Mapping a return to live sports and concert attendance

In previous episodes of the podcast we’ve explored how O.R. can help create that bridge between our current COVID-19-reality of social distancing and sheltering at home and  being able to return to normal activities, such as reporting back to work, going to school, and in the case of this episode, attending large public gatherings like concerts and sporting events.

Joining me is Irv Lustig with Princeton Consultants, who has created an advanced analytics approach to reopening stadiums and arenas that would allow us to attend our favorite events while maintaining safe social distancing.

I think the key thing is to think of areas where you have fixed seats. So you can imagine beyond sporting events, and look at theaters where you go to a concert and you’re in seats (not a concert where you are standing up and bopping up and down in front of the stage) but more ones where you have fixed seats. Or you go to see a play or an opera performance. I think Broadway is unfortunately going to be closed until the end of the year but if they decide to reopen and they want to limit attendance, they’d be able to use this type of approach.

Interviewed this episode: