In Praise of Solutions that Really Solve Something

Last Saturday, the Columbus Crew, one Evolv’s almost 40 sports clients, prevailed in their MLS Eastern Conference Semi-Final and will now face FC Cincinnati in the Conference Final this weekend. This battle for Ohio bragging rights and a trip to the MLS Cup Final will take place in Cincinnati rather than at Lower.com Field, but it still got me thinking about the role that we play today in MLS and sports in general.

By way of background, Evolv Express® has been a key part of the fan experience at Lower.com Field since it opened in July of 2021. The Crew wanted their new stadium to be modern in every respect, so old-school walk-through metal detectors just wouldn’t do. They also have a unique operational challenge: to accommodate their fans’ desired arrival patterns, they need to screen about 16,000 attendees at one entrance in 20 minutes!  Without compromising security effectiveness. With these requirements, Express was really the only option. In the two-plus years since, I’m proud to say that we’ve hit that spec more than 40 times.

We now have seven MLS clients. I take additional pride in this number, because I know it means that existing clients are referring us to new ones. And not just in MLS, but in MLB, NFL, and NHL too.

I think the main reason why one team recommends us to the next is because our “solution” really solves something … in our case, the entry line, which is a near-universal pain point for fans and operators alike. Columbus is an extreme example, but every team and venue has its own version of the challenge of safely admitting fans to the building without always making them incur long lines and inconveniences. When a venue deploys Express, we don’t just make this pain point better – we essentially eliminate it, even at peak times. And we can do this with fewer staff in less square footage. That can mean a much better outcome that actually costs less in total than the old way, which is a rare combo.

It’s easy to see why this has become a popular solution. When a team or venue selects Evolv, they know they can check a big item totally off their to-do list … problem solved! How many venue technologies can offer that?

Good luck to the Crew, and all the other Evolv customers playing this weekend.