Fan Guides vs Help Centres: How Stadiums Win With Personalisation And Real-Time Insight
Introduction
Many stadiums still rely on help centres, PDFs, or static accessibility pages to meet compliance requirements and provide fans with basic event information. While these tools may answer some questions, they are not designed to keep pace with the growing diversity of fan needs or the rising expectation for truly inclusive experiences.
As inclusion becomes a driver of fan satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue, static solutions increasingly fall short. They cannot personalise content, adapt in real time, or provide the data stadium teams need to make informed decisions.
This case study demonstrates how our stadium customers utilise Different Breed Fan Guides to reduce support demand, measure and enhance inclusion, and deliver a world-class fan experience that no help centre can match.
The Challenge
Stadium operations teams are under increasing pressure to deliver exceptional experiences for every supporter while meeting strict accessibility regulations. The demands are wide-ranging and interconnected:
Improve and measure DE&I performance in a way that is meaningful, not just a tick-box exercise.
Unlock return on investment from serving disabled supporters, who are a loyal and growing audience segment.
Gain audience insight that goes beyond ticketing data, helping shape operations and fan engagement strategies.
Reduce the volume of support cases and relieve pressure on frontline staff.
Comply with the European Accessibility Act (2025) and the Equality Act (2010).
Create new growth and sponsorship opportunities through inclusive engagement.
Many venues still rely on help centres or static accessibility PDFs to meet these needs. While familiar, these tools:
Lack of personalisation for different access requirements.
Often contain generic, outdated information.
Provide no real insight into fan behaviour or unmet needs.
Push the effort back onto fans, forcing them to search and interpret complex information themselves.
One of our major UK stadium customers, which welcomes over 800,000 visitors each season, recognised that this approach was no longer sufficient. They needed a solution that provided actionable insights, proactive engagement, and scalable accessibility without adding to their operational burden.
The Solution
Using Different Breed’s self-service platform, our stadium customers launched fully branded, interactive fan guides that adapt in real time to each supporter’s access needs. The guides integrate seamlessly into existing ticketing flows and customer experience systems, allowing fans to access the correct information without extra clicks or searches.
Key capabilities:
Dynamic Personalisation - Fans can filter content by their specific access needs, including mobility, neurodivergence, sensory sensitivities, chronic illness, visual or hearing impairments, and more. The experience instantly tailors itself to them.
Visual Journey Planning - Interactive maps, images, and videos guide fans through the venue before they arrive, reducing anxiety and improving confidence for those with sensory sensitivities or unfamiliarity with the space.
Embedded Access - Delivered directly within ticketing journeys, via QR codes, or through mobile apps, so the guide is always where the fan needs it most.
Real-Time Metrics - Tracks engagement by access type and content interaction, giving operations teams precise data to inform staffing, signage, and future planning.
Compliance Built In - Fully compatible with assistive technology and designed to WCAG 2.2 AA standards, ensuring accessibility is not bolted on but built in from the start.
By replacing static, one-size-fits-all resources with a dynamic, data-rich platform, stadiums can serve every supporter better while reducing pressure on their teams.
The Results
Within just three months of launching Different Breed® Fan Guides, our stadium customers saw measurable improvements across operations, fan satisfaction, and commercial outcomes. Importantly, these results were achieved in teams that were already operating at a high level and delivering excellent supporter experiences. The 48% reduction in support cases represents a significant efficiency gain on top of an already well-run operation.
Key outcomes delivered:
48% reduction in support cases across sports and music events, freeing up frontline teams to focus on higher-value interactions while maintaining their high service standard.
Audience reach exceeding 850,000 fans in a single season, with millions of guide interactions recorded.
Significant repeat usage across both disabled and non-disabled fans, demonstrating broad appeal beyond compliance needs.
Data-led DE&I planning, with real-time insights informing staffing, signage, and layout decisions.
Improved compliance readiness for the European Accessibility Act 2025, backed by quantifiable reporting.
New sponsorship and partner revenue streams, with in-guide placements targeted to fans’ actual event journeys.
One stadium DE&I lead described the impact simply:
“The real-time insights Different Breed unlocks are unlike anything we’ve encountered before. It’s not just about supporting disabled fans; it’s helping us understand and serve every supporter more effectively.”
These results highlight a fundamental difference between static help centres and Fan Guides. Help centres answer questions, but Fan Guides proactively address needs, reduce demand, and generate measurable returns, even for teams already performing at the top of their game.
Why Not Just Use A Help Centre?
| Feature | Healp Centres | Different Breed ® Fan Guides |
|---|---|---|
| Personalised according to users' access needs. | No | Yes |
| Visual Journey Planning | No | Yes |
| Real-time fan metrics. | No | Yes |
| Embedded In Ticketing Journey And Stadium Apps | No | Yes |
| Accessible UI (WCAG 2.2 AA) & Screen Reader Compatible | Maybe | Yes |
| Reduces Support Volume | Unclear | Yes, Up To 48% |
| Demonstrates DE&I Investment | Limited | Yes |
| Drives New Sponsorship Revenue | No | Yes |
| Built By Disabled Fans | No | Yes |
Help centres can answer “Where is the accessible entrance?”
Fan Guides can answer “What’s my route to my seat, considering my mobility needs, quiet space preferences, and pre-event arrival time, and how can the venue prepare for more fans like me next time?”
Use Case Snapshots
Our stadium customers use Different Breed ® Fan Guides across a range of events, from international sports fixtures to large-scale concerts, with consistently strong results.
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Reach: 856,000 fans in one season.
Support cases: Reduced by 48%.
Top access filters used: Mobility & physical impairments, chronic illness & fatigue, neurodivergence.
Operational impact: Staffing, signage, and routes optimised in response to real-time fan needs.
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Reach: 390,000 fans.
Top access filters used: Sensory needs, chronic illness, mental health support
Insight in action: High interest in sensory-friendly facilities led to the creation of additional quiet spaces and improved sensory signage.
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Reach: ~12,000 fans.
Top access filters used: Mobility, neurodivergence.
Operational impact: Queue flow and access-friendly seating routes adjusted using guide engagement data.
Across all event types, Fan Guides not only reduced support demand but also revealed new opportunities to improve the fan journey, create commercial value, and strengthen measurable inclusion.
The Impact
Help centres answer questions. Fan Guides answer needs.
By replacing static, one-size-fits-all resources with a dynamic, data-rich platform, our stadium customers have transformed their engagement with fans. They now:
Proactively meet the needs of every supporter, regardless of disability or circumstance.
Reduce operational strain by cutting nearly half of incoming support cases.
Utilise real-time insights to make data-driven decisions on staffing, signage, and layouts.
Demonstrate measurable progress in DE&I with evidence that can be shared with stakeholders and sponsors.
Unlock new commercial opportunities through targeted, in-journey sponsorships.
For fans, this means arriving at an event with confidence, knowing the information they see is relevant to them and always up to date. For teams, it means inclusion becomes effortless, scalable, and commercially valuable.
When asked, A stadium operations manager said:
“Different Breed gave us the tools to keep delivering the high level of service our fans expect, while opening up new ways to understand and include every supporter. The data and personalisation allow us to make strategic, informed decisions, removing the guesswork and making adjustments our supporters actually need. The user-friendly and interactive design has boosted overall views to record numbers, attracting not just our accessible audience but fans across the board.”
Let's Build A World-Class Fan Experience Together
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