- Tournament boss opened up on innovations for Grand Slam
- Wants to take a new direction which relies on technology
- Keen to attract fans to Melbourne Park who don’t want to see games
Australian Open director Craig Tiley wants to see fans have their food delivered to them by drone at the Grand Slam as part of a long list of improvements he wants to make to the tournament.
The Tennis Australia CEO wants to make the Open a technology-driven haven for not just spectators who want to watch matches, but visitors who just want to soak up the atmosphere while enjoying some highly personalised service.
He envisions the tournament greeting attendees with push notifications on their phones that will remember their food and drink preferences from previous visits – before their meals are brought to them via the air.
Tiley is keen to attract fans to Melbourne Park even if they don’t have tickets that get them in to see the matches (pictured, Nova Djokovic with spectators at this year’s Open)
The tournament director sees a future in which technology gives tennis fanatics updates on what to see, what to eat and drink, and how to score bargains
‘We may even bring your hamburger to you by drone … so that you don’t have to go and get it,’ he told the No Limitations podcast.
‘It may be too difficult to have so many people bringing food to every customer, so a drone may bring it to you.’
A lucky few American sports fans have already received their meals via that method, with a college baseball game trialling the program in 2022, using the unmanned vehicles to deliver hot dogs, water and chips.
Given the controversy over a new rule allowing spectators to enter stadiums between games – which led to Aussie star Jordan Thompson branding this year’s Open the ‘wokest tournament ever’ – it’s unlikely players would be happy with the change.
Drone food delivery (stock image) has already been tried out at sporting events in America – and if Tiley has his way, it could become a reality at Melbourne Park too
Tiley would also like to see fans at future Aussie Grand Slams have background checks performed when they buy their tickets so they don’t have go to through security to enter Melbourne Park.
From there they would be digitally welcomed by a series of push notifications tailored to them according to their prior experiences at the event.
Tiley sees those notifications doing everything from asking fans if they want to buy their favourite meal, to alerting them to merchandise on offer and suggesting how they can best get home.
He also said the tournament has dramatically increased the amount of shade on offer for patrons this year so they can get out of Melbourne’s blazing summer sun, and promised the event will keep ‘pushing the boundaries’ for fans in future.