SwipeStation: Food and drink service made easy

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Image provided by SwipeStation

SwipeStation is leading the way when it comes to technology in the sports and entertainment business. Known as a contact-free mobile payment service, it is proven to be a game-changer in beating the queues for food and drink at large venues.

The service eliminates queues by increasing the flow of traffic through its ‘click and collect’ ordering system. Its user friendly menu which is accessed via scanning a QR code, gives customers full control of what they want to order and when they want it.

SwipeStation’s contact-free mobile payments enable bar staff to serve in 15 seconds with no training – and fans can use the service without any phone connectivity. You will need to download the SwipeStation app from either the Apple or Play store to get started, but once downloaded the app works without an internet connection. From either the Apple or Play stores, you can then order your food and beverages through the apps’ menu and pay for them once your ticket is printed via the physical SwipeStation screen (located near the food/bar area). Once scanned, the order is sent to the kitchen and the machine prints you an order receipt. Fans then get to skip the queue by accessing the dedicated fast lanes for SwipeStation customers.

The technology is convenient and powerful considering its size. It only takes 17 megabytes of data to download to your mobile device. Even more handy is the ability to use the same QR code if you’re wanting to order the same items again. Most fans have been to a big match with their friends and tried to remember several different drinks orders, only to get to the bar and forget. The QR code can be saved for future events at the stadium so you never have to worry about forgetting that drinks order again. All orders placed through the SwipeStation app are provided with email receipts to easily keep track of what you are purchasing.

The SwipeStation technology is not only helping with the fans’ experience, it’s helping shape businesses inside the stadiums. With their motto ‘ half the drinks in half the time’, SwipeStation is on a mission to increase sales and improve staff efficiency for stadium caterers. A recent study by computer software company Oracle concluded that if food and beverage queues at UK stadiums were cut in half, you could see a 45 percent increase in revenues. SwipeStation says it has solved the problem of transient staff slowing down the process of ordering inside events where there are large mass gatherings.

They have proven that they can reduce the service time down to 15 seconds by cutting out customers having to place their order in person. Customers only present to the food and beverage staff once the order has been placed and paid for, therefore only presenting to the counter to pick up their items. SwipeStation believes that their technology is set up in a way that even untrained or unmotivated staff can rely on the technology to help them through their shifts. SwipeStation’s presence in stadiums is a move that can fast track efforts towards stadiums operating completely cashless worldwide. Perhaps SwipeStation’s strongest argument for having their technology in all stadiums is the fact that their technology does not require an internet connection. Currently, the costs of having internet in stadiums is a price only the wealthy businesses can afford. SwipeStation eliminates that problem from a catering perspective.

SwipeStation at Portsmouth FC

The SwipeStation technology has several benefits to clubs and large venues looking to increase revenue sales, whilst also controlling the flow of fans inside stadiums. With the Covid-19 pandemic taking its toll on sporting leagues across the world, SwipeStation machines at stadiums can be an effective measure in preventing fans congregating in large queues. Fans using mobile technologies should not come as a surprise – during the pandemic, citizens were asked to use mobile technologies and apps more often to help minimise the spread of Covid-19. Coming out of the pandemic, many businesses in the hospitality sector offered menus and ordering from QR codes attached to tables, limiting the movement across venues. In a recent survey conducted by SwipeStation, patrons attending a UK stadium revealed that 84 percent have used their smartphones to order drinks from a pub in the past 12 months, of which 28 percent have for the very first time.

With the bottom line being increased revenue, lower staffing costs, and an improved fan experience, it’s just a matter of time before we see SwipeStation technology installed across UK stadiums and abroad.

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How Musco Lighting is Transforming the Game

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Image Credit: Musco Lighting

Lighting quality, uniformity, and control are three of the most important elements a football venue must master. Done well, they elevate the standard of play, enhance the fan experience, and ensure world-class broadcasts. 

Modern football demands more than just traditional floodlights. From community fields to elite stadiums, facilities need solutions that combine performance, efficiency, and reliability.

Musco Lighting believes their systems, which are engineered LED technologies, modular mini-pitch packages, and advanced control platforms are the key to achieving these goals.

Musco’s “Projects Made Simple” approach offers complete, tailored lighting solutions designed for every level of the game. Central to this is Total Light Control for LED, a system that provides precise light distribution while reducing glare and minimising environmental spill.

Complementing Total Light Control for LED is Musco’s Mini-Pitch System, developed in the U.S. Soccer Foundation. These compact, all-in-one facilities combine fencing, goals, benches, storage, and integrated lighting, transforming underused spaces into safe, vibrant football environments.

Features of Musco’s lighting include; uniform illumination across the pitch, therefore eliminating dark zones; advanced glare reduction, which ensures comfort for players, spectators and surrounding areas of the pitch; and smart monitoring, which allows operators to remotely control and schedule the lighting. The lighting company also uses sustainable practices with the ability to have energy savings of up to 60%. 

Musco’s systems have already been used by some of the biggest names in football.

At Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC, the installation of Musco’s SportsCluster Green LED system has been transformative according to Arsenal’s Stadium and Facilities Director, John Beattie.

