Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, is getting some upgrades to mark its 20th year, and it looks like the stadium will be catching up to Climate Pledge Arena and T-Mobile Park with a high-tech concession option.
The Seahawks and First & Goal Inc. announced a number of stadium enhancements on Wednesday under the label of “fanovation,” in which “fans and their experience are at the forefront” of decisions.
One such fanovation that caught our eye is the addition of a District Market on the upper level of the stadium behind the Toyota Fan Deck. The Seahawks said the area will offer “a more modern, open food and beverage experience with the opportunity for checkout-free transaction technologies.”
That sure sounds like a “Just Walk Out”-style store could be coming.
The technology from Amazon, used in its Go convenience stores and some of its full-size Fresh grocery stores, allows customers to enter, select items and leave without standing in line. Overhead cameras and sensors track what a customer grabs, and payment is facilitated automatically via a credit card scanned at entry. Customers can also link a credit card to a biometric scan of their palm via Amazon One technology.
Amazon licenses the tech for use in such places as stadium and airport stores. Just Walk Out is in use at three stores in Climate Pledge Arena, where the Seattle Kraken play, and at T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners, where it was introduced in May at a new “Walk-Off Market.”
A closer look at the artist’s rendering of District Market (below) looks just like the experiences at the city’s other professional sports venues. Check out the very Amazon-looking entry gates (to the right of the gentleman who wore a sport coat over his 12 jersey on game day.)
We’ve reached out to the Seahawks to see if they’ll confirm that they’re working with Amazon and whether Just Walk Out is the “checkout-free transaction technologies” coming to Lumen Field.
In addition to fancy retail, the Seahawks are also adding some fancy new video boards. Two new north-end screens are planned for the start of the 2022 football season and intended to significantly improve the viewing experience for fans looking in that direction.
The team describes the screens as “Mitsubishi Pixel Pitch Diamond Vision displays — 39.90 feet high by 70.34 feet wide — which will more than double the size of the stadium’s previous video boards.”
“Fans can expect to see the full 16×9 game presentation highlighted by enhanced graphics and 4K pan and zoom for highlights and replay reviews,” the Seahawks said.
In addition to those tech-focused improvements, the Seahawks also said a new 6,300 square foot premium food and beverage area named Cityside Bars will be added in the north end of the stadium under the Hawks Nest seating area.
