An innovative approach to fan engagement is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s interactive gaming experience.
The Maple Leafs now invite their supporters to participate in on-ice competitions during home games.
The Scotiabank Arena video board features a QR code that, when scanned, takes viewers to a website where they can engage in an interactive gaming experience projected onto the rink surface in between periods.
Rink Racer is the name of the inaugural version of this brand-new Arena Showdown. By tapping their screens to move their rendition of the Leafs’ mascot, Carlton the Bear, across the ice, fans in the upper bowl of the arena compete against those in the lower bowl. The average number of taps per second for each section is monitored and displayed on ice.
He mentioned that over the past four years, MLSE Digital Labs has created roughly thirty games, many of them in association with well-known companies like McDonald’s, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Sprite. With the assistance of Scotiabank’s Scene+ program, the inaugural Arena Showdown competition was organized, and AWS supplied the cloud infrastructure.
Rink Racer has drawn participation from an average of 2,566 fans in each of its five activations this season, with the arena holding close to 20,000 seats. Although there is no barrier to entry, Scotiabank issues a call to action at the conclusion of the race. Fans have entered the Scene+ promotion at a solid 47% conversion rate. (Over the lower bowl, the upper bowl has a 4-1 record.)
