Tulsa Drillers ticket scanning at the turnstyle.

While visiting our local minor league baseball park this past weekend, I noticed that mobile technology is becoming a part of the fan experience and club operations.  It started at the Tulsa Drillers turnstyle, where Leslee greeted me with a handheld scanner which captured barcode information off of the ticket. She said the information they capture helps them create a better product for season ticket holders and other fans.

After stocking up on food and drinks a young lady approached me and asked if I would participate in a quick survey.  She had a WiFi handheld device, asked a few questions about the wireless carrier I use and what attracts my family to the game.  She was using ReFormXT software which allowed her to check a few boxes on the device as I responded, and that information was immediately fed to a database in the office.

Once seated, everyone around me was texting between innings.  A friend of mine was using his iPhone to get stats on the visiting team’s pitcher.  A group of young ladies were taking pictures and forwarding them to friends and posting them on their MySpace account.  Almost everyone was connected.  The only person who wasn’t using a handheld device was the umpire.  At least I hope so.