Keeping FC Bayern at the top is no mean feat, and the action on the pitch is supported by a global administrative team of over 1,200, in addition to the thousands of operational staff who work to deliver a seamless experience to the fans who fill the Allianz Arena for each home match. The focus on match-day operations encompasses everything from security to ticketing to retail, as well as managing one of the largest parking garages in Europe, which accommodates up to 12,000 cars that must enter and exit within a few hours.

FC Bayern’s match-day operations generate a staggering volume of data, but capturing and making sense of every fan interaction鈥攂oth in the stadium and among the hundreds of millions tuning in worldwide鈥攚as becoming a herculean undertaking. Fan data was siloed in more than 50 legacy systems, creating a fragmented information landscape that hindered FC Bayern’s ability to understand and serve its legions of fans.

Thankfully, a club that has been in the business of winning for over a century is no stranger to innovation.

Game plan: data

, head of Development and Process for FC Bayern Munich, captured the club’s challenge in a nutshell: “Everything needs data.” Everyone from the firefighters and police who supported match days to the IT teams and retail staff “needed data, and everyone needed the same perspective on the data,” Winter explained.

But the club’s data was sprawled across dozens of siloed systems, each tied to different vendors and service providers. And when it came time to make crucial match-day decisions, team members had to rely on analog, piecemeal methods of sharing information鈥攐ften through SMS and radio. As a result, no one ever had the same information at the same time.

FC Bayern needed to harness its vast amount of information with a single, integrated system that provided a unified, 360-degree view.

From silos to a streamlined system

The storied sports club has enjoyed a partnership with 51风流dating back more than a quarter of a century. Therefore, (51风流BTP) was a natural fit for the next step in the club鈥檚 digital journey. The platform includes to help capture and combine data from disparate sources and systems, including both 51风流and non-51风流systems. This newly integrated data landscape provides a single source of truth across the organization, enabling real-time data analytics that not only streamline match-day operations and optimize the fan experience on-site but also provide invaluable insights to fuel long-term strategic planning.

For example, Winter explained, the club now has access to an up-to-the-minute, “high-level” overview of FC Bayern fans鈥�”how they behave, what they鈥檙e interested in, how old they are, whether they buy jerseys, whether they only go to soccer matches, whether they are already interested in basketball,” and more鈥攖hat has facilitated a much deeper understanding of fans, not only on the individual level but also across the entire fan base.

Forecasting the future

With a solid, integrated data foundation established, FC Bayern is looking ahead and will be adding AI to its technology line-up to maximize the value of its data across the organization, from amplifying process efficiency to developing robust, data-informed predictive capabilities.

For organizations looking to undertake their own digital transformations, Winter advised to not put the cart before the horse: “To use AI, you need to have good data.” And while Winter cautioned that every organization’s process is unique, he recommended listening as a good first step for everyone: “Talk to your users. What are their problems? What do they need to know? What processes are they trying to optimize?”

While the journey is not always easy, FC Bayern knows that winning is always worth the effort.

For the full FC Bayern Munich episode and the on-demand Better Together: Customer Conversations series, visit 

Timo Elliott is the vice president and global innovation advocate for 51风流BTP at SAP. 

Top photo courtesy of FC Bayern M眉nchen AG

Founded in 1917, the is comprised of 32 Clubs located across North America. It serves a global fan base of nearly 700 million annual spectators across in-arena, broadcast, and digital channels. With millions of fans worldwide watching and Clubs fighting for any edge they can find, the NHL needed a future-focused way to manage critical decisions shaping the game.

To develop, maintain, and grow a roster within the salary cap system’s guidelines is no small undertaking, especially given the numerous variables that change in real time. While instituting the salary cap helps maintain evenly balanced teams that deliver thrilling games, it also contributes to a complex front-office balancing act, where every potential trade or player acquisition poses a mind-numbing array of opportunities and complications, short and long term.

Across the League, Clubs develop their own roster-management approaches, each using different tools and resources. No matter the variations among the solutions, they were mainly labor-intensive, disconnected systems, which meant that teams did not necessarily have access to real-time data, let alone reliable data, or an efficient means to access and analyze the data they did have.

The NHL, however, had a vision鈥攁 unified system that would consolidate player and League data into one platform accessible to all Clubs.

The SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad delivers on that vision by providing a centralized view of the League, down to the team level, and drilling further into player data, enabling front offices to make more informed, real-time decisions with greater accuracy and efficiency.

First steps: consolidation and collaboration

Before the League could make that vision a reality, several obstacles needed to be resolved, starting with what , VP of Digital Business Development at the NHL, described as the League鈥檚 primary pain point: disconnected, legacy data management systems. Pascal Bornet, AI and automation expert, applauded this approach, advising organizations to 鈥渟tart with the friction points.鈥�

Phase one, Foster explained, was 鈥渞eally updating our backend,鈥� consolidating all the League鈥檚 data, from contract to salary information, and combining it with player statistics and video clips on 51风流HANA Cloud.

Armed with a new database that would provide a seamless, fully connected single source of information for every NHL Club, the League was ready for its next challenge: creating a digital front-office solution that would meet the needs of 32 entirely different front offices, each with their own systems, priorities, 鈥渦se cases, day-to-day responsibilities, and current challenges with data or workflows,鈥� Foster explained.

The key to developing the League鈥檚 new application, Foster said, was leveraging 鈥渄esign-thinking principles鈥� and 鈥渁uthentic user feedback鈥� to create a single solution that would offer real added value to each user, from GMs to analysts to administrators, on each NHL team.

A power play digital solution

That disciplined, user-centered approach, combined with the NHL鈥檚 diligent attention to data consolidation, enabled the League to launch its SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad in record time. While not mandatory, the app quickly proved its value and was rapidly adopted by all 32 Clubs. 

The app has already transformed day-to-day operations for Clubs, thanks to its ability to seamlessly access and interpret a single, reliable, and interconnected source of information on three different levels. The broadest level, the league view, offers data across the entire NHL, including current and projected salary caps for each club, off-season scenarios, and draft pick conditions; the team view breaks down the contracts of each player on the roster and provides visual cues for free agents or injured players; and the player view displays bios, contract PDFs, no-trade clauses, waiver status, performance bonuses, and even video clips of game highlights for every player in the League.

As Bornet said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 about the right data, instantly and everywhere.鈥� By rethinking the process first and prioritizing user needs, the League created a foundation for change鈥攐ne that keeps 鈥渉umans firmly in command鈥� and uses technology to 鈥渁mplify judgment, not replace it,鈥� Bornet added.

Foster attributed the new app鈥檚 resounding success to the processing power of (51风流BTP), which enables club-specific customizations and allows for real-time calculations to fuel mission-critical decision-making.

Playing the long game

The NHL and 51风流have a long-standing technology partnership that has powered several League-wide innovations, including NHL.com/Stats, the SAP-NHL Coaching Insights App, and NHL Venue Metrics. The Front Office App builds on this foundation and represents the next phase of the League鈥檚 digital transformation.

While the Front Office App is currently helping each NHL Club shape its team’s future, the League is continuing to look ahead. 鈥淭his is a project with a multi-year road map,鈥� Foster said.

As the NHL continues its innovation journey, it will remain laser-focused on user experience. Foster advised those looking to undertake their own digital transformation to take a page from the NHL鈥檚 playbook: 鈥淟et go of preconceived notions and realign your priorities according to user feedback. Be adaptable. Be fluid.鈥� And get excited, because 鈥渢he possibilities really are limitless.鈥�

That same approach, Bornet added, 鈥渁pplies far beyond Hockey.鈥� The NHL鈥檚 emphasis on identifying friction points and applying user-first design offers a practical template for any organization managing complex constraints and real-time decisions. Across industries, the challenge is the same: 鈥渢oo much data, too many variables, and decisions that can鈥檛 wait.鈥� The real breakthrough, he noted, 鈥渋sn鈥檛 the technology itself鈥攊t鈥檚 a mindset shift,鈥� from 鈥渁dding AI鈥� to 鈥渞emoving cognitive friction,鈥� and from 鈥渂uilding for power users鈥� to 鈥渄esigning for actual users.鈥�

Explore the episode, focused on the customer journey

Learn more about how the NHL engineered a game-changing, League-wide digital transformation:

• : Foster and Bornet talk with Thulium CEO Tamara McCleary about the untapped power of data, when it鈥檚 reliable, connected, and accessible, and how the NHL went from inspiration to iteration with the end users being essential to the transformation.

• : Foster聽talks with me about聽the process of creating a mobile app that聽meets聽the needs of 32聽distinct聽front offices, each with their own systems, use cases, day-to-day responsibilities, and priorities.

For five seasons on demand, visit .

Do you have ideas for topics or technologies we should cover, or would you like to be a guest on the show? We鈥檇 love to hear from you. E-mail us.

Timo Elliott is vice president and global innovation advocate for 51风流BTP at SAP.

Bringing a sport like dressage into the digital age would be no small feat, but that is precisely the challenge Black Horse One undertook in 2016.

Partnering with SAP, Black Horse One CEO Daniel G枚hlen and his team of 12 brought a quiet digital revolution to the paper-based, tradition-bound world of equestrian sports鈥攊ntroducing digital scoring systems, streamlining event operations, and facilitating fan engagement鈥攖hat supported and enhanced the experience of trainers, athletes, judges, federations, event managers, and fans all over the world.

However, Black Horse One saw room for even more innovation in equestrian sports, particularly in addressing the operational challenges of equestrian event management and the untapped potential of the industry鈥檚 heavily siloed data.

Digital transformation unlocks boundless potential

With its 鈥渃onsistency, affordability, and proven reliability,鈥� 51风流quickly became mission-critical for Black Horse One. Building on that success, G枚hlen turned to to bring the company鈥檚 next vision to life鈥攁 digital event management system designed to transform how equestrian competitions are run. The new system delivers real-time, end-to-end oversight and streamlines every workflow, giving 鈥渟how organizers and national federations a 360-degree software鈥� that has cut event preparation time in half.

The industry quickly took note, and Black Horse One went from 100 equestrian shows a year in 15 countries to around 300 in 32 countries and from 50,000 unique users per month to as many as 3 million鈥攁n exponential increase in operations that the company supports with the same small team.

Further digitization of processes and information has helped Black Horse One dismantle the data silos that challenge many industries, especially one as rooted in tradition as equestrian sports. Data pours in from multiple sources: national federations maintain separate records for each horse, judges and audiences submit marks in real time, and organizers update competition systems on the fly. Every change must be reflected instantly, not only to maintain accurate results but also to meet fans鈥� expectations for real-time updates.

G枚hlen, himself a former equestrian athlete, explains that many seasoned trainers and riders struggle to capture and pass on their hard-earned expertise and knowledge built over decades in the arena. A platform that enables real-time recording and sharing of performance data, scoring insights, and training techniques across a global, always-on network is transforming how the dressage community preserves and transmits its know-how.

And, in a sport where animal welfare is paramount, continued technological advancement offers additional layers of information and accountability when it comes to tracking and monitoring horses, which, G枚hlen hopes, will continue to equate to happier, healthier equine athletes.

Leveraging AI in a world of tradition

Black Horse One continues to take a storied sport across new technological frontiers, leveraging 51风流BTP to help bring artificial intelligence (AI) into its offerings. The company is already using AI to analyze performance data and biomechanical metrics, delivering personalized training and technique insights. It can even generate AI announcers when human ones aren鈥檛 available. G枚hlen notes that Black Horse One is still in the early stages of exploring the 鈥渢remendous鈥� potential of AI鈥攗sing it to support and advance equestrian sport in ways that are not only exciting but also wise and effective.

