James Grant’s Post

As we start December and look forward to the fast-approaching holiday season, Grounds and Operations managers are already looking ahead to 2025, reviewing inventory and planning for their venues' future. More stadiums around the world are diversifying and expanding their offerings to host concerts and other large scale events, however, the risk of damage to playing surfaces and potential liability from accidents is a major concern. To overcome these challenges, many are adopting temporary flooring solutions that offer both protection and a strong ROI. Discover why Stadia XHD is the ideal multipurpose ground protection system for your venue: https://lnkd.in/eDdDHv95 #GroundProtection #TurfProtection #SportsFacilities #StadiumManagement #Stadiums #Events #EventReady #StadiaXHD #TheBoxGroup

🎥 Manchester AO Arena Showcase As one of the UK’s largest indoor arenas with a 23,000 capacity, the AO Arena sits at the heart of Manchester’s vibrant music and sporting culture. Its operator ASM Global - Europe sought to modernise the venue’s digital infrastructure, to enhance the customer experience and showcase dynamic content throughout the arena. Working with ASM Global, Merson Digital delivered a comprehensive AV solutions overhaul, transforming the arena experience with: 🎯 Large-format LEDs in key concession areas. 🍴 Digital menu boards enabling dynamic, real-time updates. 🎤 State-of-the-art backstage setups in artist and green rooms. ✨Spotlight Feature: LED Ribbonboard - Wrapping around the inside of the arena bowl, the vibrant ticker-tape LED display is a true centrepiece. With 2000nits brightness, it delivers stunning visuals for advertising and event content, creating an unforgettable atmosphere for fans. 📽️ Watch the showreel to see how we’ve redefined the venue experience at the AO Arena. Check out our AO Arena case study: https://lnkd.in/emJcw_6i #digitalsignage #digitaltransformation #digitalstadia

Live Touring Updates! From the Las Vegas Sphere hosting Dead & Company’s epic 18-show residency, to AC/DC hitting North American stadiums for the first time in nearly a decade, and Kendrick Lamar & SZA taking over with their dual stadium tour—2025 is shaping up to be a monumental year for live entertainment. Add to that Drake’s return to Australia and New Zealand, and The Black Keys rocking Europe, it’s clear that the appetite for unforgettable live experiences is stronger than ever. We’re inspired by how these iconic tours continue to push the boundaries of audience engagement and production. Our mission is to transform live entertainment by creating immersive, real-time experiences that bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds. As fans flock to monumental venues like the Sphere or stadiums worldwide, we see limitless opportunities for innovation in how audiences interact with music, technology, and culture. The future of live entertainment is more than just being there; it’s about feeling there, whether you're in the arena, at home, or somewhere in between. 🌍✨ Let’s celebrate the power of music to connect us all. #LiveMusic #Innovation #GCodes #EntertainmentTech #MusicIndustry

🎙️ I’m in Las Vegas with Cliff Atkinson, President of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, where we talk about the city's unmatched event scene, how Virgin Hotels connects with Las Vegas culture, and the endless energy of the Entertainment Capital of the World. 📌 In This Episode: 🤠 NFR Rodeo Magic: Virgin Hotels’ proximity to the rodeo and how they embrace the cowboy spirit with shuttles, live music, and themed experiences. 🏎️ Formula 1 Insights: Behind the scenes of Virgin Hotels’ role as the "unofficial home of F1" and what makes F1 in Las Vegas a global spectacle. 🎵 Citywide Synergy: How Las Vegas handles multiple blockbuster events on the same night, from UFC fights to George Strait concerts. 🌍 Cluster Effect: The unique ability of Las Vegas to host large-scale events like AWS, EDC, and more with seamless logistics. 📅 What’s Next for Virgin Hotels: Upcoming events like AVN, EDC partnerships, and the ever-growing calendar of entertainment. ✈️ Why Las Vegas is #1: From proximity to the airport to hosting 300,000+ people over a weekend, no city does it better. 📢 Ready to experience the ultimate entertainment destination? 📲 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insider hospitality insights!   #VirginHotelsLasVegas #LasVegasEvents #NoVacancyLive #HospitalityInnovation #NFR2024 #F1LasVegas #EntertainmentCapital #LasVegasRodeo #LasVegasUFC

