Miami Dolphins Use Cisco TelePresence For Virtual Meetings In Stadium
September 22nd, 2009 | 
Author: A recent partnership announcement between Cisco and the Miami Dolphins was showcased last night before the Monday Night Football game. The Dolphins have created a unique fan experience using Cisco TelePresence to enable virtual meetings between fans and Dolphin’s players. More from Cisco’s official announcement follows in this post, but I experienced Cisco Telepresence first hand during VMworld 2009 when I participated in a virtual meeting with people in 9 different locations all over the U.S. and Canada.
In my case, I and 2 co-workers took a break from attending VMware’s conference and sat down in Cisco’s TelePresence booth in San Francisco. We were able to participate in a live meeting with groups of customers hosted by fellow employees in locations such as Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, and Montreal just to name a few. Our meeting was actually about creating a unified data center with Cisco UCS and VMware vSphere. TelePresence truly created a face to face experience by displaying the individuals talking and managing the conversation as others chimed in.
 Participating in virtual meeting from VMworld |
 View of participants in other cities |
It’s great to see Cisco’s technology used for NFL game entertainment. Like the NFL’s use of IBM bladecenters reported at last year’s Superbowl, I’m hoping my Atlanta Falcons will soon follow in the Miami’s lead for the Georgia Dome. According to a related feature article by Cisco titled Cisco Helping Stadiums Compete with the Couch, “some of the biggest teams in professional sports [omitted] are turning to Cisco Systems to wire new state-of-the-art stadiums and digitize older ballparks. In recent months the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Yankees, the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays have connected their stadiums from the locker rooms to the concession stands with Cisco technologies.” Falcons, I’d love to help! 
Here’s some info on what exactly the Dolphins have created for fans from Cisco’s press release. Note the mention of fans sharing Flip Video at the end of the quote as well.
Miami Dolphins and Land Shark Stadium Technology Advantage
- For the 2009 football season, the Miami Dolphins are implementing Cisco TelePresence and Cisco StadiumVision in Land Shark Stadium to offer fans a unique, immersive game-day experience.
- The Dolphins are the first sports franchise to deploy Cisco TelePresence, a virtual collaboration solution that re-creates the in-person experience, making people feels as though they are sitting in the same room.
- Intercompany Cisco TelePresence services will be provided by the AT&T TelePresence Solution, enabling users to connect to more than 2,500 Cisco TelePresence rooms deployed around the globe, including Cisco TelePresence Public Suites available for rent on a pay-per-use model.
- With the implementation of Cisco TelePresence in the stadium, the multifaceted venue doubles as a global meeting center and creates a fun, immersive way for fans to virtually interact with their favorite players face-to-face. In addition, Land Shark Stadium can use the solution to connect with business partners and offer it to any event tenant.
- The Dolphins organization is also deploying Cisco StadiumVision, an innovative, end-to-end video and digital content-distribution solution, designed to easily and cost-effectively deliver live game video, targeted advertising and promotions, personal video and customized content per event. Digital displays in the stadium can be personalized per tenant, such as Spanish-language communications for a concert or special promotions to support the 2010 Super Bowl.
- Cisco TelePresence and Cisco StadiumVision are part of a comprehensive network that will improve operational efficiencies, contribute to the growth initiatives and help deliver the ultimate fan experience. With these solutions and network in place, the Dolphins will be able to evolve the fan experiences for years to come.
Fans “Live the Game!”
- Land Shark Stadium will feature more than 1,500 high-definition (HD) displays to immerse Miami Dolphin fans in the ultimate HD experience with Cisco StadiumVision. Fans will be able to view sports news and scores, weather and traffic – all while never having to miss a moment of the game action on the field.
- All concession stands will have digital menus for easy ordering and selection of their favorite food and beverage options.
- Executive Suite members will be able to further personalize their experience with a Cisco Unified IP Phone. They will be able to choose multiple HD camera angles and games for viewing on displays, add personalized messages on monitors, and, in the future, even order merchandise, food and beverage to be delivered to their suite.
- By using the latest Cisco technologies, Land Shark Stadium will not only enhance the way fans enjoy game day, but be able to meet the unique needs of all events that will be hosted in this sports and entertainment facility.
- In the future, fans will be able to create and share game-day experiences with the use of Flip Video in the stadium. Fan-captured HD Flip footage can be shared with all ‘Dol-Fans’, allowing them to “Live the Game” in entirely new ways.
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