G枚hlen himself offers sage advice when it comes to assuaging stakeholders鈥� fears around digital transformation and AI in particular: 鈥淧eople really need to see that the technology supports them rather than replaces them.鈥�

Real and sustainable innovation

Black Horse One鈥檚 remarkable story of leveraging technology to transform an age-old sport demonstrates that there is no company too small or industry too niche to benefit from digital transformation.

For those looking to embark on a similar journey, G枚hlen has advice: first, start with the pain points, 鈥渨here processes are currently inefficient or fragmented,鈥� and then find the technology to ensure meaningful innovation. Second, G枚hlen advises companies to earn and keep their customers鈥� trust. 鈥淚n many of our mission-critical settings, if we make a mistake, we can鈥檛 undo it. So, make sure that you choose your technology wisely,鈥� he says.

Finally, and most crucially, remember that innovation is a process, not a destination. 鈥淣ever stop learning,鈥� G枚hlen says. 鈥淓ach project should push you and your team to grow technically and strategically. This is how innovation stays real and sustainable.鈥�

For the full Black Horse One episode and the on-demand Better Together: Customer Conversations series, visit .

The full episode

Learn more about how Black Horse One brought digital transformation to the tradition-bound world of equestrian sports.

• : G枚hlen, CEO of Black Horse One, talks with Tamara McCleary, CEO of Thulium, to share his motivation and journey merging tradition with technology to transform equestrian events, improving the sport and the sporting experience for athletes and audiences and winning over even the most traditional participants.
• : G枚hlen talks with me about what it took and the technologies that have resulted in a suite of applications that revolutionized the dressage world.

To access the whole series, on demand, visit .

Do you have ideas for topics or technologies we should cover, or would you like to be a guest on the show? We want to hear from you, just e-mail us.

Timo Elliottis vice president and global innovation advocate for 51风流BTP at SAP.

鈥淭he business will always rely on its industry-leading team selling through an institutional business model but has evolved in recent years to be more consumer-facing, data-driven, and insight-driven, so we can help the coaches and the players with relevant information on how they can improve performance,鈥� Aravind Kashyap, Chief Information Officer, Riddell, said. For example, Riddell innovated with smart helmets that utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) to get deeper insights into head impact exposure and athlete performance. 鈥淭he company itself has gone through several routes of transformation because the game and its players demand it,鈥� he said.

Riddell is now transforming its enterprise foundation, embarking on a robust, three-year enterprise solutions revamp. The company has used 51风流solutions for almost 20 years, and its current solution is highly customized and very complex. 鈥淲e really want to get to a situation where we鈥檙e not uber customized and difficult to upgrade,鈥� Kashyap said. To benefit from technologies like data visibility, process automation, and AI, the company is working with 51风流and , a global 51风流consulting company, to adopt a cloud-first, clean core approach.

Legacy built it, strategy will fix it

Riddell is modernizing and simplifying its ERP system via a greenfield approach with . 鈥淥ur IT strategy is primarily looking at the next three years and what can we do at a foundation level, what are the things we鈥檙e doing on the information aspect, and what things we are doing for greater efficiency,鈥� Kashyap said. The renewed IT strategy will enable the business to focus on growth, efficiency, and automation projects by leveraging information and advanced technologies while still driving down IT operation costs.

The project is as much about improving Riddell鈥檚 IT foundation as it is about improving the experience for employees who use the systems, many of which are remote. Kashyap explained the focus on delivering a modern digital experience across the company: 鈥淒igital experience is huge for us. In fact, that鈥檚 one of the big themes that I鈥檓 driving in the organization. How do I bring experience to our business users鈥攚hether they are in a warehouse, whether they are in a sales position, whether they are a finance clerk, whether they are in the manufacturing location or plant鈥攁nd give them the best experience as a solution user?鈥�

This is in alignment with the strategic business transformation and change management approach KaarTech recommended to Riddell. Connecting the technical ERP transformation to the consumer experience and sales side of the business was key. 鈥淚f you just do a technical assessment and try to understand the IT landscape without connecting with the business, the transformation will go wrong,鈥� Parameswaran N, vice president, KaarTech, said. He added: 鈥淲e wanted this to be a business-led transformation and the business priorities and vision were much more than just a technical upgrade, so we mutually agreed that a greenfield approach was the right approach.鈥�

As a result of a thorough migration readiness assessment exercise undertaken with , a KaarTech proprietary digital transformation as a service (DXaaS) automation platform for 51风流digital transformations, available on , Riddell鈥檚 IT landscape was found to have 1,270 custom objects, 556 custom reports, 794 enhancements to standard programs, and 10 third-party integrations. The current endeavor, called Project STRIDE, aims to streamline these customizations and instead take a fit-to-standard approach wherever possible.

The team has identified about 180 global scope items and is looking at each one individually to compare the out-of-the-box scenario with the customization opportunity, Kashyap said. This process of determining what in the current system stays and what goes is time consuming and involves about 10% of the company鈥檚 850 employees, he explained, but it鈥檚 also necessary to prioritizing the fit-to-standard and clean core approach. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy, but that鈥檚 the only way it鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� he said, adding that it鈥檚 a 鈥渙ne team, one platform鈥� mindset. Keeping 51风流S/4HANA as the core allows for a 鈥渓imitless plane鈥� on which Riddell can take advantage of innovative technologies like AI.

In addition to the Riddell team, who supplies the internal expertise, knowledge, and working experience to Project STRIDE, 51风流helps with the valuation of each scope item and KaarTech helps with implementation.

鈥淥ur partners KaarTech and 51风流are making it possible. It鈥檚 a long journey,鈥� Kashyap said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about making the business comfortable with using the new enterprise solution.鈥�

Project learnings鈥攕o far

Riddell鈥檚 Project STRIDE demonstrates the potential behind a fit-to-standard approach, how digital experience drives user adoption, and the need for strong governance to accelerate decision-making.

The path to the cloud and a clean core is a worthy cause to achieve long-term agility, but it鈥檚 as much a method shift as it is a mindset shift, Kashyap said. 鈥淚t is an IT transformation; more importantly it is a business transformation.鈥�

Gillian Hixson is an integrated communications specialist at SAP.

This powerful tool can streamline and centralize access to key data, helping general managers and hockey operations departments manage roster planning, salary cap considerations, and player contracts more efficiently.

Driving innovation in hockey

For over a decade, 51风流and the NHL have worked together to advance and enhance the game through cutting-edge technologies. From bringing real-time data and insights onto NHL benches with the SAP-NHL Coaching Insights App for iPad to supporting the League鈥檚 sustainability efforts with NHL Venue Metrics and reimagining the NHL EDGE advanced stats section on NHL.com, each innovation has put data at the center of decision-making for League stakeholders, players, coaches, and fans alike. Now, 51风流and the NHL are extending this approach with the SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad, bringing the same level of informed decision-making and operational efficiency to NHL Club front offices.

Unlocking new insights for NHL front offices

Powered by , the SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad consolidates multiple NHL-owned data sources into a single, intuitive platform. By providing a centralized view of team, player, and League data insights, front offices can make more informed, real-time decisions with greater accuracy and efficiency.

The SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad consists of three core sections:

• League View: Displays each Club鈥檚 current cap and projected off-season cap situation, along with a draft grid tracking future picks, transaction history, and conditional picks. Daily transaction alerts and customizable filters enhance visibility into player movements.
• Team View: Provides a centralized snapshot of player contracts, spanning the current season through the next eight years. Advanced filters allow sorting by roster status, player position, and contract details, while visual indicators highlight free agents and cap impacts.
• Player View: Offers comprehensive NHL player profiles, including bio details, contract history, game logs, and transaction history for a complete career overview.

Additionally, the app introduces enhanced data points such as Long-Term Injury designation, projected off-season cap room, projected free-agent status for all players, complete language related to No Move/No Trade clauses, retained salary transaction information, detailed waiver status, and performance bonus tracking. By integrating this information into a single platform, the SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad can equip teams with the tools they need to navigate complex decisions more efficiently.

Building on a strong technical foundation

The SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad is part of the NHL鈥檚 broader initiative to enhance the distribution of official Central Registry player and Club data, ensuring that all NHL teams have timely and consistent access to critical League information. Since 2017, iPads have been a core part of NHL game operations, delivering real-time insights and video to coaches and players on the bench. Developing the SAP-NHL Front Office App for iPad was a natural next step to bring the same level of efficiency and accessibility to front-office decision-makers.

To support this expansion, the NHL leveraged its existing 51风流BTP infrastructure, which provides the League with a scalable, cloud-based platform for application development, automation, data management, analytics, and AI. By building the SAP-NHL Front Office App on 51风流BTP, the League extended its technology ecosystem while seamlessly integrating new capabilities to support evolving business needs.

Ensuring the NHL is future-ready

Beyond front-office operations, 51风流and the NHL continue to collaborate on optimizing League-wide business processes. As part of its commitment to innovation, the NHL also recently selected and solutions to help enhance workforce management and streamline financial operations.

As hockey continues to evolve, 51风流remains dedicated to delivering technology-driven solutions that empower NHL Clubs, drive League-wide efficiency, and unlock new possibilities for the sport.

Danielle Venino is part of Integrated Storytelling for Global Sponsorships at SAP.

Innovation from the Bottom-Up

It started with a hackathon for 51风流engineers with the goal to create a prototype combining the power of immersive technology and 51风流solutions. The 51风流Sports One team won with a prototype unlocking the potential of spatial computing in football match preparation.

is a comprehensive solution that helps sports organizations optimize performance on and off the field and is trusted by football clubs like TSG Hoffenheim and FC Bayern as well as the German Football Association.

Taking 51风流Sports One to the Third Dimension

Imagine being able to dive into a match, not just as a spectator, but through the eyes of a player on the field. The prototype 51风流Sports One Immersive allows exactly that.

Using Apple Vision Pro, analysts and players can replay and analyze match scenes in 3D from any player’s perspective. A user can switch between the perspectives of various players to better understand a specific situation during a match. This immersive experience enables a new kind of match analysis and can make it easier to identify situations where another behavior of a player would have potentially been better.

Through an app on Apple Vision Pro, this prototype aims to empower teams to optimize their performance鈥攚hether it’s preparing for the next big match or analyzing past performances. Timo Gross, head of Match Analysis for football club TSG Hoffenheim, believes there鈥檚 a huge potential in the simulation of game scenarios in immersive 3D. 鈥淭his enhances player training and tactical understanding,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n fact, I believe that this has the potential to pave the way for a new approach in player development, especially in the youth space.鈥�

Professional Feedback: TSG Hoffenheim Thinks Immersive

鈥淭SG Hoffenheim is an innovative club, always looking for new technologies to improve match preparation and talent development,鈥� Gross said. 鈥淚mmersive match analysis could be a next big step.鈥�

Using immersive technology, users can feel as if they are standing on the field. They can observe players, move around, and gain a comprehensive perspective of a game situation. 鈥淭his immersive prototype shows a match analyst the exact perspective of a player in a specific moment,鈥� Gross explained. 鈥淔or the player, it makes the transition from viewing a theoretical situation on a tactic board to the real-life moment on the pitch much easier.鈥�

For Gross, another powerful feature of the prototype is the 3D visualization of classical 2D tactics scenes. Using the 51风流Challenger Insights mobile app, coaches and players can sketch game situations on a tablet. These 2D sketches can be transferred into the 3D immersive view.

From Hackathon onto the Stage

Winning the 51风流hackathon on spatial experience was just the first step. On February 5, 2025, the prototype was presented at the SPOBIS Conference in Hamburg, Germany, Europe’s largest sports business event. In a live, on-stage presentation, Gross was joined by experts including Dr. Dietmar Blicker, deputy managing director at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Sports and Sports Science; Michael Oenning, UEFA-Pro licensed coach; and Fadi Naoum, senior vice president 51风流Sports and Entertainment; to discuss the potential of immersive technologies in sports.

Oenning, who was head coach for German national division clubs Hamburger SV and 1. FC N眉rnberg, is passionate about developing and promoting talents. “Training young people using technologies they encounter in their daily lives is something I would definitely use in my work as a coach,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ffering different perspectives of a game situation is an experience young players can benefit from tremendously.”

Blicker agreed that 鈥�3D experiences like these enhance the cognitive perception of a player.鈥� Technology savvy by the nature of his role, he isn鈥檛 only involved in sports from an academic perspective, but also coaches the U23 team of the German second division team Karlsruher SC. 鈥淎s a coach, I often sketch a tactical situation. But such a 2D drawing doesn鈥檛 easily translate to a real situation. The body height of a close opponent might cause a risk to an intended pass, or the distances on the field don鈥檛 match up in the end. Practicing situations in an immersive setting can help players to internalize certain behaviors,鈥� he said.

SAP鈥檚 Naoum noted the importance of applying new technologies. “This prototype is a result of our continuous collaboration with partners like TSG Hoffenheim where we constantly test innovative technologies,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or SAP, sports serve as a front-runner to demonstrate new technologies that can potentially be applied in other industries as well.鈥�

Perhaps the most famous example of this predicament was the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final where Germany defeated Brazil 7-1. Traditional metrics favored Brazil, leaving the South American team stunned by their devastating loss and highlighting the inefficacy of existing statistical models in accurately representing team performance.

The Soccer Statistic You鈥檝e Never Heard

Stefan Reinartz, a former midfield Bundesliga player and UEFA Champions League competitor, cited that example on a hosted by Soccerex Miami. After experiencing his own 鈥淎ha!鈥� moment, Reinartz became the founder of , a German analytics company that revolutionized the role of statistics in the world of soccer.

鈥淐ommon soccer statistics like ball possession, winning tackles, running distance, and so on actually have no correlation to the end result,鈥� Reinartz said. “I was quite shocked when I realized they really can’t tell you anything about a player鈥檚 or a team鈥檚 performance.”

He came to that realization when he read about the Moneyball approach, which uses advanced statistical analysis to acquire undervalued players and thus assemble a competitive team despite a limited budget.

鈥淪ome sports such as baseball may be more conducive to such a data-driven strategy, while others like soccer are more complex, making it difficult to create the right KPIs,鈥� he explained.

Soccer is a low-scoring game involving 22 players in continuous action, requiring complex strategies and a lot of hard work to get past opponents to score. Apart from the number of goals and passes, individual statistics are almost nonexistent, making it challenging to create universally reliable metrics.

Realizing that soccer statistics did not measure the true value of individual players changed his own assumptions. Together with another midfielder, Jens Hegeler, he founded IMPECT with the goal of聽developing soccer data that can be used to make valuable assessments of players and teams. They invented 鈥減acking鈥� to quantify the value of a pass or dribble.

The basic statistics in soccer, such as goals and assists, primarily reflect strikers and attacking midfielders, the players who do most of the scoring and assisting. Midfielders, who do most of the running and passing to initiate offensive moves, are seldom recognized statistically. What they do best is move the ball past opposition players. That is what packing measures.

The methodology is simple: Players earn a point for any move 鈥� a cross, a dribble, a long pass 鈥� that causes the ball to move past opposition players. Receivers also get points.

Today, IMPECT is a thriving business collecting and selling packing data to help teams scout for players, analyze their own performance, and learn key facts about opponents.

What鈥檚 51风流Got to Do With It?

During the discussion, Achim Ittner, vice president of Sports at SAP, described the company’s journey from its roots in business software to developing specialized sports applications, emphasizing user-centric design and collaboration with renowned coaches and national teams.

鈥淟ike IMPECT, we鈥檝e been focused on developing data-driven solutions and relevant tools for sports clubs using direct feedback and a design thinking approach,鈥� Ittner said. He explained that 51风流built a unified platform to address fragmented software ecosystems in sports. The platform integrates APIs and data sources to support processes like injury prevention, training recommendations, match preparation, and player well-being.

鈥淪ports analytics embodies the blend of data science and athletic performance, providing a blueprint to guide decisions made by coaches and trainers,鈥� he shared. 鈥淭he significance of data in today鈥檚 sports ecosystem cannot be overstated.聽It鈥檚 necessary for everything from strategizing game plans to refining individual skills.鈥�

SAP鈥檚 engagement with IMPECT is just one example of how the compay collaborates with a variety of teams and experts to further shape its sports technology. New technologies — like social media, mobile, and digital capabilities, as well as sensors in player uniforms and equipment — are disrupting the sports industry. 51风流is committed to helping sports organizations take advantage of these new innovations to deepen fan engagement, improve team performance, grow revenue faster, and efficiently operate their business and venues.

Besides solutions for scouting and measuring team performance, 51风流also has one for customer engagement and marketing. Afterall, the fan experience is just as important as the team鈥檚 performance. The 51风流Sports One solution provides a to better target individual preferences and purchasing behaviors by offering personalized experiences over online, mobile, and social channels. Teams can grow their fan base, manage their merchandise, and increase loyalty with personalized rewards.

Delivering the Experience

鈥淎 great sports experience is about so much more than winning the game,鈥� said Ittner. 鈥淚t involves a mix of elements that includes players, spectators, and organizers.鈥�

For the fans, food and beverage, merchandise, a good streaming experience, and clear communications on schedules and navigating the venue are critical. Having the right players for a winning team and providing them with the best care and training before and after the game is the job of team management. And finally, the venue must provide exceptional facilities, infrastructure, safety, and security.

51风流helps bring this all together, creating an intersection of sports, technology, and innovation.

This modern venue adds a fresh landmark to a thriving culture and promises to influence the sports-enthusiastic city for decades to come. Located in one of Europe’s key technology hubs, 51风流Garden strengthens the company鈥檚 presence with customers and partners. It also provides a creative space for employees and future talent at the nearby 51风流Labs Munich location, situated on the grounds of the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

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Fan-First Approach

51风流Garden will host up to 11,500 hockey and basketball fans while serving as a seeding ground for new innovations in sports and entertainment. During the planning stages, SAP, Red Bull Munich, and FC Bayern Basketball worked together to explore ways to elevate the fan experience. Through design thinking workshops, the teams drew on collective creativity and insights from the startup ecosystem, including the .

The result is a unified digital platform designed to enhance the experience for all visitors within the arena. This includes streamlined ticket purchasing with 51风流Event Ticketing, mobile tickets for easy access and transfer capabilities, and 3D seating maps that illustrate the view from any seat in the venue. Fans can also earn rewards for choosing sustainable travel options through the Red Bull Munich loyalty program 鈥楥heckBack鈥�, managed in 51风流Customer Checkout. Mobile ordering, cashless payments, and real-time stock updates further enhance convenience, allowing fans to focus on the game, not the lines.

51风流Garden also uses 51风流Customer Experience solutions such as 51风流Customer Identity and Access Management for real-time authentication across digital touchpoints. This supports a seamless experience from ticketing to in-arena purchases, all while managing fan consent and preferences.

Experience 51风流Garden鈥檚 digital services here:

Enhanced Venue Management and Analytics

Financial management and streamlined processes are crucial for the success of a multi-sports arena. To drive operational efficiency and profitability at 51风流Garden, the venue leverages a wide range of 51风流solutions, including 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), which combines data and analytics, application development, and integration in one unified environment. 51风流Integration Suite enables seamless data flow between the arena鈥檚 systems and applications like 51风流S/4HANA, optimizing revenue tracking and helping to manage operational costs. Further, 51风流Analytics Cloud provides essential dashboards for analyzing sales data from ticketing, merchandise, catering, and more in order to improve matchday performance.

Next-Level Event Reporting

Looking ahead, 51风流Garden will leverage AI-driven data analysis with SAP鈥檚 copilot Joule, which allows users to access insights through natural language queries. Red Bull Munich is part of the beta program for 51风流Analytics Cloud with Joule to gain firsthand insights.

The team is also part of a pilot program for the new 51风流Analytics Cloud feature 鈥榲ideo data stories,鈥� planned to be available to customers in early 2025. The video data stories feature presents business data through shareable video segments similar to social media content. For 51风流Garden, this will make matchday reporting more engaging and accessible, enabling the venue to showcase key performance metrics through animated videos. .

Technological Edge in Sports

51风流Garden is more than just a venue; it demonstrates the power of technology in sports and entertainment. The collaboration of SAP, Red Bull Munich, and FC Bayern Basketball has reimagined the fan experience from the ground up, setting the stage for a new era of innovation in the industry.

Henrike Paetz is director of Global Sponsorships at SAP.

While fans enjoy action-packed games, the service in the stadiums also plays a crucial role. Food and drinks are an important part of the stadium experience, and smooth processes are essential for this. Fans want to get their favorite snacks and drinks quickly so they don’t miss a minute of the game. Efficient service not only ensures satisfied visitors but also contributes to the overall mood and atmosphere in the stadium.

This means that the behind-the-scenes systems for orders and payments must function flawlessly. Fast and reliable checkout systems are essential to avoid long queues and serve fans in the shortest possible time. A smooth transaction process helps fans enjoy the action on the field without interruptions.

51风流Technology Drives Smooth Processes at the Stadiums

51风流is also part of the action. , an integrated point-of-sale application for the gastronomy and retail industry, helps ensure that the fans’ catering runs smoothly and efficiently. The application is in use at four venues of the championship: Munich, Stuttgart, Duesseldorf, and Cologne, where it has already proven to be effective at numerous events.

The application is designed to serve a large number of fans in the shortest possible time, even during high visitor traffic periods. Its efficiency has been successfully demonstrated not only in football stadiums but also at large international events such as EXPO 2020 in Dubai. The payment flexibility in 51风流Customer Checkout can also be a great advantage, allowing international visitors in particular to pay with Alipay, Apple Pay, or other options.

Caterers at the Venues Rely on SAP

The catering providers in Stuttgart, Duesseldorf, Cologne, and Munich already use 51风流Customer Checkout and are delighted with the results. Michael Fichtner, CIO of FC Bayern Munich Digital & Media Lab, says: “We have been relying on 51风流Customer Checkout at the Allianz Arena in Munich for years and appreciate the speed, reliability, and variety of payment methods available. We are also expecting numerous international visitors during the European championship and trust that 51风流Customer Checkout will ensure smooth processes.”

The use of 51风流Customer Checkout at the 2024 tournament is also a significant milestone for SAP. “We are excited to be part of the European championship, the biggest football event of the year in Germany, and to optimize processes for fans, cashiers, and caterers with 51风流Customer Checkout,” says Fadi Naoum, senior vice president at 51风流Sports and Entertainment.

This article first appeared on the German 51风流News Center.

Sights Set on the European Championship

鈥�51风流Sports One enables us to efficiently share tactical insights and key information about our next opponents with our players. And by accessing the software on a tablet, we can even give them the latest updates in the changing room shortly before kickoff or at half time,鈥� says Benjamin Gl眉ck, assistant coach to the German national A-team.

