Mercedes-Benz 'augments' fan experience at Stadium

ATLANTA - Ever dreamed of driving around Atlanta with Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley in the passenger seat?  How about a post-game chat with QB Matt Ryan?  

Good news – you don’t have to be a high-powered sports reporter to make either dream a reality.  All you have to do is spend a little time at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The team at Mercedes-Benz USA has teamed up with San Francisco-based Helios Interactive to design a trio of “augmented reality” experiences at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, putting fans face-to-virtual face with some of the top players from both the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.  "People are here on game day, they paid money to come here, they're with family, they're with their friends…so to grab their attention and to bring them in, we need a really cool experience,” explains Nicholas Emma of Mercedes-Benz USA.  

So how do they work?  Easy.  Fans stand in front of a camera in each of three experiences, and thanks to the magic of AR (augmented reality), they’re joined on-camera by Falcons standouts like Ryan or United favorites including goalie Brad Guzan.  The videos are then e-mailed to the fans, for easy sharing on social media.  "You'll get these moments, and you can post yourself with Matt in the car on your Instagram to brag to all your friends," says Emma.

Bragging to our friends?  Sounds like something the Good Day feature team needs to be part of.  Click on the video player in this article to check out our “augmented reality” adventure at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.