With SunTrust Park set to open in a matter of days, the Atlanta Braves will be reintroducing MLB’s Ballpark app to fans.
According to Greg Mize, Director of Digital Marketing at the Braves, content within the app won’t just be baseball-specific, though. It is the first time Major League Baseball Advanced Media is allowing a MLB team to incorporate such content.
SunTrust Park is situated near The Battery Atlanta, a development area that includes restaurants, retail, housing and other features. Mize said that when he and the Braves researched the possibility of building a separate app for The Battery, it didn’t make sense. Other retail and development apps they examined didn’t receive significant download rates, and if a consumer used an app, it was for just one time. Instead, having one consolidated app experience was the ultimate decision.
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“It’s exciting for us because we’re pioneering that experience between a ballpark and a non-baseball venue,” Mize said of The Battery content being embedded in Ballpark.
“We’re placing an importance on the ticketing elements, whether it’s purchasing tickets or accessing your bar codes for the game and parking. We’re partnering with Waze and Uber on efficiently getting to the ballpark. There’s a huge need for having the Ballpark app for coming to the venue…We view the app as a core component to a fan’s game day experience.”
As Mize alluded to, included within the Ballpark app will also be information provided by the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, Waze. Through a partnership with the Braves, Waze and Cobb County, if the Department of Transportation closes a road, re-routes traffic or impacts anything on the ground, fans will be notified in real-time through the Ballpark app without having to wait for a smartphone alert.
Also, a new built-in feature called Remedy — which was designed by Atlanta-based Kenzie Lane Innovation and the same founders of Experience — will assist in enhancing the fan experience and providing better overall customer service.
“If someone didn’t have an experience at SunTrust Park that met his or her standards or our standards, it’s an opportunity for them to raise their hand and for us, an opportunity to ‘Remedy’ the situation,” Mize explained, adding that the Braves will be Remedy’s first customer.
Through artificial intelligence technology, a fan can send his or her issue in via Remedy, which will then alert the Braves and their guest services department to the problem so they can improve the fan’s experience at SunTrust Park. Additionally, premium ticket holders will be able to order concessions via Bypass, a new addition to the app, and have it delivered to their seat. Another artificial intelligence feature called Satisfi will also help Braves fans navigate the new venue. Ask a question about the nearest bathroom or hotdog stand, and the app will send you to the nearest location.