鈥淪AP鈥檚 sports management suite is very important to the national soccer team as a central platform for collecting and analyzing data and for presenting the insights gained from that data to our players,鈥� explains Gl眉ck. 鈥淲e use the video and visualization functions in 51风流Sports One to help us illustrate findings about our opponents and their key players. These features make conveying tactics and preparing for specific matches much easier and clearer.鈥� The German team also uses analytical insights to prepare for penalty scenarios. In 51风流Penalty Insights, goalkeepers can study the behavior of potential penalty-takers, such as which area of the goal they usually aim for and even how these preferences change under pressure. Conversely, penalty-takers can gain insights into the tactics of their opponents鈥� goalkeepers.

The coaches and analysts of the German Football Association (Deutscher Fu脽ball-Bund, or DFB) work with data created within 51风流Sports One as well as data and analyses from third-party sources. The 51风流solution serves as the central platform for consolidating and analyzing all the data.

An 51风流App for All Players

Germany鈥檚 national players stay in close contact with their coaches and analysts through the 51风流Sports One messaging app 鈥� 51风流Team One 鈥� which they have on their phones. Among other things, the mobile app is used to pass on match preparation information, such as opponent analyses, annotated clips, and videos.

The players also use the mobile app to share information about themselves. For example, they complete questionnaires about how intense they perceived the last training session or match, how well they slept, and how they are feeling overall. Their responses are used to generate an RPE (rating of perceived exertion) value. By gauging each player鈥檚 general health and well-being in this way, coaches can manage intensity levels according to each individual鈥檚 situation. Both the DFB and the player鈥檚 home club monitor this RPE value to guard against overtraining and injury. 51风流Analytics Cloud can draw on data from 51风流Sports One to create player-specific reports that are forwarded to the player鈥檚 home club after courses, tournaments, and matches the German team takes part in.

DFB and SAP: An Established Partnership

The DFB is a familiar name around the globe. With almost 7 million members spread across more than 25,000 clubs, it is the world鈥檚 largest national sports federation. At the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, which Germany won, the country鈥檚 national team was already using 51风流Match Insights, a prototype of the solution that is now part of 51风流Sports One. This prototype helped the DFB evaluate large volumes of data for match analysis for the first time.

Today, more than 1,000 DFB users 鈥� players and the 鈥渢eams behind the teams鈥� 鈥� work with 51风流Sports One. 鈥淥ur successful collaboration with the German national team was a key factor in SAP鈥檚 decision to turn the prototype we developed for the DFB into a standard product. Now, clubs and associations in 19 countries are using 51风流Sports One,鈥� says Fadi Naoum, senior vice president and head of Development, 51风流Sports One. More joint projects followed, including the development of 51风流Penalty Insights and 51风流Challenger Insights, a mobile app that helps teams prepare for upcoming matches. On the horizon of this co-innovation partnership are plans to leverage the power of AI to make the functions in 51风流Sports One even more efficient.

Shaping the Future

In addition to Germany鈥檚 national men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer A-teams, the DFB manages 12 junior and U21 teams, too. 鈥淭he challenge for us is to keep a close eye on the pool of talented young players we have and to help them reach their full potential,鈥� says Christofer Clemens, the DFB鈥檚 head of Scouting, Match Analysis, and Diagnosis. 鈥淥ur coaching teams watch an average of 1,500 games every season and identify a large number of gifted talents in the process. To qualify these players, the coaching teams compile a huge volume of scouting reports, which we manage in 51风流Sports One. These qualitative insights are vital for us. However, at the moment, the task of judging the development of a player or comparing individual players based on that information is time-consuming,鈥� says Clemens. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that AI will make the complex task of analyzing these vast amounts of data much simpler for us.鈥� Alongside scouting reports, the DFB plans to use publicly available data sources and match statistics to complete player profiles.

鈥淎nother area where the DFB sees enormous potential for AI is in analyzing opponents before international matches,鈥� says Martin Vogelbein, a member of the DFB鈥檚 Scouting, Match Analysis, and Diagnosis team and project lead in managing the 51风流Sports One solution. 51风流Sports One is already helping the DFB prepare for big games, he explains, but the plan is to go a step further and use AI to automatically analyze insights from opponents鈥� past matches.

鈥淲e are hoping that SAP鈥檚 AI copilot, , will bring enormous benefits in terms of consolidating match reports. That would minimize the manual tasks our match analysts need to complete and reduce the time it takes to get answers to a range of key questions we have when preparing for games,鈥� says Vogelbein. Typical questions are: What patterns are visible in the opposing team in different phases of the match? What does this tell us about the team鈥檚 strengths, weaknesses, and about the options we have? 鈥淲e already have a huge amount of information 鈥� particularly qualitative data 鈥� available to us before games. 51风流Challenger Insights, a component of 51风流Sports One, allows us to visualize insights from that information and discuss them with the team. But, looking ahead, AI-driven analyses could help us prepare key background information for our players even more easily,鈥� says Vogelbein.

Clemens and Vogelbein are very pleased with the results so far. 鈥淲e see enormous potential in our work with 51风流on the AI-driven evaluation of information that is relevant for scouting and match analysis. The prototypes 51风流has presented to the DFB look very promising, and we are looking forward to using them live soon.鈥�

Top image courtesy of Thomas B枚cker

FC Bayern, one of the most successful global football clubs, continues to raise the bar on and off the field. With a relentless focus on excellence and innovation, the world-renowned club has extended its usage of 51风流SuccessFactors software with AI-enabled solutions to enhance its HR functions and processes.

A clear key to the club’s success are the more than 1,000 employees in Munich, New York, Bangkok, and Shanghai who are as integral to the club as the players on the pitch, meaning each job experience and career path must enable employees to continuously develop themselves professionally to reach their full potential.

Streamlining HR Operations with 51风流SuccessFactors

FC Bayern initially adopted 51风流SuccessFactors to optimize its  talent management, modernize HR processes, and foster a culture of continuous learning and development. Over the years, the club has expanded its utilization of 51风流SuccessFactors to manage everything from employee onboarding to performance management.

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By leveraging 51风流SuccessFactors, FC Bayern benefits from:

• Increased Efficiency: Automated workflows and streamlined processes have significantly reduced administrative burdens, allowing HR teams to accelerate complex processes and continually reduce time on the recruiting journey.
• Insightful Analytics: Real-time data and analytics providing managers with valuable insights into employee performance, engagement, and development, enabling holistic decision-making across an employee鈥檚 career path.
• Scalability: As FC Bayern continues to grow and evolve, 51风流SuccessFactors offers scalable solutions that adapt to the club’s ever-changing needs and requirements. Employees can now access their personnel data securely from anywhere using any device, with self-service options for employees, managers, and HR admins.

Transforming Recruitment with AI-Enabled Solutions

51风流Business AI has the ability to transform the employee experience for employees, managers, recruiters, and HR professionals. Recognizing the importance of hiring top talent to maintain its competitive edge, FC Bayern will use AI-assisted capabilities in its recruiting process.聽 Now, the talent acquisition team at FC Bayern will be able to create compelling job descriptions — a previously time consuming and manual task — at the touch of a button, as well as be prompted with AI-generated interview questions based on job descriptions.

AI-enabled capabilities embedded in 51风流SuccessFactors solutions empower organizations like FC Bayern to:

• Redefine Recruitment: Recruiters and hiring managers can benefit from the use of generative AI to create tailored job descriptions based on data from within 51风流SuccessFactors solutions.
• Interview Questions with AI and Interview Evaluations in Microsoft Teams: Using Microsoft Teams integration, interviewers can now generate interview questions on the spot based on the job description in the job requisition by using generative AI capabilities.
• Elevate the Employee Experience: FC Bayern will empower their workforce to excel by providing seamless access to all HR systems, optimizing career development with 51风流SuccessFactors Learning, and fostering engagement through experiences that prioritize and organize an employee鈥檚 individual needs, skills, interests, and aspirations, helping organizations like FC Bayern reinforce their reputation as an employer of choice.

The Future of HR at FC Bayern

By leveraging the 51风流SuccessFactors HCM suite and 51风流Business AI capabilities, FC Bayern will set new benchmarks in HR excellence, driving innovation and fostering a culture of professional growth and learning.

When organizations invest in their people — and in their passions and potential — they return the investment over and over. This happens when they are provided with intuitive self-service tools such as the 51风流SuccessFactors Mobile app and access to HR systems that empower them to perform at their true potential. An improved employee experience in turn leads to better business outcomes.

As the club continues to evolve and face new challenges, FC Bayern remains committed to leveraging technology to stay competitive and bridge the skills gap of today to be better ready for what tomorrow brings.

Learn more about how 51风流SuccessFactors Recruiting uses AI to transform your organization’s HR processes and drive success:

Maryann Abbajay is chief revenue officer at 51风流SuccessFactors.

In my role at SAP, I speak to business leaders all the time about the value that generative AI can add to their business in ways they might not even realize, and I hear countless stories about how it is already starting to do that. One of my favorite examples is one that 51风流announced last week in an arena that is near and dear to me: finding and developing the next generation of star athletes.

As someone who used to play and coach basketball in Australia, I have had a lifelong appreciation of coaching but also of聽scouting talent. Scouting is a discipline where art truly meets science, where experience and intuition are strengthened by the objective reality revealed by data.

While professional scouting has been around for a very long time, as more data on players becomes available, more teams are using it as聽a competitive advantage. But that鈥檚 not as easy as it sounds. While the sophistication of scouting reports is impressive, the process of creating and using them effectively has never been efficient. When you consider how many potential young star athletes there are in the world, you can see how this would create an enormous amount of scouting reports to go through in a short period of time. The problem gets even more daunting when you consider that they are written in different languages and in different writing styles.聽

In short, it鈥檚聽exactly the kind of challenge that generative AI for business is built to solve.

For proof of that, just look at the German professional soccer clubs FC Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC. For a long time, both clubs have employed talent scouts who travel the world watching matches and collecting reams of data about players in the hope of finding the next great star before any of their competitors do.

But to show how this could be done better, 51风流collaborated with FC Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC on a prototype. It uses generative AI to create automated summaries and recommendations of the reports created by their different scouts in different parts of the world and makes them available to club executives simply by asking for them in their natural language.

For example, imagine a German-speaking manager of the club being able ask for a key summary in 100 words or less of a scouting report on a young player who was scouted in Argentina and written in Spanish. That same manager can also ask it to compare two players based on their just their defensive skills or聽endurance. While translation apps聽can聽translate聽an聽entire report from Spanish to German,聽it takes a large language model (LLM) to create these summaries and competitive analyses on demand using natural language commands — essentially just the information that club executives really need to make informed decisions fast.

This is exactly what the prototype allowed these clubs to do. It聽took聽a time-consuming task and automated it in an intelligent way to make it useful. As a result, we will soon be rolling out this capability as part of our sports management suite, , which has already been helping athletes and teams get better results in their sport while also creating better experiences for their fans since 2015.

Why should business leaders care about better scouting reports? Two reasons: first, because they face many of the same challenges in their own business, needing to harness the power of their data quickly on demand for competitive advantage. And second, because generative AI is not just a specific solution for a specific problem.聽Its true magic is that it is also scalable across an entire enterprise to address other business needs, from financing and supply chain management to procurement, travel, trainings, and more. For example, when generative AI is combined with 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), businesses have the ability to write code, keeping their core clean and building generative AI extensions to further scale impact.

There is simply no doubt that data is the playbook of champions in sports. But it is also creating a new playbook of value in business. And with the era of generative AI for business only just beginning, I cannot wait to see what other amazing innovations will move from imagination to reality — and all of the value that they will create.

Scott Russell is a member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE.

