Personal experience, but certainly not exclusive. Egypt 2 – Argentina 0. 78th minute of the match. Disappointment and frustration dry the mouth and with the conviction that nothing can happen in 30 seconds, I’m going to the fridge to serve myself something cold. Just at that precise moment, the goal arrives that changes the game. There will be repetition, slow motion and details, but the thrill of ignorance has already been lost. And I’m not the only one.
According to a study carried out by Beko Europe with 5,200 consumers from 10 countries, 82% of Spaniards admit to having missed an important moment of a sporting event by leaving the room to attend to their guests. And taking into account that three out of four Spaniards organize meetings to watch big competitions at home, the real game is also often played… in the kitchen. It is the VAR of the hosts
For decades, technology applied to sports has focused on what happens inside the stadium. First came the high definition broadcasts. Then surround sound, giant screens, HDR or 360-degree cameras. Everything to bring the show closer to the viewer. Now something different is starting to happen. The innovation also tries to solve a much more everyday problem: that whoever organizes the meeting can watch the game instead of spending a good part of the time preparing food, looking for drinks or clearing dishes. The study shows to what extent the kitchen becomes the logistical center of any sports meeting. 47% of Spaniards point out the refrigerator as the appliance they use most when they receive guests to watch a game, far ahead of the dishwasher (22%) or the oven and hob (18%).
It’s not strange. Keeping drinks cold appears as the second biggest challenge for hosts (23%), only behind preparing all the food on time (24%). Besides, 78% admit to having had problems organizing refrigerator space when entertaining guests and more than half admit to having used the freezer to chill drinks at the last minute before kick-off.
Interestingly, artificial intelligence can help us at this time. Some refrigerators incorporate systems capable of learning the family’s usage habits and automatically adapting the cooling according to the time of day or the frequency with which the door is openedwhat Beko has called AI Adaptive Cool. Others include rapid cooling modes for drinks (Quick Cool, it is up to three times faster when cooling liquids) or a greater interior capacity designed precisely for times when the house receives more guests. It may seem like a minor improvement, but it responds to a much deeper change. Home technology is no longer just trying to preserve food better. It also seeks to reduce small daily tasks that, accumulated, end up distancing the host from the experience they intended to share.
Finally, the figures reflect another interesting change. Far from improvisation, 75% of Spaniards begin preparing food and drinks the morning of the game or even several days before. Shopping, storing, cooking, and organizing space have become part of the entertaining experience.In a way, Organizing a final is increasingly like preparing a small logistical operation that not only saves us time, but gives it back to us.