News Press Releases

Churchill Downs Racetrack Selects VenueNext to Build Its First Mobile Guest App to Connects Fans to Venue Amenities Via Their Smartphones

CHDN | April 29, 2016

Churchill Downs Racetrack Selects VenueNext to Build Its First Mobile Guest App to Connects Fans to Venue Amenities Via Their Smartphones

VenueNext Extends into Sports Racing and Scales its Platform for Over 100k Guests

Churchill Downs Racetrack, today announced an agreement with VenueNext to implement its technology platform for the start of Churchill Downs’ 2016 Spring Meet, which includes the 142^nd running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Starting on Opening Night of its 2016 Spring Meet on April 30^th, 2016 at Churchill Downs, guests can download the new Churchill Downs Racetrack mobile app to provide convenient mobile access to many of the racetrack’s services. The app will allow guests to buy, manage and scan mobile tickets; order food and drinks for select in-seat delivery or express pick-up; view horse profiles and behind-the-scenes video content; and offer routes to locations throughout the racetrack.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160429006151/en/

Churchill Downs will use VenueNext’s technology platform, which ties isolated systems together, to connect fans to the racetrack’s services and amenities. The platform will also leverage E¹⁵, Churchill Downs’ analytics partner, to provide the racetrack the ability to make real-time, data-driven decisions during an event. Additionally, VenueNext is integrating the iOS version of the new Churchill Downs Racetrack app with the Kentucky Derby betting partner Twinspires.com mobile app, to make it easy to navigate between mobile betting and racetrack services.

“After great success at deploying our technology at Super Bowl 50, we are excited for the challenge to scale our platform to accommodate even larger venues like Churchill Downs Racetrack,” said John Paul, CEO and founder at VenueNext. “We look forward to delighting the over one hundred thousand guests who will attend this year’s Kentucky Derby with an all-new mobile experience that delivers unprecedented convenience to all the services the venue offers.”

“Churchill Downs is excited to work with VenueNext and enhance our guests’ experience by making it easy for them to connect to the services the racetrack offers,’’ said Ryan Jordan, General Manager of Churchill Downs. “We look forward to gaining new insights into our fans’ preferences so that we can continue to improve their experience by leveraging the decision-making benefits of VenueNext’s content management system.”

Churchill Downs has a legacy of using modern technology to improve the experience of fans since its inception in 1875. Its recent modernization projects include construction of premium luxury seating with integrated simulcast areas, the installation of permanent lights to operate night racing and the creation of The Big Board — the world’s largest 4k video screen.

Churchill Downs’ free mobile app is now live in the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store in time for this year’s Spring Meet on April 30, 2016 and Longines Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby on May 6 and May 7. E¹⁵ and VenueNext will continue working together on the app post-event to ensure it enhances the fan experience year-round at the Churchill Downs Racetrack for all events held there.

About VenueNext

VenueNext is a technology company on a mission to transform the way people around the world experience venues. VenueNext’s platform unifies the venue infrastructure ecosystem, giving venue owners access to an entirely new suite of sophisticated software tools and services that enhance business performance. VenueNext also develops context-aware smartphone apps that for the first time seamlessly connect guests with everything a venue has to offer. Founded in 2013, VenueNext is backed by Aurum Partners LLC and other funds affiliated with the owners of the San Francisco 49ers, Causeway Media Partners, Live Nation Entertainment, Twitter Ventures and Aruba Networks. VenueNext has offices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and New York. VenueNext was named one of the top ten most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company in 2015 and the recipient of a 2015 Edison Award for Innovation. Please visit www.venuenext.com to learn more.

About the Kentucky Derby

The $2 million Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Inaugurated in 1875, the legendary 1 1/4-mile race for three-year-olds is the oldest continuously held major sporting event in North America and the first leg of horse racing’s challenging Triple Crown series. Also known as the “The Run for the Roses,” “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” and “America’s Race,” the Kentucky Derby is the most attended horse race in the nation, with more than 170,000 attendees in 2015.

About Churchill Downs Racetrack

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering. Churchill Downs will conduct the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands on May 7, 2016. www.ChurchillDowns.com

About E¹⁵

E¹⁵ brings together professionals from the fields of economics, mathematics, statistics, accounting and finance, psychology and behavioral science, and computer science who have experience working with some of the strongest brands and many of the largest companies in the world. Headquartered in Chicago, E¹⁵ operates a network of national branches with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City. For more information, visit us at www.E15group.com