RIT, ESPN, Time Warner Partnership brings ESPN Interactive Experience to Campus

The first-ever ESPN Interactive Experience on a college campus opened this month in RIT’s remodeled Ritskellar cafeteria. Featuring more than a dozen TV screens, an ESPN SportsCenter desk, comfortable seating and the Ritz menu, it’s like ESPN in 3-D.

The Ritz Sports Zone officially opened Friday, Sept. 13, with a demonstration by RIT president Albert Simone and Sean Bratches, executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing for ESPN. Bratches, an RIT College of Business alumnus, made the Ritz Sports Zone a reality at RIT. Opening day also featured ESPN SportsCenter talent, Trey Wingo.

An interactive experience, the Ritskellar Sports Zone will add to the social and educational experience for students, faculty and visitors. The ESPN Interactive Experience also extends over into the SAU Game Room, allowing free access to and from the Ritz.

"We are very pleased to work with Rochester Institute of Technology and Time Warner Cable to showcase the ESPN brand and foster greater student enrichment on the RIT campus," says Sean Bratches, ESPN executive vice president, affiliate sales and marketing. "ESPN’s SportsCenter interactive kiosk is an ideal way to showcase the combination of content and broadband technology. Both RIT and Time Warner Cable are leaders in their respective fields and we are very excited to work with them on this project."

"As the RIT campus expands, we’re actively creating spaces not only for academic purposes but for entertainment and relaxation as well," says James Watters, vice president for finance and administration at RIT. "ESPN was among our first choices of partners because of Sean Bratches’ enthusiasm for working with RIT, and his alumni standing."

The Ritskellar saw a complete refurbishment this summer as part of the ESPN project. Gone are the angular tables and chairs, replaced by more modern, and comfortable, dining furniture and soft-seating clustered around TV sets.

The remodeling has resulted in a warmer feel, with new carpeting, wall treatments and some eye-catching fiber-optic lighting. RIT, ESPN, and western New York sports memorabilia cover the walls.

Features of the Ritz’ ESPN Interactive Experience

SportsCenter kiosk: The SportsCenter desk, the heart of ESPN, is the most recognizable piece of furniture to sports fans. The desk anchors all the happenings - the quips, the clips, the scores and the scoops - all brought to you by the best in the business. Here, visitors can try their own hand at reporting a "highlights segment" and send the video clip to friends and family via cable modem.

Future possibilities of RIT’s partnership with ESPN include an RIT "Sports Break" show on ESPN2 produced by RIT students and featuring RIT sports on Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to noon, and co-op opportunities and internships for RIT students at Time Warner.

Also planned for the Ritz Sports Zone is an ESPN The Magazine kiosk where visitors can grace their own customized cover of ESPN The Magazine courtesy of an interactive photo booth, which can then be e-mailed to friends and family.

Stats and facts:

• There are eight ESPN Zones nationwide: in Anaheim, Calif.; Atlanta; Baltimore; Denver; Las Vegas; New York City; and Washington, D.C.
• The first ESPN Interactive Experience, like the one at the Ritz, was formed with AT&T Broadband and the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field in August 2001. >li> Sports memorabilia in the Ritz will include ports memorabilia from western New York teams (such as a signed football from Drew Bledsoe), autographed jerseys from the Red Wings and Amerks and ESPN memorabilia.
• The Ritz and adjoining game room offer 11,000 square feet of eating and entertainment area with seating for about 175 people at tables and an additional 15 in soft seating clustered in three sections around TVs.
• The curvatura ceiling decoration uses about 325 feet of fiber-optic cable.

As part of the Ritz renovation project, RIT is partnering with Time Warner Cable to bring some additional resources to the RIT campus, including:

• Upgrading bulk cable service package on campus to full standard services, including ESPN
• Cross-channel advertising for RIT to more than 266,000 TW customers in the Rochester area
• On-site high-speed Internet kiosks throughout the campus, such as Gracies dining hall, the Ritz, Computer Science building, Wallace Library, and the Student Alumni Union.