Leading-edge tech New Highmark Stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, April 30^th, 2026

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Shaun Handley is the Information Technology (IT) Project Director for the National Football League team Buffalo Bills (US).

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Handley is with the Buffalo Bills for 21 years and “I currently handle all of the IT initiatives for the current stadium (Highmark Stadium) and the New Highmark Stadium. I look at all of the requests and wishes that all of our fans have sent in to us and are trying to implement the same as we continue to build the New Highmark Stadium which is nearing completion.”

Fernando Perez is with JMA Wireless that manufactures the radios that make their cellphone work in the large capacity venues and some of the most prominent stadiums around the world. He is responsible for sports and entertainment as well as hospitality for JMA Wireless.

In an exclusive converse with ‘Coliseum’, Shaun Handley, IT Infrastructure Project Director, Buffalo Bills, US, tells Fernando Perez, Vice-President (VP), Enterprise, Sports and Entertainment, JMA Wireless, US, that the new home of the Buffalo Bills – the tech-heavy New Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York (US) – that is all set to open later this summer, “Will be the loudest stadium in the NFL as it will boast 32 speakers and one speaker comes to 107 decibels. I know that when our fans walk into the New Highmark Stadium they are going to be in awe. They are going to walk in, they are going to be able to get in fast, they are going to see the frictionless concession something that the Buffalos have never seen before. After they get in there the big ‘wow’ moment is going to be when they sit in their seats and then they have the loudest stadium in the NFL and the videoboards surrounding them.”

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a Member of the American Football Conference East Division.

Highmark Stadium

The 71,608-capacity Highmark Stadium is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, US, in the Southtowns of the Buffalo Metropolitan area. It is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL).

New Highmark Stadium

The New Highmark Stadium is an American football stadium under construction in Orchard Park, New York (US). It will replace the Highmark Stadium as the home field of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL) starting in the 2026 NFL season.

Fernando Perez mentioned about the build and the canopy of the stadium.

Shaun Handley started by stating that “We have a canopy that will cover 64 percent of the fans, 64 percent of the seating and each speaker weighs 6,000 pounds. As far as the technology is concerned we are going to be the first-of-its-kind venue to boast an ancillary 18,000 square foot technology building. I want to say the first of its kind that will house all of the technology infrastructure.”

Facial Ticketing

Handley informed further that they have implemented facial ticketing at the Highmark Stadium and moving forward for the new stadium they will introduce Wicket (company specializing in facial recognition technology) facial ticketing – “We are also looking at frictionless because the Bills Mafia (Buffalo fanbase) are our team, we want to get them in the seats as fast as possible.”

Tech-heavy

Handley mentioned about the tech bells and whistles which the Buffalo Bills new abode will enjoy – “We are looking at all kinds of different technology from digital wayfinding, from everything as far as looking at all of the different technologies that we will implement so that walking through for the fans will be a total cakewalk. We have integrated them within our digital labs to make all of that possible.”

Open-door Stadium

Perez stated that the fans wanted an open-door stadium and Handley echoed similar thoughts by stating, “We have an open canopy stadium. Our Owner Terry Pegula wanted a football-first stadium and surprisingly enough our fans wanted the same. They wanted the New Highmark Stadium to be football-first. They still wanted to have the elements of snow, the climate, everything that we have they see that as an advantage to our team so we developed that open canopy stadium so that we would still have those elements but at the same time we would be able to protect our fans to the most part from that. Sixty four percent of the canopy covers all of our seating so they still will be protected from those elements. Now, as far as technology is concerned, we had to worry about the snow because that going on top of the canopy we would have to worry about the weight of it. So, we have radiant heat technology built on the top of the canopy. With that being said as that snow continues to go on the top the radiant heat technology will melt that snow as it comes in and then drain out to the bottom. We also have a heated pitch that comes around and goes down.”

Conclusion

Shaun Handley concluded by stating, “After 21 years on the job I have learnt that build your team early. I have been fortunate enough to work with vendors and teams such as Legends, Verizon, Cisco, they have been invaluable to me and they have been the ones that helped me through the process, helped me through the construction of the New Highmark Stadium, the hiccups. If I didn’t have them as a support system I would be lost in the situation as well. Having vendors, having your team there and building your team early makes everything a smooth affair.”

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