Today's Colosseum's: Next-gen Venues of the Future

From the Colosseum to today's stadiums, live sport venues have come a long way — and a handful of next-generation builds are pushing fan experience, technology and sustainability further than ever.

The build

LA's Intuit Dome, backed by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, is designed fan-first: more toilets per head than any other arena, 190 countdown clocks, extra legroom and under-seat power outlets, putting even upper-level seats closer to the action than at the Clippers' current home. In Manchester, Co-op Live is being built as the UK's first music-first arena, with a lowered ceiling designed to create an unusually intimate 20,500-seat venue.

The tech

Intuit Dome's Halo Board — a 44,000-square-foot 4K screen wrapping the stadium's circumference — is the headline feature, but the less visible tech may matter more: automated parking and facial recognition, integrated directly into CRM, will let staff greet VIP guests by name the moment they arrive, alongside cashierless concessions throughout the concourse.

The planet

Sustainability is now table stakes for builds of this scale. SoFi Stadium's water conservation system captures rainwater via its cooling systems into man-made lakes, reclaiming an estimated 26 million gallons a year, while Co-op Live's 10,500 square metres of solar panelling is designed to make the venue fully solar-powered.

Venues like these show what's possible when engineering, technology and fan experience are designed together from day one.