The San Francisco Giants franchise manages operations across 81 home games a year and deploys the latest modern technologies ranging from voluntary facial authentication to player health analytics to enable a frictionless fan experience.
Bill Schlough, who started his 28-season tenure at the Giants in 1999, took to the stage in Washington D.C. last week to explain a 27-year quest driven by delighting fans of the game, not revenues.
While getting fans into the ballpark faster and earlier is a great benefit, it isn’t the primary goal for executives behind decision making. Schlough said the true metric of success is fan satisfaction that builds long-term loyalty.
Debuted in 2023 by the Philadelphia Phillies, MLB’s “Go-Ahead Entry” system relies on a selfie via the MLB Ballpark app to address the park’s security protocol, although biometric technology is strictly an opt-in amenity and not a mandate.
Traditional turnstiles are giving way to AI-powered walking corridors that scan fans for forbidden objects in real time as they walk through biometric scanners. Facial authentication also connects directly to retail and grab-and-go concession stands, letting fans complete transactions and age-verify without waiting in line.
The park has also evolved paper tickets and fans can now manage their visits from a phone-based ticketing system, smoothly integrated with modern transit options to reach the park.
We interviewed Bill Schlough after his speaking session in which he weighed up the individual motivations for new tech upgrades between business ROI, operations, and on-field use of AI.
Whilst Schlough says they must be leveraging AI to stay competitive, he also insists that there must be an ROI when evaluating new technologies.
Oracle Park even uses automated AI systems to manage fan communication via email, reducing the need to deploy hundreds of customer service representatives.
The Giants leverage AI beyond venue operations to advance biomechanical analysis that monitors player movement to predict and prevent injuries.