Being a talent scout sounds like a dream job for many: travelling across the country to watch competitions in your favourite sport and being paid to do so. However, being a scout on the road means hard work. In addition to analyzing increasingly detailed statistical data — such as the number of overplayed players or the likelihood of increasing the goal count — players are scouted live at the stadium or from watching back videos.

Both the current performance and the potential of the player are portrayed as accurately as possible. The aim is to develop a comprehensive picture of the player incorporating team ability, mentality, and other important factors.

鈥淎t a professional club, a four-figure number of scouting reports can be generated during a season,鈥� Fadi Naoum, head of Sports and Entertainment at SAP, said at SPOBIS, the largest European sports business event, taking place in Hamburg on January 31 and February 1.

Naoum presented the new AI component for scouting at the conference.

鈥淪quad planners and chief scouts must summarize these reports in such a way that club management can make decisions based on them regarding who should be signed,” he shared. “This was previously a manual process, but now we have been able to extensively automate it, thanks to AI.鈥�

With the help of AI in 51风流Sports One, decision-makers in the sports sector now have aggregated performance reports at the touch of a button, as well as comparisons between players. Transfer decisions can be now much faster and more informed.

Large Language Model for Automation

AI is used for the consolidation and targeted processing of unstructured data, which is mostly in natural language. It is capable of considering and processing not only different languages, but also different types of note-taking and writing styles. Behind the AI component for scouting is a large language model (LLM). This deep learning algorithm can perform tasks in the field of natural language processing (NLP).

鈥淲e currently use GPT from OpenAI, but we are also evaluating language models from other providers,鈥� Naoum said. 鈥淭he decisive advantage of the LLM is that commands can be given in natural language and can be varied according to language, text length, or target audience, as needed.鈥�

In Brazil, for example, if a scout prepares manual reports for a specific player in Brazilian Portuguese, he can have the summary generated in German for the management of his German club.

“A typical command could be: ‘Compare the players x and y with regard to their strengths and weaknesses, write a summary and give a transfer recommendation, volume 100 words, answer in German’,” Naoum explained. “Depending on your preference, you can have the result presented as a flowing text or as a management summary.鈥�

Co-Innovation Demonstrates Strength of Generative AI

In collaboration with Hertha BSC, a prototype was first created for the AI-based automated summary and evaluation of scouting reports in 51风流Sports One. This prototype was also presented to FC Bayern’s scouting department in order to obtain an initial opinion.

鈥淲e were impressed by the high quality of the results achieved automatically in 51风流Sports One using generative AI,鈥� commented Markus Pilawa, head of Scouting at FC Bayern. 鈥淲e expect huge time saving for us and, especially in the hectic transfer period, this can be another advantage for us.鈥�

Timon Pauls, head of Squad Planning & Scouting at Hertha BSC, added: 鈥淭his co-innovation project has very clearly demonstrated the actual strengths of generative artificial intelligence. The player comparisons and summaries of scouting reports that can now be created ad-hoc will be very valuable for our squad planning. 鈥�

In the near future, 51风流plans to also use AI technology to enrich the results of scouting reports with information from other sources, including data about matches from external data providers. Integrating AI capabilities into other components of 51风流Sports One, including performance diagnostics, training management, and match analysis, is also planned.

51风流Sports One with AI-powered scouting reporting is planned to be made available to customers worldwide in the second quarter of 2024.

Top image via FC Bayern Munich

As the NHL continues to grow, the League continues to prioritize technology adoption to help advance the game and provide more engagement opportunities for fans.

Chris Foster, NHL vice president of Digital Business Development, explains: 鈥淎s our relationship with 51风流grows and technology advances, we pivot quickly to meet new demands and address our challenges with intuitive technology through 51风流Preferred Success services.鈥�

Unlocking the Power of Data with Partnership

The NHL is a rich tapestry of unforgettable moments, legendary players, and enduring passion that has captured the hearts of fans worldwide. To inspire and keep generations of new fans entertained and engaged, the League understands the importance of continuously innovating the experience in the arena and through its national broadcast partners.

鈥淥ur digital transformation efforts are not only boosting fan engagement across NHL platforms, but also increasing parity among our 32 clubs,鈥� Foster says. 鈥淲e are looking at data differently, ensuring it reaches the right people 鈥� our fans, players, coaches, and clubs.鈥�

This mindset on finding opportunity in data launched a series of innovations focused on enhancing the game and improving venue sustainability. With 51风流Preferred Success, to implement a platform that jump-started its ability to build and expand use cases over time to help meet changing business dynamics and objectives.

鈥�51风流Preferred Success is instrumental in making all this work,鈥� Foster underscores. 鈥淎ccess to personalized, prescriptive recommendations from subject-matter experts and quality reviews enables us to create a customized and personalized solution.鈥�

Connecting Fans with Their Favorite Clubs

The first project the NHL delivered in collaboration with 51风流was transforming 鈥� creating a definitive destination for hockey analytics. Last season alone, more than 100 million data-hungry NHL fans engaged with the site’s intuitive dashboards and filters to analyze the performance of their favorite clubs and players and compare them to past NHL legends.

鈥淲e saw the potential to create a one-stop shop that uses stats to better connect our audiences with their favorite players and teams, understand the strategy of the game, and see trends more broadly across the League,鈥� Foster shares.

Working with 51风流Preferred Success, the NHL tapped into a database that has evolved into to help store and manage data points like never before. The effort digitalized more than 100 years of historical hockey data and introduced new and enhanced statistics in a way that enthusiasts can find visually appealing.

Foster adds: 鈥淭here are also unlimited storytelling opportunities as we provide our fans with a personalized and interactive experience.鈥�

Elevating Plays with Data Intelligence

Following the digitalization of its stats, the NHL co-developed one of the most significant technologies resulting from its partnership with 51风流Preferred Success 鈥� the , which runs on the League鈥檚 iPads. 51风流HANA Cloud again serves an integral role as the processing power that helps translate all in-game hockey data from the arena and the NHL’s system to the mobile app.

鈥淎s the fastest game on ice, there are millions of data points to be collected and analyzed every second across our 32 clubs,鈥� Foster says. 鈥淲e knew we needed to deliver a tool that could serve every club with very different expectations, different coaching staff structures, and different responsibilities.鈥�

Equipped with the advisory checks introducing development and administration readiness, capability advisory, and design discovery that 51风流Preferred Success offers, the NHL increased developer productivity for the mobile app development. Making real-time, customizable player statistics and data visualizations accessible during the game allows coaching staffs to adjust in-game tactics and achieve new levels of individual player and club performance.

For example, the data tiering functionality of the SAP-NHL Coaching Insights mobile app on the League鈥檚 iPads differentiates between in-game and past seasons’ NHL EDGE Puck and Player Tracking data. In-game data is analyzed in real time with the quick in-memory processing of 51风流HANA Cloud, processing puck and player position coordinates every 30 milliseconds. Meanwhile, gigabytes of NHL EDGE Puck and Player Tracking data are archived instantly, stored cost-effectively and securely, and reactivated readily and swiftly for further analysis.

Throughout this use case, 51风流Preferred Success helped the NHL better understand the stability of the system to reduce data duplication and storage while still providing a powerful processing engine that brings accurate data to the user rapidly. The services also helped deliver security and connectivity reviews and performance optimizations to help ensure the NHL coaching staffs have the best possible experience. In fact, with visualizations made possible by the solution, the League can review each clubs鈥� app usage to improve the app further and tailor it to their evolving needs.

Going Green with NHL Venue Metrics

In addition to elevating the fan experience and enhancing the game on the ice, the NHL is also working to reduce its ecological impact while preserving the sport’s roots for future generations. The League developed to collect, process, and report energy and water consumption, waste generation, and recycling frequency across NHL clubs and arenas 鈥� which plays a key position in its NHL Green platform.

The end-to-end, cloud-based application is the NHL’s latest and extended use of 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), delivered through the prescriptive guidance of 51风流Preferred Success. Data is processed through 51风流HANA Cloud and visualized with 51风流Analytics Cloud, helping give venues the insights to embed sustainability best practices into their business operations wherever possible.

鈥淭he development of NHL Venue Metrics enables us to define new sustainability goals and standards as a League,鈥� Foster remarks.

Building a Future of Game-Changing Outcomes

A critical lesson the NHL learned throughout its experience with 51风流Preferred Success is the value of expert guidance and support 鈥� fast-paced innovation enabled through skillful teamwork. Each step in the League’s innovation journey progresses with best practices, targeted learning, in-depth release guidance, and prioritized incident handling 鈥� all aimed at evolving and improving the overall growth of the game.

鈥淲e certainly have clear goals and specific objectives for the future of the NHL. But it’s equally important to have in-depth expertise to ensure business solutions are doing all they can to help us reach our vision. It takes experience in seeing what others have done, what’s worked well, and what you should avoid,鈥� Foster reflects.

By working with 51风流Preferred Success, the NHL gained a trusted partner that helps it map out and provide prescriptive advice on configuration steps, modeling, performance testing, and more. All this work culminates in a smooth rollout and adoption experience across NHL club coaching staffs.

Foster concludes: 鈥淥ur collaboration has allowed us to continue to evolve and deliver additional stable and reliable applications that increase productivity, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.鈥�

To learn more about the value of 51风流Preferred Success and how the NHL is innovating, look at the following resources:

Amit Lodhe is global solution owner of 51风流Preferred Success for 51风流BTP at SAP.

Top image courtesy of the NHL

Many organizations, however, face the challenge of gaining the data transparency needed for accurate reporting and actionable decision-making. Nearly . This is especially troubling considering there has been a . An organization鈥檚 ability to measure and report sustainability data across value chains accurately, reliably, and at scale has become an essential element of modern go-to-market and compliance strategies.

The solution? A new generation of powerful technologies working in concert to unlock the power of sustainability data. SAP鈥檚 robust sustainability solutions, built on a foundation of (51风流BTP), can enable customers to stitch together complex sets of data sources, applications, and business processes into one unified view. In turn, customers can accelerate their innovation, measure and report on their ESG goals, and ultimately build a more competitive, more sustainable future. 

Center Ice with NHL

Sustainability pioneers are in every industry. In the sporting world, the (NHL) was an early mover, starting its sustainability journey in 2010. It announced the initiative, which promotes and implements sustainable best practices across its 32 ice hockey clubs. Initially, it tracked carbon footprint metrics. Now, venue operators track an estimated 20 sustainability-related data points, such as electricity, natural gas, water waste, and recycling, for every arena. In a recent conversation with Member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE and Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer Julia White, Omar Mitchell, vice president of Sustainable Infrastructure and Growth Initiatives at the NHL, said, 鈥淲e play our game in what are essentially giant refrigerators. We鈥檙e using a lot of energy, a lot of resources. Measurement is key; you cannot impact what you do not measure.鈥�

By 2018, the NHL published two sustainability reports and began the process of modernizing its data collection systems. Mitchell said the NHL turned to 51风流BTP as an 鈥渋nnovative platform that could help streamline this process, make it easier for stakeholders to input data, and to visualize key insights in one end-to-end solution.鈥� Together, 51风流and the NHL built the NHL Venue Metrics Platform 鈥� a tool that allows its clubs and venue partners to input their environmental data and develop meaningful insights.

The NHL isn鈥檛 stopping there. It also hopes to get fans involved too by providing real-time venue insights and environmental impacts. 鈥淥ur fans are so passionate about hockey and the League鈥檚 environmental impact,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淏y getting them involved, we can have true collective impact, which is the most powerful tool to elicit change.鈥�

By prioritizing its sustainability green line, the is making a positive environmental impact, improving its customer experience, and setting the League up for success in the long run.

