Case Study

Elevating the Fan Experience with ZSC Lions

Section 1

Introduction

The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions), a professional ice hockey team based in Zürich, Switzerland, has been a cornerstone of the National League (NL) since its establishment in 1930.

Their commitment to excellence extends beyond the game to the overall fan experience. This dedication led them to undertake a monumental project: constructing the state-of-the-art Swiss Life Arena, with a vision to redefine the standards of ice hockey arenas across Europe.

Section 2

The Challenge

With the ambitious goal of setting a new benchmark for ice hockey arena experiences, ZSC Lions faced multifaceted challenges.

To create an immersive and dynamic environment for fans, they needed an advanced but user-friendly system that was versatile enough to cater to various sports events beyond ice hockey and could facilitate advertising opportunities during game days.

It’s not just about the games played here, it’s about the entertainment around the game, it’s the surroundings and how we create an atmosphere for fans where they feel central to the action.

Roger Gemperle
Chief Marketing Officer, ZSC Lions

Section 3

The Solution

To help ZSC Lions draw fans deeper into the action, Ross partnered with AVC Group to design an end-to-end solution.

The solution includes Carbonite Ultra, Mira, Ultrix, open Gear, XPression, XPression Tessera, and DashBoard (Custom Control Panels). This combination offered a versatile approach to video production and control, allowing for unified content management across the arena’s LED displays, including the impressive LED Cube—the largest in Europe.

Collaboration and clear vision were key. ZSC Lions knew from the offset what they wanted to achieve. The strong partnership between AVC and Ross enabled the project’s execution to be streamlined and efficient.

The Lions have unlocked the power of an end-to-end Ross solution. XPression real-time graphics feed all the LEDs in the arena, with the additional XPression Tessera to serve the scale of the arena. In addition, the ZSC Lions use a Carbonite video switcher, our Hyperconverged production platform Ultrix and the Mira replay server. All of that is controlled through a unified and very simplified DashBoard custom control panel.

Steffen Buschman
Regional Sales Manager, Central Europe

The Products used at The Swiss Life Arena to build fan engagement are:

  • Carbonite Ultra
  • Mira
  • XPression
  • XPression Tessera
  • OpenGear
  • DashBoard
  • Ultrix

Section 4

The Impact

Implementing Ross Video’s solutions has yielded tangible results for ZSC Lions and the Swiss Life Arena.

After the technology was implemented, the Ross and AVC teams provided on-site support and training to ensure smooth adoption by the ZSC Lions team. The feedback from the client has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the ease of use and flexibility offered by Ross Video’s solutions.

ZSC Lions now boasts a world-class arena with state-of-the-art live video production capabilities that elevate the fan experience. The dynamic and immersive atmosphere that Ross Video’s technology enables has enhanced fan engagement and opened new avenues for revenue generation through more advertising opportunities.

Ross Video’s collaboration with ZSC Lions has exceeded expectations, leaving a legacy of innovation and excellence in European arena entertainment.

We are only using 15% of the possibilities that Ross solutions open for us. We are just getting started. I am interested in seeing where we are in 5- or 10-years’ time.

Sabrina Fraticelli
Team Lead, Technical Venue Operations, ZSC Lions