Paris Saint Germain announced at the end of last month the introduction of its new immersion in the club’s universe: The PSG Experience. This will allow fans and visitors from all over the world to discover the Parisian precinct and club as they have never done before.

The PSG no longer had a historical museum and had not received a visit since 2012 because of the renovation of the Parc des Princes which lasted from 2013 to 2016. Thanks to this new program, the Capital Club will not only have a classic museum as can be seen in many stadiums, but a true technological gem unique in the world. Their new VR camera was presented at the Vivatech show in Paris last month, presenting all the new technologies.

A major innovation

The immersion inside the PSG universe will be made in 3 parts: the visit of the stadium with the PSG Stadium Tour, the new History Room in the heart of the stadium as well as the PSG Arcade VR filled with new technologies.

The PSG Stadium Tour

The tour programme of the Parc des Princes will be very similar to all that can be found in the major European clubs. It will consist of a behind-the-scenes visit of the stadium, the dressing rooms, a visit to the edge of the field and the possibility to sit on the bench of the alternates.

The visit will however be enriched by an incomparable sound experience. With its immersion devices installed on the edge of the field, visitors will be able to take advantage of this innovation and will feel as if they are walking into the lawn on a big European event night. It was the IRCAM, the research institute for acoustic and musical coordination, which was responsible for recreating this atmosphere as faithfully as possible.

The History Room

Cette nouvelle salle représente une belle innovation du côté du PSG. En effet, celle-ci retracera toute l’histoire du club parisien grâce au mur des trophées et d’une nouvelle forme de vidéo qui immergera les visiteurs dans l’univers du club où ils pourront revivre ses plus grands moments.

Différentes projections sont également prévues à l’intérieur de cette salle en complément. Pour enrichir son expérience, ils ont d’ailleurs installé 12 projecteurs 4k offrant une expérience prenante pour tous.

The PSG Arcade VR

In front of the Parc des Princes is the PSG’s Megastore. Inside it will be a new room of 400 m2 dedicated entirely to new technologies and in particular to VR. Visitors can, for example, fly over the Parc des Princes thanks to the Birdly, a very advanced VR simulator unique in France. They can also put on Buffon’s gloves and put themselves in the shoes of the Parisian goaltender for a few minutes or relive a Clasico against OM in sight 360°.

The PSG therefore highlights the latest technologies developed by partnering with various specialists in the field such as Mk2 with the Birdly or HP through their latest HP Reverb helmet, a true technological gem. Aware of the appeal of these new events, the club has intensified its work in the sector to offer a decidedly innovative experience.

The technology as a crucial element

It is no coincidence that most of the animations that will be offered in the new PSG visit areas will be technology-oriented and forward-looking. It is indeed a new will of the club to stand out: integrate new technologies into the fan experience.

They were also present at the Vivatech show from May 16 to 18. Located at Porte de Versailles, this trade fair is one of the largest trade fairs dedicated to technology. It is the meeting of start-ups to celebrate innovation. 450 people spoke during this weekend of Emmanuel Macron to the founder of Alibaba. Vivatech is the highlight when it comes to new technologies. With 124,000 visitors over the weekend, the club found the perfect place to unveil its new project. The only club present at this fair, they were able to present the Birdly which made a sensation among the people who tested it.

The PSG is therefore trying to become more and more involved in this new sector, which is still little exploited by the biggest European clubs. The new technologies represent the future in terms of entertainment and make it possible to reach a new audience fond of innovative experiences that it cannot find anywhere else. With this exclusive animation, the PSG is hitting hard and positioning itself in a market it has clearly targeted.

Many spectators stopped at the level of this animation and were relatively surprised to see the PSG have a stand at a trade fair dedicated to new technologies. They were able to show what they could offer in their new PSG Experience and this apparently pleased the visitors of the Viva Tech 2019.

The willingness to be different

Here is the goal sought by the Paris club: not to do like the others. It is true that some clubs have a beautiful museum, that the visit to the stadium is very rewarding and that the adventure is pleasant. The stadium of Real Madrid and that of FC Barcelona are among the most visited places in Spain. However, no football club offers today anything similar to what the PSG will offer from July.

The potential around this project is huge and the fan experience that the club is setting up will be turned towards the future in order to get a head start on everything that can be done in sports entertainment.

« We went to observe what is being done in large clubs in Spain and England and none of them offers such activities around virtual reality »

Loïc Cuesta, event director of MK2 Agency

The event director of Mk2 who worked on this project with the PSG shares the vision of the Paris club by mentioning the fact that the experience will be unique. It is important today to offer entertainment that cannot be found anywhere else, and that is exactly what the capital club is setting up.

It should also be added that PSG has a different goal than many clubs today. The majority of football clubs on the planet target a local audience who are particularly interested in discovering a place where they have spent many hours, attending the majority of the club’s games. One could say that a classic visit to the stadium suits them and that they wish to observe the trophies of the club, see where players are preparing etc. The Paris club has a more international vision and therefore targets a population different from the majority of clubs. To attract this clientele to visit the stadium, there is no doubt that a different offer will be essential.

For a club, regardless of the sport, the priority remains the development of its experience spectator match day at the level of reception, restoration, the course in the stadium as well as the animations to be set up. It is imperative that these essential elements are mastered and of quality before thinking to differentiate and offer a unique experience. For PSG as for some clubs, it is necessary to find this differentiating aspect that will allow them to attract even more people, whether they are faithful local supporters or tourists from the other end of the planet in order to visit Paris.

In 2016, Fanstriker realized a topic about what Parisian supporters wanted to see changed at PSG to improve their experience. It is interesting to see how the supporters were only a little inclined to see the VR arrive at the Parc des Princes. Although the question was not directly directed to using the RV to fly over the stadium, the principle remains similar and it did not really excite them.

It seems that today things have changed and that supporters, but perhaps even more so visitors, want to touch the latest technologies and enjoy an unprecedented experience.

Still, in less than two months the PSG will surely launch the greatest experience available to the general public, looking to the future and which will inspire more than one club in the years to come.

Playing on the history of the club, allowing to discover the backstage of a stadium are important but differentiate and propose something innovative is just as important and the PSG seems to take the right path on this subject.