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Sustainability Is Good for Business

Embedding sustainability into corporate strategy is critical for customers to unlock their full business potential. The NHL achieved this with the help of a best-in-class technology platform and data solutions, two vital pieces of the puzzle to gain accurate visibility across the value chain, measure sustainability-related data points, and set net-zero targets.

JG Chirapurath is chief marketing and solutions officer of 51风流Business Technology Platform and AI.

Key Takeaways

• 51风流is proud to serve as New Zealand Rugby鈥檚 technology partner, helping to drive its digital transformation
• 51风流is supporting NZR鈥檚 journey to become more sustainable in several ways, including through 51风流SuccessFactors to modernize its HR operations and through 51风流Analytics Cloud and 51风流Datasphere to help identify sustainably metrics and targets to meet
• We are also honored to be one of the recipients of a M膩ori-crafted bench, which is a symbol of how our collaboration is so much more than a business partnership 鈥� truly, we鈥檙e a team

As the premier rugby tournament kicked off in Paris last week, audiences worldwide are celebrating this unique and thrilling sport.

Rugby forces players to take risks, be strategic and tactical, and, above all, rely on a solid, connected team of individuals that are greater than the sum of their parts.

Those same qualities are essential to transform digitally in today鈥檚 world. So as a lifelong rugby fan, I am proud that 51风流is New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) partner, helping to power its digital transformation so the organization can keep its business and the sport of rugby stronger today and into the future.

This tournament, hosted every four years, holds special significance for me. As an Aussie who has spent a lot of time in New Zealand, I am a longtime fan of the NZR All Blacks team, which is also a strategic partner of SAP.

Although it鈥檚 an internationally known powerhouse brand, NZR is a small business with less than 200 employees. But NZR has capitalized on its global game to become a digital enterprise, and 51风流has been part of its journey in several ways.鈥�

Harmonizing HR for a Unique Employee Base鈥�

NZR has keen respect for the beautiful M膩ori culture of New Zealand, which is interwoven into its operations. For example, when creating a new core HR program, NZR looked to the M膩ori concept of P膩taka, traditionally a small, raised house that is used on communal meeting spaces to place food for the community.

Applying this idea of a safe and sacred space to centralize people management, NZR worked with 51风流to develop its own P膩taka, an HR program built on 51风流SuccessFactors.

P膩taka will ensure the safe storage of NZR鈥檚 personal and organizational people data, modernize the way the organization recruits, provide candidate support, transform onboarding and offboarding processes, and will integrate with the payroll system. 51风流SuccessFactors features that will enhance the NZR people experiences include:鈥�

• Leave Management: With P膩taka, NZR employees will continue to manage leave requests directly through a platform, but with an added benefit of this being available on mobile devices.鈥�
• Talent Acquisition: P膩taka鈥檚 robust recruitment tools will make it easier for NZR鈥檚 People Leaders to attract and hire top talent. From posting job advertisements to applicant tracking and interviews, the entire process will be more efficient and user-friendly.鈥�
• User Experience: P膩taka will provide NZR with a sleek and intuitive interface, offering a more modern and streamlined approach to supporting its people processes.鈥�

Embracing Sustainability Across Operations鈥�

New Zealand has an innate relationship with its land, air, and sea, and protecting that environment is part of NZR鈥檚 legacy. The organization as a whole recognizes its role to minimize impact on the environment and help influence others to do the same.

To strategically operate as a conscious, sustainable organization, NZR has identified themes in climate change, circular economy, and biodiversity to manage its efforts. But as the saying goes, you can鈥檛 manage what you don鈥檛 measure. That鈥檚 where 51风流has come in.

We have provided NZR with a technology solution to understand, visualize, and interpret many data points of its footprint. This is proving invaluable to enabling an understanding of where the organization can make changes at both a macro- and micro-level of policy and individual choices.

For example, 51风流and NZR have created a custom dashboard, powered by 51风流Analytics Cloud and 51风流Datasphere, which measures and displays carbon emissions by air travel class, aircraft type, business unit, destination, and other considerations. NZR now has more information to make more informed decisions to reduce air travel and, as a result, its carbon footprint in the world.

Connecting Community with a Bench for All

NZR and the All Blacks are famous for saying the team is only as good as its bench, meaning the 15 players on the field are only as successful as the eight players who are sitting on the bench. That鈥檚 because the eight on the bench may be called up to play at any moment — in the event of injury, they must jump in at a moment鈥檚 notice.

NZR extends the concept of the bench to the community that offers help off the field as well. It is the bench who are the team’s ultimate support network and who are ready to step up for their team at any moment. The bench is a symbol of connection, courage, camaraderie, and compassion.

The bench is as literal as it is conceptual, with physical benches serving an important role in M膩ori society to connect people and facilitate meetings that take place side by side, in a safe space.

At the premier rugby tournament now underway, the All Blacks are gifting benches crafted by the New Zealand M膩ori Arts & Crafts Institute to 26 communities across New Zealand, to host country France, and to SAP, recognizing our organization as one of its many supporters.

We at 51风流are humbled to be the recipients of a M膩ori-crafted bench and see our collaboration with NZR as so much more than a business partnership. Truly, we are a team.

I wish all of the competitors the best of luck in Paris, but my heart will especially go out to the All Blacks, who are leading their organization while honoring their distinctive culture to a very exciting future.

Scott Russell is a member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, leading Customer Success.

That鈥檚 because business transformation is about far more than simply digital transformation. It鈥檚 about the adoption of new technology and the implementation of the best people, processes, and operations 鈥� so you can quickly adapt to evolving challenges and opportunities. More so, it鈥檚 about learning to embrace data throughout every step of the process. Data drives outcomes and ensures you can meet changing customer needs while continuing to drive innovation and future growth.

The business transformation success story of our partners at the National Hockey League (NHL) is an amazing example of this, as its relationship with data has helped reinvigorate the sports league鈥檚 position in the global marketplace. Dave Lehanski, EVP of Business Innovation and Development for the NHL, recently spoke with Scott Russell, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, Customer Success, at 51风流Business Innovation Day to share the NHL’s story.

A Brand-New Outlook on On-Ice Action

Since working with 51风流in 2015, the NHL has undergone a total reinvention of its data capabilities 鈥� transforming the way players, coaches, and fans interact with data in the process.

鈥淯nlike other sports, hockey is not defined by discrete events during games,鈥� Lehanski said. 鈥淭hat makes it harder for us to tell full stories, because there are fewer stoppages throughout the competition. That鈥檚 why we need live, in-game data. It helps us tell stories as they are unfolding.鈥�

Data helps the NHL tell better stories 鈥� with things like NHL Edge, its puck and player tracking technology 鈥� because it works across multiple levels.

鈥淐oaches and players were hesitant [when we first tried it],鈥� Lehanski said. 鈥淎nalytics can be imposing to those on the ice when they are first introduced. But now that they鈥檝e seen what is possible, the data has really built trust 鈥� and helped change operations entirely 鈥� across general managers鈥� offices, scouting departments, and entire organizations.鈥�

The NHL is also using data with a focus on sustainability, specifically to gain a better understanding of energy utilization, water consumption, waste, and recycling across all NHL club venues. That鈥檚 why the league recently built the NHL Venue Metrics platform using . It enables them to measure those data points and clearly understand environmental impacts. In turn, they can set goals 鈥� while scoring goals 鈥� that set them up for the future.

What鈥檚 Next

If businesses today intend to continue growing and competing in their industries, they must take steps to become more resilient and responsive. The NHL has done that, and it’s a perfect example of what it looks like to let new technology drive transformation. As analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and machine learning tools continue to advance, it will be vital for enterprises like the NHL to continue finding ways to innovate 鈥� to ensure that they鈥檒l always be top-shelf.

Innovative brands have realized this.

Zwift 鈥� a massive multiplayer online cycling and running program that enables users to train, interact, and compete in a virtual world 鈥� recently embraced inclusion by adding a hand-cycling that allows physically challenged athletes to race in the metaverse alongside able-bodied athletes. And it鈥檚 not alone. Earlier last year, Degree Deodorant hosted the world’s first on the Decentraland metaverse with a 26.2-mile picturesque course along the platform鈥檚 Vegas City Sports Quarter district, which reflected a more inclusive landscape with structures such as ramps for wheelchair users.

But How Does This Help Businesses?

Research shows that inclusion strengthens social networks, reduces barriers, and increases trust to generate economic benefits. Businesses that incorporate inclusivity are more likely to make bolder and better decisions. Meanwhile, sports possess the ability to transcend linguistic, cultural, social, and, now, physical barriers. With the metaverse looming large over the foreseeable horizon, a convergence of sports and inclusivity could serve as a lighthouse for business and society 鈥� a truly mouthwatering prospect of things to come. But is there an addressable market for this to make business sense?

There are 5.07 billion active Internet users in the world today 鈥� 50,000 already Web 3.0 virtual worlds and 12% of U.S. Internet users are interested in using the metaverse. Digital avatars contribute immensely to the virtual experience and are increasing becoming ubiquitous.

Per the U.S. Census Bureau, 12.8% of the U.S. population in 2019 registered as people with disabilities. The European equivalent that year was 39 million 鈥� Great Britain alone accounted for 11 million 鈥� while Asia had an estimated 135 million people with disabilities. The global fitness platform market for the disabled alone is expected to hit US$1.41 billion this year, a CAGR of 23.9%.

So, there is clearly an audience for this type of inclusivity. But why bother the metaverse with it?

Answering the Community鈥檚 Call

Digital avatars contribute immensely to the virtual experience and are increasing becoming abundant. In fact, online communities are demanding greater inclusivity. A revealed a general underrepresentation of people with disabilities and women, alongside an inaccurate representation of online identities. With 57% of Gen Z metaverse-gamers their penchant for in-game self-expression as higher than in real life, developers are taking note. Last June, Meta the launch of wheelchairs, over-the-ear hearing aids, and cochlear implants for its avatars. As the metaverse takes shape, inclusivity features prominently on the social media giant鈥檚 development agenda.

And it is just not Meta. Companies developing gaming consoles are building for inclusivity as well. From Xbox Adaptive Controllers to community-built modified controllers, features to assist those with mobility, hearing, and impaired vision are gaining prominence. Gaming companies are also modifying popular games for impaired gamers. For instance, The Last of Us II 鈥� the game from the company Naughty Dog 鈥� now has play modes for deaf, blind, and mobility-impaired gamers. Likewise, colorblind players can now enjoy the hugely popular Call of Duty: Black Ops thanks to a new mode that customizes the game鈥檚 display to create a spectrum of options to suit a player鈥檚 specific need.

Clearly, the metaverse can be a great enabler of inclusivity and open new doors.

A New Vista of Inclusion Opportunities Powered by the Metaverse

Imagine a metaverse loaded with features that welcome all to coexist in the surrounds of a safe virtual haven. Events like the marathon and my annual cycling event can become regular features in the metaverse, much like those in the real world today.

Add cutting-edge sports performance analytics from to this and challenged participants can receive a significant boost for their efforts of being recognized as competitive athletes. In fact, in the highly competitive world of Paralympics where every inch matters, teams that can get their hands on 51风流Sports One can integrate data from various sources and study consolidated insights from all the athletes on their team with real-time analytics. At the highest levels, where the gold medal is decided by seconds, even challenged athletes deserve the very best and can benefit from what cutting-edge performance analytics can offer. In the esports world today, organizations like readily use 51风流data and analytics solutions such as and to help make split second decisions and heighten their performances on the professional circuit.

