Last month representatives of the Durham Bulls baseball team installed about 100 proximity beacons using iBeacon technology throughout the ballpark and on the American Tobacco Campus, marking the first and largest rollout of proximity beacons at any minor league stadium.
The Durham Bulls used proximity beacons call RadBeacon from Radius Networks. The short-range, Bluetooth Smart transmitters can notify mobile devices when they come within 100 feet of the beacon.
This micro-location proximity awareness can be leveraged to deliver a wide range of innovative solutions, such as precision indoor navigation, automatic ticketing, guided museum tours and even location-relevant offers and promotions. The proximity beacons, in combination with Radius Networks’ developer tools, can be used to make the visitor and fan experience more efficient, informative and engaging, and app developers also will be able use them to create a wide range of innovative solutions.
The Durham Bulls, tenants of the American Tobacco Campus, and sister company to media outlets like WRAL-TV and Fox50, now have the capability to do more than just send coupons and deals to customers.
“Not only do the Durham Bulls have a winning baseball team, they are industry leaders in the implementation of new and innovative technology,” said Marc Wallace, CEO and co-founder at Radius Networks. “We are excited to partner with the Durham Bulls and the American Tobacco Campus to use proximity beacon technology to bring new and improved applications that bring value to the fan experience.”
iBeacon technology is a small USB-powered identity sending device that mobile phones can detect and determine how close they are to it. With the placement of these devices all over the ballpark, the mobile app can calculate your location fairly specifically.
The scavenger hunt will be promoted to tonight’s attendees, with prizes of free game tickets and T-shirts to the first 10 and second 10 people to complete the hunt. The app is available on iOS and Android. The event code is: 80808080.
“By partnering with Radius Networks, we can bring a new and innovative approach to proximity engagement to our fans,” said Scott Carter, director of marketing for the Durham Bulls. “We love and appreciate our fans, and by using proximity technology to streamline specific parts of their visit, we provide them with an enhanced and enjoyable customer experience.”
