PGA TOUR Makes Strategic Investment in Smart Navigation Platform PAM

Recently, PGA TOUR announced a strategic equity investment in smart navigation platform PAM. Under the agreement, PGA will receive two board seats at PAM, accelerating the application and development of its smart navigation technology in golf and other fields. Meanwhile, PAM becomes the official smart map and technology partner of PGA

PAM stands for "Perspective Asset Management," founded in 2016 in Australia, dedicated to coordinating path navigation for large-scale integrated facilities, guiding the public in complex environments such as sports and entertainment venues, airports, and hospitals. PAM has announced its application for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.

PAM founder and CEO Stephen Minning (pictured below) has over a decade of experience in graphic design and path navigation. He founded the company after noticing that traditional signage in large venues struggles to effectively guide crowds, often leading to audience confusion and poor experiences.

The PAM project was incubated at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), initially developing smart screens, personal wayfinding, and foreign language translation features, and was first deployed on the university campus.

In a press release announcing the partnership with PGA, Stephen Minning said: "Our mission is to make these large venues intuitive and easy to use. When fans can easily find player locations, interactive experience areas, and various service facilities, they naturally stay longer and engage more deeply, creating greater value for the entire event."

The partnership between PAM and PGA officially began at last week's Cognizant Classic and will run through 2030. PAM has integrated its navigation features into the official PGA TOUR app for user convenience. It is reported that PAM was trialed on the PGA Tour last season, achieving a usage rate of 40%.

Lance Stover, Senior Vice President of PGA Ventures and a PAM board member, also revealed that PAM is developing new high-quality digital interactive features that will further enhance the spectator experience.

Compared to traditional navigation, PAM's unique features include:

• Multi-touchpoint coverage: Supports venue screens, mobile apps, signage, etc. Users can scan QR codes to access 3D virtual map routes;
• Real-time route guidance: Adjusts plans in real time based on on-site conditions, providing precise, real-time directions;
• People-finding function: In addition to locating specific places (e.g., seats, players, shops, restrooms), it can track favorite players on-site, enriching the fan experience.

PAM also offers enterprise-level solutions for operators, including:

• Cloud management: Operators can switch between different activity modes (e.g., event entry, exit, parking optimization) with one click, linking all touchpoints to update information uniformly;
• Improved operational efficiency: Provides deep insights into fan behavior, crowd flow, and interaction patterns.

｜Source: Official press release, Stephen Minning's personal LinkedIn, APAC Business Headlines

｜Image source: PAM official LinkedIn, Stephen Minning's personal LinkedIn