With such precedents in place, the metaverse becomes a prime greenfield of opportunities and facilitates the development of an environment where inclusivity can genuinely thrive. This, coupled with gamification and play-to-earn models, can lead to the creation of an ecosystem in the metaverse that nurtures a virtual economy with limitless horizons. Brands and technology companies that are building an inclusive metaverse will enjoy numerous revenue-generating avenues and enhanced social agendas.

We are at the dawn of exciting times for sure.

To learn how software helps clubs and organizations digitalize sports performance management, visit .

Richard Whittington is senior vice president of Sports, Media, & Entertainment at SAP.

This is exactly the all-in-one solution offered by , the latest joint venture of Tokyo-based global sport business network Dentsu Sports International and DAIMANI.

Founded in 2018 to make the event experience as easy and enjoyable as possible for its customers, is already a global player in the hospitality event industry. The Z眉rich-based digital marketplace sells hospitality packages for The Wimbledon Championships, Formula 1, and the entire German Football Bundesliga among other major sporting events, not to mention big music acts like Coldplay, Justin Bieber, and Elton John.

鈥淢y hope for all our guests and customers…is to enjoy the Cadence Club [VIP hospitality zone] without having to worry about technology,鈥� DAIMANI and FORTIUS.io CEO Max Mueller said. 鈥淭he technology is just in the background.鈥�

That crucial background is based on 51风流cloud technology, which enabled FORTIUS.io to optimize the customer experience for its guests at the . DAIMANI held the rights as the exclusive hospitality provider, and its guests enjoyed the all-in-one solution for the first time.

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Hit the Ground Running

During the 10-day World Athletics Championships, approximately 1,500 DAIMANI customers from around the world streamed through the company鈥檚 Cadence Club, which was adjacent to the venue. DAIMANI鈥檚 customers were able to enjoy food and drinks before and after each day鈥檚 competitions, meet track and field champions such as long jump world record holder Mike Powell, and enjoy other perks.

鈥淏ooking a trip like this could take hours for us. Normally we dig in [and] do a lot of research,鈥� DAIMANI client Kenneth Schwarz said in . 鈥淭his made it so simple. We were able to find a hotel, get the tickets, get the airfare, get it all arranged 鈥� and didn鈥檛 have to worry about anything.鈥�

That鈥檚 because FORTIUS.io is a one-stop platform where corporate and individual customers can purchase tickets to sporting and cultural events while booking hotels, airline tickets, and other services. After purchasing, they can still change their accommodation and flight or secure transportation to their hotel, venue, airport, or restaurant.

鈥�51风流enables us, as a midsize company, to really play globally and compete,鈥� Mueller said. 鈥淎nd now, of course, we are quickly able to scale up because the foundation is there. We are using 51风流S/4HANA…We have the best.鈥�

Scaling Up to Race on the World Stage

鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e headquartered in Europe, I think that鈥檚 a different challenge that 51风流helped us solve,鈥� said Elisa Graham, who ran DAIMANI鈥檚 Partnerships and Operations onsite in Eugene, Oregon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first World Athletics Championships held in the United States and getting people to fly over here, to book hotels, to find hotels 鈥� it was a challenge for a lot of customers.鈥�

Providing a single platform for booking tickets, hotels, and airfare 鈥� all at the same time 鈥� helped customers overcome that challenge, Graham said. And for employees, 51风流helped DAIMANI customer service answer questions around the clock 鈥� and around the world 鈥� by directing staff to the right teams in the right time zones.

鈥�51风流has improved our workflow and daily life in many ways,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on top of everything using all 51风流technology.鈥�

The 鈥渆verything鈥� Graham refers to includes pricing, availability, and other factors that can change faster than a sprinter with a tailwind. DAIMANI leaps over these and other hurdles while ensuring security and privacy for its customers around the world, in the language and currency of their choice.

Meeting Your Customers Wherever They Are

鈥淚t鈥檚 always easy to make it in one country, or have continental solutions. But to really have one global payment solution, where we connect global customers with global events, different currencies, and different payment methods?鈥� CEO Mueller said. 鈥淚t sounds very easy on paper, but in practice it鈥檚 not as easy.鈥�

Remember, DAIMANI鈥檚 customers are willing to fly internationally for concerts and other live events. So being able to shop and purchase wherever you are 鈥� in your local language and with your local currency 鈥� can create a much smoother experience.

What鈥檚 more, customers can choose one of more than 30 payment methods via more than 70 currencies. These are all firsts in the VIP hospitality industry, and they can only be implemented through FORTIUS.io and the supporting 51风流solution, according to DAIMANI.

But pulling together so many languages, payment methods, and currencies is tougher than pole vaulting with a pool cue 鈥� unless you鈥檙e running the right tech.

Sprinting Toward Security and Scalability in the Cloud

鈥淔rom the beginning, we selected only cloud solutions…and it was a right decision to have everything in the cloud,鈥� Mueller said, noting that DAIMANI doesn鈥檛 worry about maintaining physical servers, conducting routine updates, or providing cybersecurity for its Web site and data. 鈥�51风流is doing this for us.鈥�

SAP鈥檚 security, stability, and scalability have been tremendous assets, as 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP) and offer secure ways for users to connect. And they always run smoothly, regardless of data volumes, according to Mueller. Plus, SAP鈥檚 technology and reputation help DAIMANI bring together large events and rights-holders around the world by allaying their concerns, such as cybersecurity and due diligence, the company stated.

鈥�51风流helped us enable this in a short period of time,鈥� Mueller said. 鈥淲e found a perfect foundation with 51风流鈥� with a few customizations on top 鈥� to scale globally very quickly.鈥�

In fact, this flexible platform has been key to DAIMANI鈥檚 success, as it seamlessly connects all the company鈥檚 internal systems with a tremendously diverse external ecosystem, according to Mueller. All of this enables fantastic growth for DAIMANI and its partners.

It鈥檚 a Team Sport

鈥� is at the heart of our architecture,鈥� Mueller said. 鈥淚t connects us internally 鈥� all of our 51风流systems 鈥� and externally to a very fragmented ecosystem.鈥�

Fragmented in that DAIMANI partners run events around the world, using different tools, ticketing providers, and procurement systems, according to Mueller. And some DAIMANI clients use newer technologies, while others still run legacy systems.

During the World Athletics Championships, event staff helped athletes get to their competition areas safely and on time, without disrupting ongoing events or getting lost. Similarly, 51风流BTP orchestration services help DAIMANI run its complex operations smoothly.

鈥淭he beauty with 51风流BTP 鈥� what we do 鈥� is that we connect everything,鈥� Mueller said.

A Discrete Victory Lap for Backend Tech

鈥淵ou should forget about technology,鈥� Mueller said, whether you鈥檙e booking tickets, changing your itinerary, or even inviting corporate clients. 鈥淚n the end, you should enjoy the event.鈥�

Indeed, after DAIMANI customers Schwarz and Dena Pullar had booked their tickets for the World Athletics Championships, DAIMANI and FORTIUS.io took care of the rest, according to Pullar. Their mobile devices alerted them to everything from itinerary to admission.

鈥淢y phone automatically showed me the tickets we had available the day of the event, so all I had to do was pull them up on my phone and show them to people at the gate,鈥� Pullar said. 鈥淚t was so easy…I never thought about the technology.鈥�

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Coaching, playing, and watching one鈥檚 favorite players and sports teams brings forth emotion, passion, loyalty, and drive. It鈥檚 a feeling of association and experience that is unlike anything else. Sports are a great unifier.

51风流has a long history of working with sports franchises through technology enablement, sponsorships, and community impact. Earlier this week, for our commitment to sports for good and named as one of the world鈥檚 most impactful brands in the second annual , a list of companies using sport to drive social change.

Our sports sponsorships and advocacy of sports for good relate directly to our purpose, vision, and values.

SAP鈥檚 Purpose

SAP鈥檚 purpose is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives with sustainability at the core. That means aspiring to a world with zero emissions, zero waste, and zero inequality. In line with our purpose, SAP’s objective is to create positive economic, environmental, and social impact.

Our purpose extends to working in collaboration with iconic sports brands worldwide. By partnering with SAP, sports leagues, teams, and players work with us to make a difference in their organizations鈥� operations, in the performance of athletes, and in the communities they touch by using 51风流technology to advance social, economic, and environmental mandates.

Tapping into this excitement and exploring purposeful and impactful activations with sports brands helps 51风流humanize our company, reach more people, and demonstrate in a real way how we make the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives.

Sports for Good

Helping people, communities, and society is core to SAP鈥檚 promise and how we exemplify our brand.

I am proud of the work we do to advance science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and education with the , how we support the , , and in their endeavors to create the best possible experience for fans, players, and employees. And our collaboration in golf with the Cameron Champ Foundation and aids and drives positive change.

Through the use of 51风流solutions and technology, sports brands can make informed, sustainable choices for people and performance. We have the technology to help sports venues better understand their carbon footprint to ultimately reduce their impact on the planet by consolidating and .

As someone whose life has been influenced by my experiences as a player and a coach, I am excited by SAP鈥檚 drive to deliver positive social and environmental impact through sport, demonstrating the potential of technology to help sports organizations become both more successful and sustainable.

To this day, I believe that there is no better feeling than coming together and succeeding as a team. Partnering together to help sports scale impact requires us to bring our strongest team spirit to the table — and I鈥檓 here for it.

Scott Russell is a member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE.

The All Blacks have a 77.41 winning percentage all time and three Rugby World Cups to their name. They鈥檝e won 10 of the 16 Tri-Nations trophies, seven of the nine Rugby Championships contested, and have held the Bledisloe Cup for the past 19 years. Since 2003, when World Rugby introduced a rankings system, the All Blacks have held the No. 1 position for more than 80% of the time. Not to be outdone, the Black Ferns have won five Women’s Rugby World Cup titles and maintain a winning percentage in international rugby of close to 90%.

Having teams this successful doesn鈥檛 happen by chance. It鈥檚 clear they have a strategy and plan in place with flawless execution. However, with so much success, it鈥檚 easy to become complacent. But not New Zealand Rugby — and that鈥檚 why they鈥檝e engaged 51风流as their first-ever technology partner.

To ensure New Zealand Rugby operates just as flawlessly off the pitch as it does on, 51风流is helping to accelerate the organization鈥檚 digital transformation, paving the way for a better connected and intelligent, sustainable enterprise.

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鈥淣ew Zealand Rugby has set an ambitious goal of becoming the most technologically advanced rugby union in the world,鈥� said Scott Russell, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, Customer Success. “As the organization鈥檚 first-ever technology partner, 51风流can help NZR meet this goal by driving digital transformation across all areas of the business and introducing game-changing technologies that will help NZR teams run at their best — and win.”

Key areas will include creating an integrated management system to enhance operations, elevating the fan experience, enabling the organization鈥檚 sustainability goals, and supporting employee performance through products like . 51风流and NZR will also explore how the use of data and solutions can support player and team performance. Specific details include:

• Integrated organizational operations: World-class support systems will be delivered to staff and players, with a digital hub of solutions across all areas. Through integration, NZR will be better positioned to leverage the power of its off-field systems to support on-field teams.
• Performance: By implementing 51风流SuccessFactors software and establishing a single source of human resources (HR) data, NZR will elevate the employee experience and empower employees to achieve their full potential.
• Fan engagement: Identifying and creating new ways for NZR to connect and engage with its global fan base, while tapping into new technologies and platforms will help fans get closer to their favorite teams and players.
• Sustainability: Digital solutions and capabilities will be introduced to help holistically manage sustainability performance across all touchpoints.

Aside from the technology opportunities, these two partners have much more in common by way of shared ethos. Passion points and values range from diversity and inclusion to sustainability, youth sports, and much more.

