Building an Elite Fan Experience at the University of Florida
Published: August 22, 2024
The University Athletic Association (UAA) is a non-profit dedicated to supporting the athletics program at the University of Florida. The UAA faces a growing demand for robust, reliable connectivity across its vast infrastructure. This encompasses not only administrative and staff needs but also the high expectations of connectivity within the university's 90,000-seat stadium. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is one of the most iconic college football venues in the country, and UAA’s IT team is determined to deliver a modern experience for Gators’ fans.
The UAA and Extreme partnered to elevate connectivity at the stadium, providing a suite of solutions that enhanced their business operations and fan experiences. The collaboration led to significant improvements, including enabling staff mobility, ensuring consistent connectivity during high-traffic events, and ultimately transforming the digital landscape of the UAA.
On the sports side, as video departments and analytics get more robust, they rely more heavily on the network. Even the lights plug into the network. You got everything. So the strain and the expectation is probably the biggest challenge.
Challenges
- High Consumption Demand – The need for constant connectivity and high data consumption, especially in a large stadium setting.
- Robust Network for Video and Analytics – Increasing reliance on network capabilities for production and analytics tools.
- Infrastructure Limitations – Difficulties posed by the old stadium structure, including extensive concrete and inaccessible areas.
Extreme Solutions
- Extreme Wireless
- ExtremeCloud IQ
Results
- Enhanced Connectivity – Consistent and reliable connectivity throughout the stadium, meeting the high expectations set by fans.
- Staff Mobility – Improved mobility for staff with a wireless network that also offers a wired experience, allowing for efficient and flexible operations.
- Seamless Video and Analytics Support – Robust network capabilities supporting the growing demands of video production and analytics tools.
The partnership with Extreme - my favorite part is the customer service and support we get. It’s very rare these days - I have worked with a lot of different vendors and as things change, that personal and caring customer service side usually is the first to go. But Extreme is always right there, they listen; they want to hear the good, bad, and the ugly.