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Toronto Blue Jays 'Take Baseball to the People' With Xybernaut Wearable Computers
FAIRFAX, Va. and TORONTO, Canada--April 8, 2002--
Xybernaut MA(R) V Wearable Computers Employed for Queue Busting, Ticketing, Data Gathering and Customer Services
Xybernaut(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:XYBR) and Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays today announced the purchase and initial
deployment of wearable computers for "queue busting" (reducing long lines), ticketing, data gathering and customer services for baseball
games at Toronto's SkyDome and various other team events.
Blue Jays ticketing staff and customer service representatives will use Xybernaut's Mobile Assistant(R) V (MA V) wearable computers
to augment existing ticket windows and a number of stationary kiosks that are also used for related purposes such as general information.
The technology is part of a formal Blue Jays marketing strategy referred to as, "Taking Baseball to the People" -- an effort to boast
attendance through direct contact and interaction with fans.
Though the Blue Jays are the first Major League Baseball team to formally take advantage of Xybernaut solutions, sports franchises are
constantly looking for new ways to boost the value of their product and build affinity with fans. "We believe our trial and successful
deployment with the Blue Jays will be replicable and scalable with other franchises and properties throughout numerous sport and
entertainment markets," said Edward G. Newman, chairman, president and CEO of Xybernaut.
The solution, which the team refers to as Cyber Selling and Xybernaut has named Xyber(R)Selling, also allows the team to utilize
Xybernaut equipment to cut down on ticket "scalping."
XyberSelling works by equipping Blue Jays customer service representatives with a full PC-equivalent wearable computer configured with
wireless network connectivity, a flat panel display (FPD) which is touch-screen enabled, mobile credit card processing equipment and direct
integration with the team's existing databases for instant access to ticketing and other critical information.
"Our primary objective is to make the fan experience as fun and efficient as possible," stated Paul Allamby, senior vice president of
marketing and sales for the Blue Jays. "As security efforts have become a more noticeable aspect of the game day experience, we initially
saw an opportunity for our customer service representatives to employ wearable computers as a means to speed up the process of ticketing,
check-in and entering the SkyDome."
Beginning in early 2001, the Blue Jays evaluated the Xybernaut solution over a several month period to assess return on investment (ROI)
and the manner in which wearable computers would best fit into the team's operations.
"Once we reviewed the results of the evaluation period, we realized that many other operations could be enhanced by providing access to
critical data when and where our employees need it," added Allamby.
This includes efforts to reduce scalping. Blue Jays' ticket staff now roams parking lots, transportation depots, shopping malls and areas
adjacent to the SkyDome looking for fans to attend each game.
Often competing with scalpers, the team's Xyber(R)Selling agents have several distinct advantages -- 1) ticket prices are not marked-up,
2) the XyberSelling agents are official Blue Jays staff so buyers are certain the tickets are authentic, and 3) fans who purchase tickets from
Blue Jays XyberSelling agents receive a bar-coded coupon that permits them to directly enter the SkyDome at the admission gates.
"The use of Xybernaut's MA V wearable computers by the Toronto Blue Jays is another example of a mainstream industry realizing the
applicability and ROI benefits of wearable computing," stated JB Rauch, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Xybernaut.
About Xybernaut Corporation
Xybernaut Corporation is the leading provider of wearable/mobile computing hardware, software and services, bringing communications
and full-function computing power in a hands-free design to people when and where they need it. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia,
Xybernaut has offices and subsidiaries in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Japan). Visit Xybernaut's Web site at www.xybernaut.com.
Xybernaut, the Xybernaut logo and Mobile Assistant(R) V (MA(R) V) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xybernaut Corporation
in the USA and other countries. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or
services of, their respective owners.
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