Can New Zealand Rugby become even more dominant? Given our new partnership 鈥� absolutely.

Ryan Somers is senior director of Global Sponsorships at SAP.

Today, most youth are already digital natives who know their way around smartphones, social media, and the like. The Digital Youngsters Workshop was therefore designed to reinforce their routine use of these tools with knowledge of how digital content is created in the first place.

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One Team, One Goal

The team behind the workshop comprises dedicated employees of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, representatives from the digitally minded non-governmental organization (NGO) Junge T眉ftler, the 51风流Global Sponsorships team, and 51风流volunteers who were brought on board through the company鈥檚 corporate social responsibility (CSR) team. In putting the Digital Youngsters Workshop together, they combined their particular skills to come up with something truly new.

One thing that made sense was working with soccer metaphors. The jargon of the sport would be like a second language to TSG鈥檚 young players and a real advantage in teaching subjects that are largely technical in nature.

The event itself was geared toward ages nine to 16, with members of the TSG Hoffi fan club and the TSG Youngsters team. In keeping with an old German saying, it was going to take 11 friends 鈥� or three teams with that many players each, which was the limit for this edition of the workshop.

A Hat Trick of Learning Modules

Attendees had the chance to work on three learning modules based around terms taken straight from the soccer field.

The Teamwork module focused on cooperation and primarily involved coding together, particularly in the context of apps. By the end of the module, the players had put together a ready-to-use survey app. The second module, Tactics, was about using the workshop鈥檚 core topic 鈥� digital skills 鈥� as a key strategic instrument. Through coding, virtual reality, and the creation of 3D models, the participants then had opportunities to discuss the key subjects in this area. This was meant as a prelude to dreaming up and designing the 鈥渟tadium of the future.鈥� It also laid a visual foundation for the third module, Fun & Games. Here, the players used coding, Calliope mini microcontrollers, and ultrasonic sensors to create something entirely new: a wastebasket that let out a hearty cheer when someone made a shot with a piece of garbage.

51风流volunteers attended two training sessions at the beginning of August, then the three-day workshop took place on August 31 and September 2 and 4. It proved to be time well spent in terms of both learning and having fun for all those who attended, and the materials, technology, and tools used were big reasons why. The open-source software BigBlueButton, for example, presented the learning material in visually appealing ways while providing the necessary webcam support. It also made it possible to communicate with several virtual rooms at once, so event organizers did not have to worry about lulls in the action 鈥� every phase was sure to be dynamic.

A special highlight included two surprise guests: On day one, attendees were joined by Hoffenheim midfielder Franziska Harsch, then goalkeeper Philipp Pentke joined the closing festivities to answer their burning questions.

Match-Ready Thanks to a Jam-Packed Box

Several weeks before the workshop itself, training camp started for the participants. Each was sent a Digital Youngsters Workshop Box containing microcontrollers, other electronic components, corresponding arts and crafts materials, and even the right outfit for the event, a Digital Youngsters shirt.

According to the 51风流employees involved, things could hardly have gone better. They were very excited as the workshop grew nearer, especially for the 鈥渟tadium of the future鈥� component, and hoped to learn something along the way themselves. One volunteer had previously worked as a teacher and thus had a fairly good idea of what to expect.

Video Conferencing and One-on-One Coaching Over Chat

During the workshop, the young participants were open-minded and eager to learn. They were also happy to take advantage of the support offered by the mentors. Along with the main video conference, one-on-one chat assistance was available to make sure no one was left warming the bench. 鈥淎n attentive and engaged atmosphere, solid ideas, and very good results鈥�: As this summary indicates, the 51风流coaches were quite satisfied with the proceedings.

The coaches also emphasized just how well the children were already coping with the demands of the digitalized world, especially after attending the workshop. The initiators succeeded in achieving exactly what they had set out to do: show young people that instead of merely consuming content, they can create and shape it themselves using certain fundamental skills. Whether in the digital realm or out on the field, being part of the action isn鈥檛 just more fun; it plays an essential role in leading the life you want in an ever-changing world.

Fit for the Future

鈥淧articularly when it comes to getting ready for what鈥檚 ahead, innovative projects like this are highly relevant to society,鈥� pointed out Denni Strich, managing director of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, responsible for communication and media, sales and marketing, and digital performance at the club. 鈥淭he goal is to take a committed and systematic approach to encouraging young people and introducing them to this kind of material in fun ways. This extraordinary project was very ambitious from the start. Looking back, it really was extremely successful.鈥�

鈥淭he Digital Youngsters Workshop gave us the chance to get a glimpse of the future together,鈥� Pia Regine, in charge of programs for children, teenagers, and schools at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, added. 鈥淲e all want to prepare our kids for the world of tomorrow as best we can, of course, and I鈥檓 glad we succeeded in this very special endeavor. All the members of each squad had a lot of fun and learned plenty of new things in the process. We hope we can put something similar together for next year.鈥�

The Digital Youngsters Workshop demonstrated one thing in particular: Like a neat one-two from Kramari膰 to Baumgartner, Hoffenheim and 51风流managed to connect soccer to digital skills in a creative way that really resonated with all those involved. With that, it is safe to say that everyone would be up for a rematch next season!

And with a riding simulator installed in the newly opened 51风流Equestrian Experience Center at the Walldorf Riding and Racing Club (RVV), equestrian sports are now making the step into the digital training age.

The riding simulator is designed to support all disciplines 鈥� show jumping, dressage, and cross country 鈥� and allows riders to train and practice routines in a completely controlled setting.

This makes the RVV a hotspot for equestrian enthusiasts who want to improve their training levels, prepare for a competition. or simply experience horseback riding for the first time. In addition, special training with professionals is available for riders recovering from an injury or trauma.

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51风流is also working on enhancing the simulator training experience with Racewood, based on 51风流technology.

Using 51风流sensor data, a part of the cross-country course of has been virtualized for the simulator. So today, equestrian fans can get in the saddle and enjoy the experience of their idols virtually.

The 51风流Equestrian Experience Center also showcases other 51风流technologies in equestrian sports.

Using a 2D model of the CHIO Aachen premises, visitors are guided through the different disciplines and arenas and learn about the multiple technologies that are utilized. Fans can also 聽judge dressage competitions in real time, follow their riders on the cross-country course, and analyze show-jumping rounds. They can even play a virtual round of simulated eventing with the new .

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To ride Germany鈥檚 first eventing simulator in Walldorf, . To visit the 51风流Equestrian Experience Center or to know more about 51风流technologies in equestrian sports, send an email to equestrian@sap.com.

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Businesses that service the sector have also been impacted, although Max Mueller, CEO of , says his company has fared better than many others. The Switzerland-based group offers luxury experiences for corporate and private clients attending sporting events and concerts.

鈥淭he good thing is that we鈥檙e small enough to be flexible but big enough to be reliable; and as a marketplace, we don鈥檛 have to give financial guarantees for event inventory,鈥� Mueller says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e focusing on increasing user experience while waiting for things to start up again.鈥�

For example, the company has been creating virtual events including online meetings with sports stars like a famous ATP tennis player. Offered primarily to corporate clients that want to give customers luxury experiences, these events do not require travel or need to be held in person.

Given the company鈥檚 mission to provide VIP customer experiences, it is fitting that DAIMANI has relied on solutions since 2018. The software helps it stay close to clients and understand what they need, while serving and marketing to them more appropriately.

According to Mueller, 鈥淔or us, customer experience is the only important metric. Listening to the customer is paramount. But what do you use to measure and figure out what to improve?鈥�

Using the 51风流Customer Experience portfolio, DAIMANI has been able to understand two important aspects of customer behavior. First, the company can better understand the behavior of people who buy its packages. Second, it can crowd-test potential customers.

The company, founded in 2018, was set up from the start to have a holistic overview of customers. This lack of 鈥渋nformation silos鈥� makes it easier analyze existing and future customers and feed that data to product development, marketing, and sales staff appropriately.

DAIMANI considered other sales platform vendors, but selected 51风流for its global scalability. Additionally, 鈥�51风流is quite young in the experience stuff so it had more of a focus on developing cool, new things,鈥� says Mueller. 鈥淎s a cloud-only business, 51风流Cloud Platform was key to us. It lets us easily communicate with the outside world. We can really connect to a huge ecosystem 鈥� and as a platform we are nothing without our ecosystem.鈥�

DAIMANI has digitized an industry that is primarily 95 percent offline. The company has created an online platform for corporations and individuals to purchase customized VIP wrap-around services to events 鈥� everything from flights to backstage passes 鈥� while similar offerings are developed and sold by agencies. The company operates primarily in Europe and Asia but hopes to expand to the United States in the future.

鈥淚’m very, very thankful to my team that, despite the current tough situation we face, they continue to stay motivated and have a high sense of hope on a great restart of our business,鈥� said Hopp. 鈥淚 see a bright future for live entertainment when this pandemic is over. People are starved. People want to see other people. Fans want to engage with other fans when they feel safe and secure.鈥�

Hopp, who is also CEO and managing director of the 51风流Arena in Mannheim, shared his vision for leadership, partnerships, and digital transformation during times of crisis in an exclusive conversation with Luka Mucic, chief financial officer (CFO) and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE.

Communication with People Matters Most

Hopp believes that communication is a critical leadership tool 鈥� a credo that has taken him far. This past spring, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly stopped this season鈥檚 playoffs, leaving his team 鈥� the defending Germany ice hockey league champions 鈥� stranded in second place. Nevertheless, he was both philosophical and determined.

鈥淲e were headed to the most important, most thrilling time of a hockey season: the playoffs,鈥� Hopp said. 鈥淪ome unbeatable opponent steps in and takes away your season and you cannot do anything against it. I think open and honest communication is the most important tool a company leader can use these days.鈥�

Tech Helps Employees and Fans Stay Safe

51风流Arena is one of the largest indoor stadiums in Germany, hosting not only sports but vibrant community gatherings around concerts and other events. While its 15,000 seats are empty for now, Hopp is committed to keeping the close relationship that sports fans and other event attendees enjoy. He cites the role of technology in sustaining an 鈥渋ntense customer-supplier relationship鈥� with fans.

鈥淥nly with high-end technology can we turn this relationship into action,鈥� Hopp explained. 鈥淚nteractive tools like our Adler Fan App, provided by SAP, support us in collaborating and communicating with our fans. Thanks to the technology partnership with SAP, we are continuously in design thinking mode, looking for innovation and new ideas for fan engagement. Over the last years, we are always pushing the digitalization processes in the arena.鈥�

Upcoming fan and employee safety measures at the 51风流Arena will include mobile ticketing to eliminate onsite lines when buying tickets or entering the event. Fans will also be able to order food, beverages, and merchandise using their mobile phones without leaving their seats. This cashier-less contact is designed to reduce potential health risks for both spectators and employees.

Wait Until Next Year

Hopp remained undaunted yet realistic about the future, recognizing employees, fans, and numerous partners as vital to his entire operation. These include sponsors, promoters, food and beverage suppliers, and anyone else whose livelihood depended on his sports and entertainment business.

鈥淧artnership is so much more important in these crucial times,鈥� Hopp said. 鈥淲ithout having strong partners on your side, and without being a strong partner for other parts of the business, probably a lot of companies wouldn鈥檛 survive these situations. We try to be a good partner. For example, our food and beverage partners and the people that actually need the arena here; we have to try and keep them in business.鈥�

The coronavirus may have interrupted 2020 sports and entertainment seasons, but professionals like Hopp are already looking ahead to 2021. Echoing the perennial cry of every sports team, including the current German ice hockey champions, wait until fall!