 

 

The Conference is now taking steps to incorporate technology and data management to the initiative and has partnered with Sporting Innovations to help test and build customized fan engagement solutions. Ultimately, this will be accomplished by implementing technology and business processes that enable more efficient collection, analysis, and use of customer data to deliver better fan experiences.

 

“A key role our staff can play is to benchmark and share best practices, and to promote and pilot innovation across all 12 schools,” said Pac-12 Conference Chief Marketing Officer Danette Leighton. “Sporting Innovations will help us develop a technology and data management strategy that can be shared with all our universities to better interact with their respective fan bases.” 

 

The use of technology is natural for many Pac-12 institutions located in innovation centers of the United States. Many Pac-12 graduates are inventors and early adopters of the cutting-edge technology that will help drive this initiative forward, and Pac-12 universities are proud leaders in implementing technology on their campuses.

 

"The Pac-12 clearly understands how important improving the modern fan experience is to the future of collegiate athletics, and we're excited to be playing a major role in these efforts," said Asim Pasha, co-CEO of Sporting Innovations. “Our FAN360 platform will provide an unprecedented level of insight to better serve the Pac-12 fans, creating new opportunities to customize experiences through intelligent offers, content, and interactions with their favorite teams.”

 

In the coming months, the Pac-12 will announce new partners and details of its fan engagement initiative.

 

Earlier this academic year, the Pac-12 engaged AT&T as a strategic partner to investigate how best to enhance technology and connectivity in Pac-12 stadiums, arenas and campuses over the next few years. AT&T will help the Pac-12 deliver the most connected experience for fans when they visit games or engage with content across all Pac-12 platforms. 

 

“We are thrilled to work alongside such a storied Conference with a rich history of academic excellence and superior athletic achievement,” said Chris Roy, AT&T Vice President, Government and Education. “Together with the Conference and the 12 universities, we look forward to redefining the experience for students, alumni and fans attending Pac-12 athletic events.”

 

“We want to be better than anyone else at engaging our fan base, given the nature of where we are located and the mindset of our universities,” said Leighton. “Working with partners such as AT&T and Sporting Innovations to use technology to improve the fan experience is a crucial step to build the most engaged fan bases in collegiate sports.”