Snippet: Golden State Warriors Use iBeacons to Encourage Upgraded Seats ☇

Joshua Brustein for BusinessWeek (via The Loop):

Some fans who bought nosebleed-seat tickets to see the Golden State Warriors received a friendly suggestion from their phones when they stepped off the escalators at Oracle Arena: Wouldn’t they like to spend a few extra bucks for a seat where they could actually distinguish Stephen Curry from Andrew Bogut?

There are a few things that are necessary for this to work—an iPhone with Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, Bluetooth turned on, a particular app installed, and notifications turned on for that particular app. I have no problem with this idea—as someone who goes to a good amount of NBA games (and other sporting events), I could see this as a great way to offer fans additional promotions within the venue. In the case of the Warriors, seat upgrades seem like a great idea to ensure that the lower-level is more full, especially for national TV broadcasts. There is always the concern of abusing technology and annoying fans, but I think when used properly, this could be a great opportunity.