“It is important for both players and fans alike that we have top-quality lighting for the club’s evening fixtures and Musco’s new floodlights provide just that.” he said. 

AFC Bournemouth faced the challenge of upgrading their facilities following promotion to the Premier League in 2015 but Club General Manager Liz Finney said the company’s product was crucial.

“We needed to install a new pitch lighting system to meet the requirements of both the club and the Premier League in a fairly short space of time. Musco delivered on all counts.” Finney said. 

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Audi Field in Washington D.C. have reported improved player visibility, enhanced broadcast quality, and major energy savings following their adoption of Musco’s technology.

Australia’s football landscape presents unique challenges. Facilities often serve multiple sports, grassroots participation is rapidly expanding, and professional leagues increasingly demand higher broadcast standards.

Musco’s systems offer important benefits to help with this development, these include mini-pitch installations, which could expand access to safe well lit spaces in urban areas, which would help to support grassroots growth.

Another benefit could be that elite stadiums could meet higher broadcast standards to match international scale games. Finally, using Musco would create energy savings and have a reduced environmental aspect.

Musco’s football lighting solutions are much more than a technical upgrade, they also represent a shift in how football is played, viewed, and experienced. By pairing innovation with reliability, they support the game from grassroots fields to international arenas.

As Australia looks to strengthen its football infrastructure, Musco’s proven effective technology could help bridge the gap between community play and world-class competition.

Overall, the use of Musco Lighting systems could greatly improve football in Australia, whether you are playing or watching the game.

GIS Industry Masterclass Highlights Pathways for Women’s Sport

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Image Credit: Soccerscene

This month, the Global Institute of Sport (GIS) held an industry masterclass with guest speakers discussing the future of development in women’s sport.

The masterclass panel had two key speakers:

  • Chantella Perera, General Manager of Sport at KOJO.
  • Yael Reed, a sports marketing consultant who has worked with Newcastle Jets, Football Australia and Netball NSW.

These two industry experts, representing different areas of the women’s sporting world, delved into answering the event’s important goal of growth and sponsorship in women’s sport.

The role that media and commercial partners have in elevating women’s sport was a key point. Discussion was centred around the importance of encouraging broadcasters to invest in women’s sport directly and not just through male sport avenues.

Yael Reed spoke about the importance of media revenue being invested into women’s sports.

“Media partners with broadcast and commercial revenue is ultimately what is invested in the sport, and you need to invest to grow,” she said.

“Broadcast and commercial revenue also contributes to paying the players

“Media and coverage revenue is what is invested into the sport and their support is needed to help sports to grow, but also to benefit from, Women’s sport is no longer the steak knives.”

Chantella Perera, a former professional sportsperson and with KOJO a big leader in women’s sports events, outlined the position of women’s sports:

“From grassroots we see more equity with facilities and infrastructure for girls now. From my field in the event world lens, the investment from clubs and leagues is improving year on year. The disparity is still huge,” Perera said.

“There must be money invested to grow it. Yes, it is changing—a lot more females can do it as a job.

“But I feel we are still talking a lot but not doing a lot. People can make action, and it doesn’t have to be huge actions. Making those small steps towards that change is where we move forward.

“The Matildas’ success at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has sparked a rise in interest towards women’s football in the country.”

Perera, however, commented on the slow impact it has produced:

“It did have an impact with the eyes and traction, but we are still waiting for the influx of cash,”

“I’d challenge the effect and ask: two years on, have we seen enough from it? I just want to see if we can get more from it.”

A key point regarding investing in women’s sport and central to the discussion was how to invest in the differences between men’s and women’s sport.

Reed expressed her key ways in which this step can be tackled:

“It’s important for brands to consider Who they are trying to connect with? The benefit of women’s sport is it’s fresh and new (compared to men’s sport). There’s a lot to be unexpected. There are amazing people playing the sport and their story needs to be told,”

“I think when you can connect with athletes, with clubs, and harness that promotion and opportunity that’s there with women’s sport.

“The opportunity in women’s sport is to expect the unexpected.” Reed highlighted.

The important question of brand alignment became central to the discussion, with the equation for branding being relevance multiplied by emotion equals impact.

To harness the sponsor’s relevance to the team and the sport, harnessing that emotion and being relevant to the fans and showing up for them and having an impact promotes any brand.

An example presented by Reed was the Suzuki partnership with the Swifts:

“By putting players in their content and in the car the swift has been really positive,”

“The business case is there. We now have a greater asset in women’s sport to take your brands to the next level

“To have a women’s demographic is such a good asset for business branding.”

Women’s sport has faced challenges in gaining support and funding to expand and delve into the ever-growing popularity of the women’s game.

Sponsorships and businesses trying to grow their portfolio and market shouldn’t underestimate the power that women’s sport and football have.

It is unique and it is unexpected, as was discussed centrally in this masterclass.

The ways to grow women’s sport are there, and the benefits are evident. Sponsors need to take the necessary step and will undoubtedly reap the rewards if they do so.

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