Fans who watched the Houston Astros play their World Series home games won’t just have memories of this season’s championship.
Each of the more than 43,000 people who packed Minute Maid Park over the weekend can also get a high-resolution image of themselves at the game via Fancam.
The company, which first partnered with the Astros last season, takes multiple images thousands of times during a game, then pieces them together to create a giant 360-degree photo that shows in detail every person there. Fans can go online to find themselves and tag the photo on social media.
“It’s really engaging and compelling for fans,” said Mike Proman, Fancam’s Managing Director of North America. “This gets people involved whether their team wins or loses.”
Proman says the photos get thousands of views, and that about 90 percent of them are from people who didn’t attend the game.
And, he says, the benefits for teams goes well beyond that exposure, since they can mine the images for information about who attends games, allowing teams to break down fan demographics by things like gender, age and ethnicity.
“We’re trying to provide a more customized and dynamic experience for fans,” Proman said. “The opportunities and applications are endless.”
The company’s latest collaboration is with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, which debuted Fancam at the team’s Oct. 14 Xcel Energy Center home opener.
The Wild posts the photos from the automated cameras on its website and social media platforms after each home game this season. Tuesday it announced a partnership with Mall of America so all the photos will include the mall’s name and logo.
“We’re always looking for ways to delight and surprise and entertain fans,” said Phil Ervin, Minnesota Wild Digital Managing Editor and Content Strategist. “The reaction so far has been great.”
Ervin says the team first explored using Fancam last season after seeing its success with engaging fans. He says the photos are a unique way for fans to show their team spirit.
“There’s nothing like being in that arena, especially when something big happens,” Ervin said. “We love capturing people celebrating and letting them share that excitement.”
Fancam, which launched in 2010, is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa and Minneapolis. It’s now in eight venues working with about a dozen teams.
