Interview with Christian Lau, CTO, LAFC and BMO Stadium

In this interview, filmed on location at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the 2022 edition of ALSD International, Christian Lau, Chief Technology Officer for Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and BMO Stadium, shared his insights on the challenges faced by the industry and what the future holds.

When asked about his reason for attending ALSD International, Lau said:

I love ALSD. For us, it’s a competitive intelligence gathering process, we like to understand what other venues are doing and get a pulse on what other venues and the industry in general are doing.

Compelling content and a lot of great conversations. It’s great being able to network with people.

As for the challenges at hand, he said:

We’ve got a lot of work to do on guest experiences, with so many things in flux… the evolution of the guest experience is something that everyone is trying to solve.

Finally, when asked about the ALSD community and becoming an ALSD International member, Lau simply said:

You should join immediately! Without question!

350+ high-level professionals from across the global sports & entertainment landscape were in attendance at ALSD International 2022 where LAFC’s CTO, Christian Lau, took part in a panel session discussing “Guest Experience & The New Now” and gave the closing keynote. Check out the wrap video here.

Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and BMO recently announced a naming rights partnership, which has seen the home of LAFC be renamed BMO Stadium.

The stadium opened in 2018 with the debut of LAFC. Since its founding, LAFC has won the MLS Cup, two Supporters’ Shields and recorded the most wins, points, and goals scored in MLS. LAFC has sold out every MLS regular season and playoff match.

BMO Stadium is also home to ACFC, which made its NWSL debut last season. ACFC led the NWSL in attendance in 2022, averaging more than 19,000 fans per game for its inaugural season. ACFC is led by the largest women-led ownership group in professional sport.

BMO Stadium has a capacity of 22,000 fans for soccer matches and was the first open-air stadium built in Los Angeles since 1962. It has hosted major events such as the 2021 MLS All-Star Game, the 2022 MLS Cup, and numerous high-profile sold-out concerts and festivals featuring The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Black Pink, Twice, Santana, Guns N’ Roses, Armin Van Buren, Rufus Du Sol, Kygo, Maroon 5 and many others.

Source & imagery, courtesy: LAFC

Sports Venue Business organises and delivers ALSD International – the leading event & 365 community for the Premium Seat & Hospitality sector – on behalf of the Association of Luxury Suite Directors (ALSD).

The 2022 event featured a high-level conference, an exhibition showcasing industry-leaders, networking events and a very special tour of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. ALSD International 2023 is set to be even bigger, with Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium to host October 9-10th.

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