Dallas Cowboys and Cisco Kick Off Ultimate Fan Experience in Versatile New Stadium

The newly opened 3 million-square-foot stadium, designed by HKS Sports and Entertainment Group, can host up to 100,000 fans for major sports or entertainment events. The stadium is designed to build on the international Cowboys brand while still maintaining the heritage of America's Team that Cowboys fans know and love.

The Cisco Connected Sports solution, deployed through a project with AT&T, will be central to the fan experience, will help the Cowboys create new revenue streams and provide the flexibility to adapt the stadium to support any number of events. Cisco StadiumVision(TM) integrates high-definition video, digital content and interactive fan services into one seamless next-generation network that transcends sports operations and connects the Cowboys, and the stadium, to its fans in entirely new ways. In addition to new sports and entertainment experiences, the Cowboys will use Cisco StadiumVision to maximize the value of their new home.

Enhanced Fan Experiences

• Fans remain engaged anywhere in the stadium, whether in the concourse, club or concessions areas, with nearly 3,000 TV displays featuring customized HD video game footage and real-time, relevant information.
• Using Cisco StadiumVision, the Cowboys can customize displays to keep fans entertained pre-event, in event and post-event, by showcasing video and content such as out-of-town games and scores, team trivia, weather, traffic and news from around the world, in addition to the action on the field.
• Fans in one of the over 300 luxury suites will also have the opportunity to further customize their event experiences by choosing from video options made available via a touch-screen Internet Protocol (IP) phone.
• The Cowboys organization understands and embraces the rapid pace of technology innovation and the need to future-proof its stadium. By partnering with Cisco to deploy a flexible network foundation that can evolve with fans' entertainment demands, the Cowboys have built the stadium to meet fan expectations today and well into the future.

New Revenue-Stream Opportunities for Stadium

• Cisco StadiumVision gives the Dallas Cowboys the ability to serve fans better targeted and more relevant promotions. Banner or ticker ads and promotions along with full-screen digital ads can ultimately be linked to fan demographics to specific moments during the game or moments in time, creating new value opportunities for the Cowboys and their sponsors.
• The 550 Cisco StadiumVision-powered digital concession menu boards will now provide the flexibility to update or deliver targeted promotions on the fly, all managed on one converged IP network.

Venue Flexibility and Transformation

• The combination of the Cisco Connected Sports solution, Cisco StadiumVision, network security and Cisco Internet Protocol Phones, makes the Cowboys Stadium a highly adaptable venue, giving the organization the ability to attract and easily accommodate an unprecedented variety of major events from one day to the next, including marquee events to concerts and conferences, with ease.
• The new stadium which opened on June 6 with a concert by George Strait, has secured more high-profile events pre-opening than any other stadium in recent memory, and it's already booked for Super Bowl XLV in 2011, the 2010 NBA All Star Game, the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four as well as the annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, the 2009 and 2010 Big 12 Conference Football Championship, a U2 concert tour stop and numerous other events.
• With Cisco StadiumVision, the stadium can easily adapt the look and feel of the entire venue to match the unique needs of any given event by centrally managing all video and digital content being delivered to the displays throughout the stadium on one network. In addition, it offers sponsors, advertisers and partners the ability to send customized concession menus, merchandise offerings, advertising and promotions.
• For the first time, Cowboys staff will be able to centrally manage the delivery of all of the venue's available video assets, including broadcast, cable, satellite and in-house feeds, to displays over a single IP infrastructure. Additionally, staff can now centrally manage powering on and off all the nearly 3,000 displays in the stadium, adding to energy conservation initiatives.

Executive Quotes:

• "In building the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, we wanted to create the most technologically advanced stadium in the world. To do this, we felt it was critical to team up with a company that would allow us to stay on the cutting edge with our venue for years to come. Cisco solutions are helping us use our new home to deliver the biggest and best experience in the world of sports and entertainment," said Jerry Jones, owner and general manager, Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
• "Working with companies like Cisco, we are able to deliver a destination experience that extends beyond a football game and really changes the way fans interact in the stadium," said Pete Walsh, head of technology, Dallas Cowboys Football Club. "Our investment in technology goes beyond what we can do today for our fans and partners. We are positioned to be able to adapt to their ever-changing needs for years to come."
• "The new, multipurpose Cowboys Stadium will incorporate advanced video technologies from Cisco, improving the fan experience and helping transform the way the Cowboys organization operates the venue," said John T. Chambers, Cisco chairman and chief executive officer. "Cisco is committed to demonstrating the power of the network in maximizing the value of the venue and providing a new look at sports and entertainment experiences for a premier brand, such as the Dallas Cowboys."

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco Connected Sports
• Dallas Cowboys New Stadium Web site
• Official Site of The Dallas Cowboys

Technorati Tags: Cisco, video, sports, StadiumVision, Dallas Cowboys, digital signage

About Cowboys Stadium

Cowboys Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.1 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world's largest HDTV video board, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include expandable seating for up to 100,000 fans, 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year round. In addition to being the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, the stadium will host the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 NCAA men's basketball Final Four as well as high school and college football games, concerts and special events. For more information, go to http://stadium.dallascowboys.com.

About Cisco Systems

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