Play ball & never leave your seat

If you feel your in-stadium experience lacks in convenience and comfort, a new technology has arrived so that you never have to leave your seat. Fanlink Networks (www.fanlink.net) is launching proprietary technology that allows everyone in an arena or stadium to enjoy a “remote control to the concession stand.”

Fans attending events at participating venues can order food, drinks and merchandise using a PDA or cellular phone and have the order delivered directly to their seats, whether they’re sitting in corporate boxes, the upper deck or in the bleachers.

Here’s how it works: Fanlink Networks’ suite of m-commerce applications facilitates wireless purchase, delivery and billing. Because the system is platform and network agnostic, it has myriad potential uses and can be implemented in almost any public space.

The company has a patent-pending logistic algorithm, which intelligently routes the flow of orders in a large venue. The algorithm provides order balancing by redistributing service personnel between multiple workstations. Additionally it provides inventory feedback and scheduling control for concessions.

The platform uses open standards (JSP and XML) for platform-independent design, fast performance under heavy load, and device agnostic display logic.

“We see Fanlink as an ideal application for WAP phone and wireless PDA technology,” said Shawn Barney, Fanlink executive vice president of marketing and business development.

The company envisions the technology as a way for hungry travelers to pre-order fast-food meals before they arrive at a drive-through window; morning commuters to order beverages from coffee shops; movie theater goers to place express food orders without missing the film; salespeople to order meals without leaving a sales floor or trade show booth; or fans at horse tracks to make bets without leaving their seats.

The system also will be a platform through which fans can purchase and redeem tickets wirelessly, access in-game statistics and out-of-town scores (or event information) and, as the technology develops, instant replays.

The one thing it can’t do, is save a place for the bathroom lines.