
Sport events such as football and rugby matches make for a great day out, however, the stadium and overall fan experience can have a lasting impact on your decision to go back. Clubs are often trying to improve their fan experience, but how can they achieve this?
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Queue Management
The queues for the turnstiles can often be long and frustrating, causing delays getting into stadiums, and this can cause unrest amongst fans, especially if they end up missing parts of the main event.
It goes without saying that security is vital at any sport event, and so it’s understandable that to ensure all visitors are safe, completing the necessary security checks may take time and further delay people from entering the stadium.
To effectively manage queues, tickets should be easy to read for all ages so you can easily identify the barcode to scan to gain entry and where your seat is located, to prevent fans getting confused or sitting where they shouldn’t be. Digital tickets are now a modern solution that can help speed up queue times and are accessible for all.
You should also employ the correct number of stewards so they can help manage queues and help any guests that require the assistance.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere at sport events can sometimes be electric, and other times can be lacklustre. Clubs can play a huge part in the atmosphere by creating dedicated fan zones to allow for fans to meet up pre- and post-match to spend time with each other.
At these fan zones, you could opt to hire live music or DJs to get the crowd ready, or simply just provide food and drink facilities. Furthermore, you could also include interactive games or guest appearances from current players or club legends to help draw in additional fans.
Fan zones play a great part in the overall fan experience, and they can also be a cost-effective way of raising more money for the club as fans may stay for longer, potentially spending more on the food and drink you provide.
Refreshments
When you have a big crowd, you need to make sure you have enough stock to ensure you don’t run out, otherwise this can have an impact on the fan experience.
Furthermore, you should also make sure that you provide a wide range of food options to cater for all ages and food preferences, otherwise this can lead to negative feedback and fans not returning.
Along with food, you should stock a wide selection of drinks that also cater for ages and preferences, not everyone at a sports event just wants a beer!
Clubs should ensure that their food and drink is fairly priced and doesn’t make fans feel like they have paid over the odds, otherwise this can affect fan experience. Promoting prices or offers before match days provides fans with the price information so they can plan ahead.
Facilities
At your stadium, you need to ensure that your facilities are up-to-scratch. Offering hospitality packages are a great way for fans to upgrade their experience and make a memorable day.
Including unlimited food and drinks for hospitality guests as well as improved seating is a great incentive for them to upgrade their tickets.
It is known that phone signal can be poor at sports stadiums, so why not offer free Wi-Fi for guests attending? They can then stay up to date with other matches and engage with social media content or competitions.
Your toilets should also be able to manage the crowd numbers and be regularly maintained. Poor maintenance and toilet facilities can cause complaints and fans to stay away. If you are expecting a bigger crowd you can also hire portable toilets and position these outside the ground for fans to use, this can help manage the queues both inside and outside the ground.
Furthermore, if you do have an outdoor fan zone, portable toilets can be positioned around this and provide fans with easy access to the toilet without having to leave.
Car Parking
Offering free, or paid car parking makes getting to the stadium more accessible, especially for older fans who may struggle to walk the distance. Car parking should be organised and secure and managed effectively.
You should ensure guests that their cars will be secure and monitored by CCTV, so they can be rest assured that their vehicle isn’t at risk.
Stadium parking should open early, before the majority of fans arrive on foot to ensure this is stress-free. After the match, holding vehicles back until fans on foot have dispersed can help prevent any accidents or injuries.
Security
Sport stadiums can hold from hundreds of visitors to thousands, and each one of your attendees want to feel safe and secure. Having a strong security, steward and police presence can help put fans at ease and ensure that they are safe whilst attending the match.
Providing detailed, thorough and correct training to security staff and stewards is also a reassurance to guests should an emergency happen.
A visible security presence is a big factor of trust with supporters.
Be Open To Feedback
Sport clubs should be open to feedback from their attendees to understand how they rated the experience, and what can be improved. This is valuable feedback that can be easy to collect from physical surveys which can either be handed out or digital surveys which can be emailed to all attendees.
If there are any common problems on the feedback, this identifies areas for improvement going forward and what to focus on.
Portable Toilet Hire by Get Loos
Here at Get Loos, we provide toilet hire for your sport events. We will come and access your site to understand your requirements and recommend how many portable toilets to hire to ensure the high levels of fan experience that you desire.
Contact our friendly team today and we will be happy to help! You can also contact us on 0345 565 2680 or email us on info@getloos.co.uk for a quote.
Alternatively, chat with us over on WhatsApp.