By Matt Simms, Group Head of Technology, Stadium MK
Investment in stadiums has previously focused heavily on physical infrastructure, such as seating, screens and hospitality facilities. But behind this, the businesses that a stadium hosts all tend to run their own separate systems and hold their own data. As venues increasingly rely on the use of AI and emerging technologies, connecting this underlying infrastructure will become increasingly important.
Stadiums can become ‘technology platforms’, where ticketing, retail, hospitality, matchday operations and partner technologies connect through a shared foundation of connectivity, data and security. This approach means that every new idea is quicker and more cost effective to try, because you aren’t building from scratch each time, improving efficiency and, ultimately, a better fan experience through greater innovation.
From individual technologies to a connected stadium
Technology is nothing new for venues. The difference now is we’re moving to having a common platform that allows different technologies to connect, making it easier to introduce and test new ideas.
When I first joined Stadium MK, multiple businesses operated across the site: a football club, arena, a concert venue at the National Bowl, and a hotel. Each worked effectively as a venue in its own right, but their systems and data were not connected. The opportunity did not lie in introducing more technology, but to start connecting what was already there.
Combining insights can improve operations; years of attendance, weather, kick-off time and sales data offer insights into demand, resource requirements and pinch points. Connected infrastructure can support a more personalised fan experience too. Our group AI strategy is built around a single intelligence layer across all our venues, rather than separate AI projects in each business. A fan who stays at the hotel, comes to the match and goes to a concert at the Bowl is one person, and, with their consent, we should be able to treat them that way.
Deloitte’s 2025 Sports Industry Outlook supports this approach, highlighting how personalising content and offers through in-stadium activity and digital touch points can strengthen fan loyalty and satisfaction.
How connected technology can improve operations and the fan experience
Stadiums are small towns which switch on for a few hours and then are more-or-less empty. Decisions about how they are heated, lit and staffed are still made partly on instinct, but over the next decade we have the opportunity to predict operational patterns. AI and data will give us the information needed to predict how many people are coming to the stadium, which gates they’ll use, when the concourse bars will peak – and then we’ll be able to staff and power the building to match.
The 2025 Stadium Connectivity Outlook found that 72% of stadium technology professionals identified lowering operating costs as a challenge, up from 64% in 2024 and 56% in 2023. As the technology we use increases, so too do operating costs. The potential to cut costs and reduce carbon emissions through connected technology and AI are significant.
Real-time data will also greatly improve efficiency and safety. For example, real-time data can flag high demand of venue facilities before it becomes a real problem. Gate data can flag emerging pinch points, live sales can help direct stock and staff, while CCTV and Wi-Fi density data can give control rooms a clearer picture of crowd movement. The real value lies in enabling staff to make better decisions, faster.
Digital infrastructure is becoming an important differentiator
Choosing a venue purely based on physical infrastructure is a thing of the past. When a promoter is choosing between two venues of similar size, they now ask about connectivity, ticketing integration, cashless payments and what data they’ll get afterwards. A commercial partner wants to know whether they can activate digitally, measure results and test their own technology on site.
As a result, the venues that say “come and pilot your technology here” will attract the most interesting partners. For example, Stadium MK has a robotics partnership with Smart City Consultancy, who are on site every matchday and have trialled self-pour beer walls to tackle half-time queues.
The wider ambition at Stadium MK is to move technology from a cost centre to something that actually contributes revenue. Instead of paying tech suppliers, Stadium MK looks for companies that want to partner with us; they bring technology to test and develop, while the stadium gives them a live, real-world venue to prove it in, alongside the visibility that comes with operating at a stadium.
Milton Keynes is a natural place to test this approach. The city has a long history of trials, including autonomous vehicles, delivery robots and smart city projects, and its institutions are used to saying yes to experiments. Stadium MK can add something different to that ecosystem: a live environment in which new technologies can be tested at scale.
Innovation only works if people trust it
More connected stadiums inevitably raise questions about the amount of data being collected and how it is used, and it’s important to remember that fans aren’t naïve. If a venue gets cleverer but people feel watched, you’ve lost something you won’t easily win back.
For this reason, governance must come first. It’s crucial to review your own data protection and AI policies and processing records, as well as those of your suppliers, before connecting and scaling. If a supplier’s policies cause concern, this can be a risk to other vendors within the network, as well as a risk to fans and their data privacy.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to data is to collect the minimum you need, be open about why you need it, aggregate wherever you can, and make sure fans feel they’re getting something back. Cybersecurity and data governance aren’t barriers to building the stadium of the future, they are fundamental to making it possible. Trust takes years to build and one breach to lose.
The stadium of the future will be built one experiment at a time
The idea of a stadium as a technology platform may sound futuristic, particularly when stadiums are ultimately places where people come together to enjoy live sport, music and entertainment. But the transition does not need to happen overnight.
The work starts with the very basics: connectivity, security, data governance and exploring how systems can work together. From there, stadiums can experiment, learn what works and build on it over time.
That’s why events like Milton Keynes Tech Week are so valuable: they bring together technology companies, businesses and other organisations to share ideas and explore how emerging technologies can be applied in practice. At Stadium MK, we want to build on that same spirit by creating an environment where new ideas can be tested in a live setting and lessons can be shared.