The famous horse-racing center Churchill Downs Racetrack is using VenueNext‘s technology platform and app to automate ticket purchasing, parking passes, and food orders at the Churchill Downs Spring Week and Kentucky Derby.
The mobile app lets fans get food and drinks delivered to their seats or pick them up at express pickup. They can pin the location of their car and get turn-by-turn directions around the venue.
The new Churchill Downs Racetrack app will be available on iOS and Android and will launch this week in the app stores. It will also be integrated with the Twinspires betting app currently used at the venue.
The tech platform was created by VenueNext, which also handled the app for Super Bowl 50. VenueNext’s technology platform ties isolated systems together to connect fans to the racetrack’s services and amenities and enable the racetrack to make real-time, data-driven decisions to improve the fan experience.
Starting with Opening Night of its 2016 Spring Meet on April 30, the new Churchill Downs mobile app will provide convenient mobile access to many of the racetrack’s services. The app will allow guests to buy, manage, and scan mobile tickets; order food and drinks for select in-seat delivery or express pick-up; view horse profiles and behind-the-scenes video content; and offer routes to locations throughout the racetrack.
In addition, Santa Clara, California-based VenueNext is integrating the iOS version of the Churchill Downs app with Kentucky Derby betting partner Twinspires.com’s mobile app to make it easy to navigate from expert wagering advice and mobile betting to racetrack services.
“After great success at deploying our technology at Super Bowl 50 we are excited for the challenge to scale our platform to accommodate even larger venues like Churchill Downs Racetrack,” said John Paul, CEO and founder at VenueNext, in a statement. “We look forward to delighting the over one hundred thousand guests who will attend this year’s Kentucky Derby with an all new mobile experience that delivers unprecedented convenience to all the services the venue offers.”
Churchill Downs was created in 1875, and it has modernized recently with the introduction of premium luxury seating with integrated simulcast areas, the installation of permanent lights to allow night racing, and the creation of The Big Board — the world’s largest 4K video screen.
“Churchill Downs is excited to work with VenueNext and enhance our guests’ experience by making it easy for them to connect to the services the racetrack offers,” said Ryan Jordan, general manager of Churchill Downs, in a statement. “We look forward to gaining new insights into our fans’ preferences so that we can continue to improve their experience and adding the decision-making benefits of VenueNext’s content management system.”