Allegiant Stadium, with a capacity of 65,000, boasts boundary-pushing engineering and technology. As a planned multi-purpose stadium to be built in Victoria Park, Brisbane, which will serve as the main stadium for the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the new Brisbane venue is looking across the Pacific for inspiration on how to manage the complexity of hosting major events.
The tech infrastructure at Allegiant sets a high bar. The stadium installed the most technologically advanced Distributed Antenna System (DAS) system in a modern stadium, with over 1,700 Wi-Fi access points providing high-speed internet, 227 miles of fibre and copper connectivity and 5G coverage throughout. Allegiant Stadium features over 2,550 displays, including 41 LED digital videoboards. These aren't vanity features; they fundamentally alter how spectators experience an event, from ordering food at their seats to accessing real-time stadium navigation.
Climate management emerges as a critical consideration. Allegiant Stadium was built from the ground up with sustainability in mind, and in a region where commodities like water are precious, the stadium has received numerous accolades for its commitment to responsible use of resources, including LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The stadium has a very large chiller plant with six cooling towers, and with the Power BI dashboard, operators can take into account the weather, the forecasted temperature, and the electrical consumption rate for the day and make an informed decision about how to run the plant.
Brisbane faces different environmental pressures than Las Vegas, yet sustainability matters equally. A design partnership led by two of Australia's most respected architectural firms, COX Architecture and Hassell, in collaboration with Japan's Azusa Sekkei, is shaping the Victoria Park stadium. The winning design approach has been described as a "Queensland Response", drawing inspiration from the state's iconic Queenslander homes with key architectural themes including openness, verandah-style edges, connection to landscape, shade, cooling breezes and long views.
The financial stakes are significant. The stadium will cost an estimated AU$3.8 billion, making operational efficiency not just a nice-to-have but a necessity. Technology that reduces energy consumption, improves fan throughput and minimises waste matters directly to the budget.
The broader lesson from Allegiant's experience is that modern stadiums must operate as integrated systems. Technology investments including touchless checkout, being able to order food in your seat, having a more functional stadium app, and being able to use wayfinding to find whatever type of food you're looking for aren't extras. They're part of what makes a venue competitive globally. Allegiant Stadium has drawn more than 6 million guests to more than 700 events since opening, demonstrating how technology can drive economic return.
For Brisbane, the insights from a stadium 12,000 kilometres away offer practical value. Getting the technology right matters not just for 2032, but for the decades that follow. The new Brisbane Stadium will be capable of hosting a range of events, such as AFL, test cricket and major entertainment events, and will be where future Brisbane Lions, the Brisbane Heat and the Queensland Bulls teams call home.
The challenge now is translating Allegiant's lessons to Brisbane's subtropical climate and Australian sporting culture. The technology exists. How it's adapted, maintained and operated will determine whether the 63,000-seat stadium hosts the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics events during the Games, and more importantly, whether it becomes a community asset that delivers value long after the Olympic torches are extinguished.