Xtract One Technologies CEO Peter Evans shares an important AI reminder: It must be purpose-built for a specific problem. AI is the catnip of the tech world, and that point can help discern the useful innovation from the buzzword. — Ethan Joyce
Scott Jenkins’ nearly 30 years of sports venue ops have seen the security checkpoint go from pat-down to metal detector to AI-driven pathways of frictionless contact.
That time span — featuring operations stops with the Brewers, Eagles and Mariners, as well as time as GM at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — led to Jenkins’ newest challenge of bringing CPKC Stadium to life as VP/facility development for the NWSL’s Kansas City Current.
As the blueprints started forming for the first purpose-built stadium for a women’s soccer club, Jenkins knew that security screening belonged among the preliminary factors to consider before construction even began. “You need to do that when you start designing your open spaces, your public spaces, your entry process — because it really is a math equation,” Jenkins told SBJ.
Bringing AI to the forefront
Dialogue started early in determining a security screening partner, which culminated in an announcement last month that Xtract One Technologies would provide screening tech for the 11,500-seat riverfront venue. The company’s SmartGateway system features two pillars that scan attendees via AI sensors.
Jenkins said CPKC Stadium, a $120 million project, will feature about 12 units spread among its two general entry points, with approximately 10 of those going to the venue’s main gate on the southwest side.
SmartGateway uses sensors designed in-house that look for certain characteristics. A cellphone exhibits one set of common traits: certain densities, different metals, reflective properties and magnetic interferences. A concealed gun or knife shows other signs. The AI engines look at the sensor data coming through — which is roughly 30,000 pieces of data per second, according to Xtract One CEO Peter Evans — and correlate those to determine weapon probability.
“AI has to be purpose-built to solve a particular problem with data that’s been developed specifically around that problem,” Evans said. “So you can train the machine learning engines to understand an AI engine that’s been driven to correlate data in a certain way and then a presentation layer so the audience can make sense of it.”
Xtract One has “several dozen” existing sports partnerships, ranging from small colleges to MSG, the latter investing $10 million into the company earlier this year. They are also the preferred frictionless screening provider for the Oak View Group venue network. Evans indicated that the conversation between his company and the Current had been much longer than the typical sales cycle that Xtract One experiences. And frankly, that’s a good thing.
The early connection enabled Xtract One to provide some insights that might be helpful in aiding a better walkthrough experience for guests like entry flow, or where Xtract One could bury its conduit to keep power cords out of view.
Evans mentioned that oftentimes, tech like security systems can be an afterthought. And in reality, that can create serious problems. Evans mentioned visiting a new arena recently that didn’t factor camera angles into its design, making it difficult to provide high-quality vantage points for security cameras. Security cannot be approached, he warned, like trash cans or tables and chairs.
“There’s a story to be told about integrating in and thinking around technology early in the design stage so that you can design it to maximize the utility of the technology while keeping it as less invasive as possible,” Evans said.
Neither Evans nor Jenkins gave financial terms of the deal, but both did indicate the cost savings that come with the Xtract One systems through staffing. Evans pointed to a client that went from 42 walkthrough metal detectors and an 85-person security staff to now using nine SmartGateway lanes and 30 staffers. That venue, Evans said, is hosting north of 200 events per year, so the ROI and savings become even more magnified.
Jenkins added that the walkthrough experience via Xtract One is nearly 10x faster than the traditional metal detector. CPKC Stadium, which hosted a groundbreaking late last year and is on course for a 2024 season opener, will be set up to quickly usher fans into the venue. That means more time for the club to increase merch and F&B sales.
“The level and expectation of security has grown, obviously post 9-11 and [in] the world we live in today,” Jenkins said. “Anybody that’s a venue professional should be using this technology to provide a better guest experience, run a more efficient operation and provide a higher level of security.”
An expert’s take on what is next for security screening tech
Evans, who’s been CEO of Xtract One (formerly Patriot One) for the last three years, sees a couple of avenues for innovation that could come for security screening in the next few years. One is the efficacy of the system. As of right now, Evans said, any screening machine — no matter whether that belongs to Xtract One or a competitor — will react to a person carrying too much metal. The next arrival, he thinks, is an ability to observe with more nuance.
“If you walk through any system today with a laptop, it’ll alert,” Evans said. “So the breakthrough being can I get to being able to carry laptops, luggage, telephoto lens cameras? Can someone who’s got a bag of baseball bats go through the system, and it only catches the gun or the knife?”
Evans added that in some ways, security and guest experience are in conflict with each other — as in, if you ramp up security, the guest experience can see a negative effect through long lines or extra hassle. He compared it to the two-step verifications that pop up with mobile banking and the precious extra seconds that interaction takes.
Evans sees a future where security and guest experience are more in lockstep with game-day interaction. “Imagine if I can have an end-to-end guest experience that says you’re approaching the venue,” he said.
His example:
- At 10 yards away, the fan is recognized
- At 8 yards away, a valid ticket is confirmed
- At 6 yards away, the fan is approved as a person who hasn’t been banned from the stadium
- At 5 yards away, the fan is recognized as a VIP who has bought 50-yard-line tickets for the last five games and given a premium experience for the game day for their loyalty
- The fan walks through the system and doesn’t have any weapons or alcohol
“You haven’t broken stride from the street to the seat,” Evans said. “AI gives us the promise of being able to do that. But you kind of have to do things one step at a time. We can’t do all that innovation all at once.”
- During St. Louis City SC’s debut MLS season in 2023, the club’s City Go mobile order-ahead program (that lives within the team app and includes wayfinding signage around the stadium) saw 10 concessions outlets included, and mobile order-ahead made up at least 20% of the team’s F&B revenue (and as high as 45% in some cases), notes SBJ’s Bret McCormick.
- A selling point for sponsors eyeing the T’Wolves’ new streaming audio channel with partner iHeartRadio is an analysis from Dentsu, which determined that audio ads compare favorably to video ads in engagement, particularly in sports, notes SBJ’s Tom Friend.
- Diamond Kinetics and Marucci Sports developed the industry’s first smart bat with a fully integrated swing-tracking sensor that never needs to be removed and charged, writes SBJ’s Joe Lemire.
