Intercity In To Bat For Edgbaston Stadium To Create World‑Class, Tech‑Enabled Venue
As the official IT partner, Intercity will bring its diverse portfolio of managed IT solutions and award‑winning customer service, which will be pivotal in enabling the delivery of Edgbaston’s Stadium & Community Masterplan to create a mixed‑use development which aims to benefit both cricket fans and the West Midlands community and economy.
Whilst the partnership with Intercity will help fuel the future for Edgbaston, an immediate benefit was the unique opportunity to use the recent Ashes in Birmingham as a ‘Living Lab’ to understand the requirements of mass crowds and how the IT provider can best add value.
With over 118,000 spectators in attendance and Sky Sports announcing their highest‑ever recorded audience for a test match, Intercity has begun its exploration of the critical role IT, data and technology plays to enable the on‑pitch, live sports action and the first‑of‑its‑kind analysis will be shared in a ‘Sweating the Numbers’ report in due course.
From scanning thousands of e‑tickets and using the Edgbaston app to deliver high end customer experience so they can click and collect food, beverage and retail orders, report in‑stadium issues and receive live updates, integrated technology infrastructure is essential for large sports events, which Intercity will be unveiling in its analysis.
But the Sweating the Numbers report only marks the first innings of this tech partnership, with a host of further milestones at Edgbaston including the Women’s Ashes IT20 in July, Men’s T20 between England and New Zealand in September and the stadium’s next phase of regeneration, which Intercity will be supporting by leveraging its technology to provide and deliver world‑class solutions.
Commenting on the partnership, Group Managing Director Charlie Blakemore at Intercity, said: “We are delighted to become the official IT partner for Edgbaston Stadium, an iconic cricket venue that's just a mile down the road from our headquarters in Birmingham. Intercity and Edgbaston share the same values and ambition to work together to provide a sustainable, world‑class experience and add long‑term value to our local community.”
CEO at Intercity, Andrew Jackson, added: “Our business is designed to create world‑class technology partnerships with our customers and together with Edgbaston we are striving to create a unique experience, that sets the standard in Sports Technology Infrastructure.”
Craig Flindall, Chief Operating Officer, at Edgbaston Stadium said: “When planning for the future of Edgbaston Stadium, technology needs to be right at the forefront, so we’re working with Intercity to see how we can develop our digital platforms and IT infrastructure going forward. We also want to use the partnership to help create and develop young local talent in the technology industry, which Edgbaston and Intercity can bring through together.”
Head of Sales & Partnerships, Ben Seifas, added: “The relationship with Intercity reflects a true partnership with Edgbaston helping to showcase the Intercity brand across all areas of the business including digital and in‑bowl branding and headline sponsorship of the Bears Business Club. We would also like to thank sponsorship agency, RightFormula, who helped make this partnership possible and facilitated the introductions between Edgbaston and Intercity.”
