Revel Media Group forges ahead with displays for sports venues across the country

It began with a passion for digital signage, but it’s morphed into communication for the Revel Media Group. This Utah-based company headquartered in Kaysville has grown from a small office into one of the nation’s leading experience integrators, its products in stadiums, sports venues and retail outlets across the country.

Their latest work can be found at The Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan, new home of the Salt Lake Bees Triple A baseball club. From the huge scoreboard behind the left field fence to the “ribbons” around the grandstands between the first and second decks, Revel’s digital products can be found throughout the stadium.

“Our founders, Brian Fitzpatrick and Matt Dopp, began working with Utah high schools in 2011,” said Trevor Cannon, Revel’s vice president of marketing and experience. “They expanded their reach to colleges, the military and small businesses, even flower shops. Eventually we shifted away from just advertising and into the visual messaging business.”

The company’s first foray into sports came in 2017, when the Larry H. Miller Co. began plans to renovate the Delta Center.

“They let us bid on the project, because they already knew our work from the Megaplex theaters and they knew we were going to get the job done,” Cannon said. “Since then, we’ve done multiple stadiums and venues, including for the San Antonio FC soccer stadium, the Phoenix Suns, the Orlando soccer stadium and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. We don’t build the stadiums, of course, but do the LED boards and visual displays.”

The Ballpark at America First Square’s scoreboard is the largest one Revel has done and might be as big as any other in the country. The company ordered components from both foreign and domestic vendors, then began assembling it prior to opening night on April 8. Despite its size, putting it together only took a few days.

Cannon said Revel purchased and received all of the LED components well in advance of the pending tariffs on imported products. He said installation at the ballpark was a very carefully choreographed affair, with construction ongoing and small setbacks like installation of electricity, power, sewer and streets also merging at the site.

“And, of course, normal things like weather can be a challenge,” he said. “Nevertheless, by opening night, everything was in place for the Bees.”

The company’s history with LHM should mean another collaboration with changes at America First Field, home of the Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals soccer teams that the Miller organization just purchased. Cannon said Revel hopes to be working soon with the new owners on upgrades at the stadium.

As Revel’s experience has grown and evolved, so has the LED industry.

“On older LEDs, the pixels were further apart than they are now,” Cannon says of the minibulbs that make up LED displays. “Now they’ve gotten smaller and more concentrated, so you can portray crazy amounts of high-resolution images at scale. They’re just as crystal-clear on these huge displays as they would be on a TV. And they are all weatherproof, so they can withstand rain, cold and heat. That, of course, is critical for outdoor usage.”

Lifetime performance of those pixels has also improved. Most displays can last four to five years without the need for repair or replacement.

“We have a lot of excitement for all that’s coming for our displays,” he said, adding that Revel has opened offices in Tempe, Arizona, and Ringgold, Georgia. “It’s a cliche to say our future looks bright — just like our products.”