The Tampa Bay Lightning is going beyond hockey and breaking into the pitching game.
No, not baseball. The Lightning, along with Canadian company Stantec, will host a pitch competition seeking transportation solutions in Tampa.
This will be the first "Idea Hackathon" for the Lightning, which has some background in pitching and startups: it is owned by Jeff Vinik, a startup supporter in the region and backer of innovation hub Embarc Collective.
Andrew McIntyre, senior vice president of technology and innovation, believes the competition is another way to look at the Lightning fan experience beyond the walls of the team's home at Amalie Arena.
"When we look at the fan experience we can't just look inside our walls," McIntyre said. "We have to look how to interact online, getting to the arena and that's when it extends outside the arena into the downtown area. Getting to the arena is part of the experience — are you taking transportation, what other modes are you using and how is the city set up to support that?"
The competition is specifically challenging the participants to answer the question, "How do we leverage technology to define and design a new mobility future that ensures Tampa is a livable, equitable and resilient city?"
"New technologies like e-bikes and self-driving vehicles have the power to change the way we move through our communities,” Frank Domingo, Stantec's mobility solutions team lead said in a statement. "We’re at a critical point right now in understanding how to harness them to improve our quality of life. As we plan for the future of our community, the best place to look for great ideas is within the community itself."
Idea Hackathon will span March 9-10 and host up to 100 participants in teams of three to five people. The top five teams chosen will present to a panel of judges, with the first team winning $3,000 and the second team winning $2,000.
McIntrye said if the event is successful, the Lightning may continue to host pitch competitions in the future as this is a way to branch out from the typical plans and pitches from one chosen firm.
"I think any way to spur ideation and to get a larger pool for a common goal is better," he said. "When it comes to focusing on a firm to select (an idea), that's limiting. That's something we do as well, but we have to look at a global scale. We have to look at what works in the states and overseas. We want to expand our collection point of what's working where, how to apply to our own experience, and evolve around us."
