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At the Marlins' new ballpark, being in your seat isn't the only way to watch all the action.
A trip to the concession stand doesn't mean you will miss, say, a home run. If you head to the plaza area, you still will be able to see what is taking place on the field.
The Marlins' new home, set to open in 2012, will feature several state-of-the-art jumbotrons as well as hundreds of television monitors.
"We've spent a lot of time this week on technology," team president David Samson said. "We're making sure we harness current technology while being prepared for future technology."
In particular, a great deal of time was spent on scoreboards and jumbotrons.
"That will be something very important in regards to fan experience," Samson said. "We're going around the country, looking at the latest boards of those that have been installed and those in development by the companies bidding to do business with us."
Representatives from the Marlins have already been on the road, and they have additional trips scheduled, to evaluate scoreboards and jumbotrons at other stadiums.
Visits have been scheduled to see the scoreboards at the Dallas Cowboys' and Minnesota Twins' new parks. Club officials already have gone to New York, checking out the Yankees' and Mets' stadiums, as well as the scoreboards at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands.
The Marlins' main video scoreboard will be in right-center field, and it will stand 51 feet by 101 feet. The large screen will be about the size of the current jumbotron -- the smaller one -- on the third base side of Land Shark Stadium. Yet, the screen will appear larger because the Marlins' retractable-roof stadium will seat 37,000, compared to more than 70,000 at their current home.
Along with the main scoreboard, there will be an alternate jumbotron down the left-field line, so people sitting in the right-field porch can see.
A smaller jumbotron will be near the right-field line, and there will be a jumbotron in the plaza, attached to the ramps on the northwest side of the building.
The jumbotrons will be able to show the latest statistics, and other baseball-related graphics.
The high number of television monitors also will provide an opportunity to inform fans on what is taking place in the ballpark. For instance, if there is a sale on a certain Marlins jersey in the team store, that will be posted on selected TVs throughout the building.
Each area of the park will be customized. So fans seated in the upper deck, for example, can have messages available to them that pertain specifically to what else is taking place in the upper deck.
"What we're trying to do is called revenue creation, and we're trying to make sure we add value to sponsors and to our fans," Samson said. "Our motto is simply, 'Give our fans what they want.' We have to find out what they want and make sure it's available as quickly as possible.
"The best way to do that is through the jumbotrons, and pushing information through people's mobile phones. That's part of the technology we're looking at."
There will be no turnstiles at the stadium. Instead, tickets will be scanned. And the Marlins will be able to help assist fans who have similar dining and shopping habits at games.
"There are going to be no turnstiles at our ballpark. Not one," Samson said. "It will be like a SunPass lane. People will come in and their tickets will be scanned. We'll know who is in the ballpark, where they're sitting and what they've bought. We're not trying to be George Orwell. We're just trying to bring value to their experience."
The scanning process, Samson said, can be a little bit like a scene from the movie "Minority Report," starring Tom Cruise.
"In 'Minority Report,' Tom Cruise walks into a store to buy clothes," Samson said. "When he walks into the store, they scan his eyes and all of a sudden, someone says, 'Oh, we've got jeans exactly in your size to your right. If you are looking for a shirt, we've got a size medium with the stripes we know you like because you've bought them before, and that's on sale on the counter to your left.'
"When fans come to the ballpark, we want to understand what they want to buy, what they want to eat, and we can direct them. If we know a fan, for example, that six out of 10 times they're at a game, they're buying a hot dog, we want to make sure they're getting
A trip to the concession stand doesn't mean you will miss, say, a home run. If you head to the plaza area, you still will be able to see what is taking place on the field.
The Marlins' new home, set to open in 2012, will feature several state-of-the-art jumbotrons as well as hundreds of television monitors.
"We've spent a lot of time this week on technology," team president David Samson said. "We're making sure we harness current technology while being prepared for future technology."
In particular, a great deal of time was spent on scoreboards and jumbotrons.
"That will be something very important in regards to fan experience," Samson said. "We're going around the country, looking at the latest boards of those that have been installed and those in development by the companies bidding to do business with us."
Representatives from the Marlins have already been on the road, and they have additional trips scheduled, to evaluate scoreboards and jumbotrons at other stadiums.
Visits have been scheduled to see the scoreboards at the Dallas Cowboys' and Minnesota Twins' new parks. Club officials already have gone to New York, checking out the Yankees' and Mets' stadiums, as well as the scoreboards at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands.
The Marlins' main video scoreboard will be in right-center field, and it will stand 51 feet by 101 feet. The large screen will be about the size of the current jumbotron -- the smaller one -- on the third base side of Land Shark Stadium. Yet, the screen will appear larger because the Marlins' retractable-roof stadium will seat 37,000, compared to more than 70,000 at their current home.
Along with the main scoreboard, there will be an alternate jumbotron down the left-field line, so people sitting in the right-field porch can see.
A smaller jumbotron will be near the right-field line, and there will be a jumbotron in the plaza, attached to the ramps on the northwest side of the building.
The jumbotrons will be able to show the latest statistics, and other baseball-related graphics.
The high number of television monitors also will provide an opportunity to inform fans on what is taking place in the ballpark. For instance, if there is a sale on a certain Marlins jersey in the team store, that will be posted on selected TVs throughout the building.
Each area of the park will be customized. So fans seated in the upper deck, for example, can have messages available to them that pertain specifically to what else is taking place in the upper deck.
"What we're trying to do is called revenue creation, and we're trying to make sure we add value to sponsors and to our fans," Samson said. "Our motto is simply, 'Give our fans what they want.' We have to find out what they want and make sure it's available as quickly as possible.
"The best way to do that is through the jumbotrons, and pushing information through people's mobile phones. That's part of the technology we're looking at."
There will be no turnstiles at the stadium. Instead, tickets will be scanned. And the Marlins will be able to help assist fans who have similar dining and shopping habits at games.
"There are going to be no turnstiles at our ballpark. Not one," Samson said. "It will be like a SunPass lane. People will come in and their tickets will be scanned. We'll know who is in the ballpark, where they're sitting and what they've bought. We're not trying to be George Orwell. We're just trying to bring value to their experience."
The scanning process, Samson said, can be a little bit like a scene from the movie "Minority Report," starring Tom Cruise.
"In 'Minority Report,' Tom Cruise walks into a store to buy clothes," Samson said. "When he walks into the store, they scan his eyes and all of a sudden, someone says, 'Oh, we've got jeans exactly in your size to your right. If you are looking for a shirt, we've got a size medium with the stripes we know you like because you've bought them before, and that's on sale on the counter to your left.'
"When fans come to the ballpark, we want to understand what they want to buy, what they want to eat, and we can direct them. If we know a fan, for example, that six out of 10 times they're at a game, they're buying a hot dog, we want to make sure they're getting
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