🎙️ I’m in Las Vegas with Cliff Atkinson, President of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas,  where we talk about the city's unmatched event scene, how Virgin Hotels connects with Las Vegas culture, and the endless energy of the Entertainment Capital of the World. 📌 In This Episode: 🤠 NFR Rodeo Magic: Virgin Hotels’ proximity to the rodeo and how they embrace the cowboy spirit with shuttles, live music, and themed experiences. 🏎️ Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Insights: Behind the scenes of Virgin Hotels’ role as the "unofficial home of F1" and what makes F1 in Las Vegas a global spectacle. 🎵 Citywide Synergy: How Las Vegas handles multiple blockbuster events on the same night, from Ultimate Fighting Championship fights to George Strait concerts. 🌍 Cluster Effect: The unique ability of Las Vegas to host large-scale events like AWS, EDC, and more with seamless logistics. 📅 What’s Next for Virgin Hotels: Upcoming events like AVN, EDC partnerships, and the ever-growing calendar of entertainment. ✈️ Why Las Vegas is #1: From proximity to the airport to hosting 300,000+ people over a weekend, no city does it better. 📢 Ready to experience the ultimate entertainment destination? 📲 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insider hospitality insights!   #VirginHotelsLasVegas #LasVegasEvents #NoVacancyLive #HospitalityInnovation #NFR2024 #F1LasVegas #EntertainmentCapital #LasVegasRodeo #LasVegasUFC

During my time at Iventis I’ve had the exciting opportunity to work with Epic Games' Unreal Engine and Cesium’s Unreal Engine plugin in our Digital Twin product. The Digital Twin aims to combine geospatial data with Unreal Engine’s real-time rendering. For the Digital Twin we utilise a variety of technologies to help bring a higher fidelity to venues for event organisers to visualise their event plans within popular venues. Thanks to Unreal Engine’s Lumen, we can simulate realistic lighting within venue interiors, creating a more realistic atmosphere. We also understand that not everyone will have the hardware required to run this in real time. That’s why we also utilise pixel streaming and embed the Digital Twin straight into the Iventis app. There's more to the world than just our hand-crafted venue models, that’s why we also use the Cesium For Unreal plugin with Google’s 3d tiles to help bring the world into Unreal Engine. This allows for users to explore the world outside of the venues and see where they are situated. With Unreal Engine 5.3, we have also started to experiment with Motion Matching, the next generation of animation technology. With Motion Matching we can have a pool of high-quality motion captured animations that we can utilise, making our third person character feel more grounded and believable in our world. To match our high fidelity models, we incorporate Epic Game’s Meta Humans to produce realistic and believable character models inside of the Digital Twin. I’m extremely excited to see the future of Iventis and the Digital Twin as well as new technologies coming to us through Unreal Engine. #Iventis #DigitalTwin #EpicGames #UnrealEngine #CesiumForUnreal #Lumen #MotionMatching #PixelStreaming #MetaHumans

Desert Diamond Arena, the former home of the Arizona Coyotes, has released details of a $42m transformation project as it transitions from a sports arena into a premier “music mecca”. The redevelopment is being spearheaded by ASM Global in collaboration with FORWARD ASSOCIATES and HOK. https://lnkd.in/eBdU8TKT

Smart venues have brought revolutionary changes to venue management and use through intelligent management methods and advanced technological means. It not only improves management efficiency and service level, reduces operating costs, but also promotes the sustainable development of venues. The intelligent AV system provides viewers with a dazzling and mesmerizing sensory experience. Therefore, smart venues will become an inevitable trend in the development of future sports venues.

Sports venues are shaping how facilities get to know their fans: This article highlights how immersive venues are offering a distinct perspective for live events, enhancing fan engagement and experience. #SportsTech #FanEngagement #ImmersiveExperience #Innovation #LiveSports https://lnkd.in/g27hEzHP

In today’s dynamic live events industry, staying ahead of trends is more crucial than ever. We are thrilled to present IMG’s Events & Partnerships Trends Report 2024. This year's report highlights six key trends shaping the evolving landscape of live events. Dive into the rise of event tourism, the growing popularity of women’s sports, Gen Z’s content interests, the rise of "sportainment" in crossover events, and more. Read the complete trends report here: https://bit.ly/3WWZ970 #InsightsbyIMG