UROS LIVE puts Elisa ‘bells’ and whistles

Article posted by Coliseum, June 1^st, 2021

Image: Uros Live

Digitalization is the key word in today’s world and this count even in the case of the events industry. The COVID-19 onslaught has forced every operation to become touchless and contactless.

The ‘UROS LIVE’ stated that digital services are being built at the under-construction UROS LIVE Arena at Tampere in Finland where Elisa will build the telecommunication services.

The 13,455-capacity UROS LIVE is an indoor arena at Tampere in Finland that is currently under construction. It is planned to replace the old Tampere Ice Stadium. It will host ice hockey games and will be the home of the professional ice hockey teams Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga – the top professional ice hockey league in Finland.

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Helsinki (Finland)-headquartered Elisa is a telecommunications, information and communication technologies (ICT) and online service company operating mainly in Finland and Estonia (country in Europe), but it also offers digital services for international operators and other companies. In Finland, Elisa is the market leader in mobile and fixed network subscriptions.

In the multifunctional arena, video and other communications are transmitted on Elisa’s network, and the arena’s digital displays utilize the Hummingbird system developed by Elisa Videra to monitor the life cycle of the displays and the need for maintenance.

The ‘UROS LIVE’ further quoted Jussi Maaniitty, Head of Digital Business, UROS LIVE, as stating that digital services will be built to support all activities in the arena – “The digital leap taken during the coronavirus pandemic shows us that we need more advanced and more functional electronic services and applications, and this is exactly what UROS LIVE Arena will offer. Our future customers will have access to fully digital, state-of-the-art services that cover the customer experience from their sofa at home to the arena. Our services will take our customers into the arena, enable movement around the arena, boost trading and create new marketing opportunities. At UROS LIVE Arena, digital applications improve the customer experience in terms of ease, speed and service.”

Added Maaniitty, “In the UROS LIVE Arena, we invest in the experiential nature of events and the added value brought by digital. With Elisa’s network solutions, we ensure stable and reliable telecommunications connections for arena events. In the future, we will also study the possibilities of new technologies in event production.”

Owe Ekman, Director, Elisa Videra, observed, “Nowadays, it is possible to bring high-quality live images to digital screens and at the same time transmit video to the viewer’s phone. From your phone, you can, for example, monitor the scoring camera, rewind and slow down the broadcast views, and monitor live statistics. Involving the public in the course of the event is also smooth through good connections. Thanks to real-time, every spectator has the opportunity to have a customized event experience on site.”

The telecommunications connections built by Elisa create a solid foundation for the development of the UROS LIVE arena event experience to be completed in Tampere. Elisa Videra, on the other hand, supports the transmission of the digital event to the public on site and online.

The event industry will continue to benefit from the benefits of 5G technology, such as short latency and high network data transfer capacity. The UROS LIVE Arena is also exploring the possibilities of a new generation 5G network. After the Helsinki metropolitan area, the people of Tampere are the most active users of 5G in Finland.

Kalle Lehtinen, Elisa’s Regional Director for the Häme region (Finland), added, “In Tampere, the benefits of 5G have been discovered quickly and in the future we also want to enable the visitor of the UROS LIVE Arena to have unique event experiences through new technology. In the arena environment, the 5G network would make it possible, for example, to connect the arena’s digital screens and create world-class mobile experiences for an audience of 15,000 people.”

On-site breweries

The beverage company based in Helsinki (Finland) – Hartwall – is the brewery partner of UROS LIVE Arena which is all set to get off the ground in December 2021. The arena will house something unique: Its own craft beer brewery. The new brewery will be yet another example of Hartwall’s dedication to craft beer, and the idea is to support a versatile beer culture in Tampere.

‘UROS LIVE’ stated that Hartwall, the arena’s brewery partner, wants to offer visitors to UROS LIVE Arena some exceptional experiences. Hartwall will build a brewery at the arena for brewing small batches of specialty beers.

Stated Kalle Järvinen, Hartwall’s Managing Director, “We’ll be promoting beer culture in Finland as well as boosting the entire brewing industry by investing in local craft beers. This means that we need to take some bold and unusual measures. The brewery will take pride of place in the arena, and it will be an experience for all the senses: We’ll be creating and brewing new, Tampere-based beers.”

There have not been any on-site breweries at event venues in Finland to date, but Hartwall sees a lot of potential in them.

Asserted Marko Hurme, CEO, UROS LIVE Arena, “UROS LIVE Arena will be a top opportunity and a showcase for specialists in the experience industry. We’re very proud of Hartwall’s involvement and having a unique brewery in Finland.”

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