allianz stadium

Simply The Best: Allianz Stadium Fan Experience Review, Sydney, Australia 02/09/2022

The post-COVID19 game-day fan experience continues to evolve for sports fans with global venues new and established adding exciting enhancements to drive fan-first smart stadiums that provide positive experiences and memorable moments for fans.

Recent global developments to enhance the match-day experience of fans has seen venues such as Manchester’s Etihad Stadium introducing self-service beer taps for convenience, New York’s Citi Field trialling biometric facial recognition ticketing for entry into the ballpark and Seattle’s T-Mobile Park adding palm scanning technology at their “Walk-Off Market” snack bars to eliminate lines. Further developments have seen trials of in-seat hot dog drone deliveries, weapons detection gunshot localisers and sustainability initiatives like tower gardens, which produce stadium-grown food for use in venue concessions. These are just some of the developments that illustrate the lengths that venues are going to in order to enhance the fan experience and get fans off the couch at home and back into venues in the post-pandemic sports world.

Sydney’s spectacular new state of the art Allianz Stadium is Australia’s latest major venue that has this fan first thinking and the fan experience at it’s core with a raft of impressive modern features providing an exceptional game day experience for fans. In my latest fan experience review here for AUS Leisure, I take a look at the impressive features of the redeveloped Allianz Stadium from the grand opening on September 2^nd at the Sydney Roosters rugby league match day to highlight how they are achieving best practice fan experience and the lessons that other venues can learn to improve and enhance their own venue fan experiences.

Transport

Starting the fan journey from the CBD to Allianz Stadium in the Moore Park entertainment precinct was a seamless and quick experience via the brand new Sydney Light Rail network that took less than 15 minutes and was free with game day tickets. This free match-day travel to and from the venue could also be used on other public transport modes such as nearby trains and buses while the venue itself features dedicated new electric car charging stations and bike racks as well as only being a short and easy 25-minute walk from the city.

Accessibility

One of the reasons for the redevelopment was that the previous venue provided a poor spectator experience by not being able to cater for different user groups as well as not meeting modern amenity standards around accessibility. It was good then to see that this is certainly a stadium for everyone as there has been significant increases (2300%) to space and seating for wheelchair and companion areas, the addition of gender neutral toilets as well as a 170% increase in female toilets to 600. This represents a commitment to improving facilities for fans in terms of minimising wait times but is also good to see that all fans are being equally catered for especially with the rise of both women’s sport and female attendances at venues.

Welcome and Way-Finding

Arriving early to soak up the atmosphere outside the ground it was evident that a focus on designing clear way-finding solutions had been implemented to enable fans to see where their entrance was. There are detailed, easy-to-understand maps located throughout the outside concourse area, clear signage for gate numbers across each stand along with engaging customer service staff acting as backpack billboards featuring gate entrance and venue information. Heading through the turnstiles into the venue (or when getting a pass out to exit) was seamless and efficient by simply scanning the QR-coded ticket however what really stood out on entry was the pleasant greeting, positive attitude and smile from the staff which has long been identified by fans as one of the most important factors in creating a positive match day experience.

Seating

One of the clever features of the stadium redevelopment that fans will appreciate inside the venue is the 360° open concourse. The 300% increase in the public area concourse enables fans to walk around the venue while always staying connected to the game even while grabbing F&B items or accessing toilets or just wanting to see the game from another angle. The four levels of seating that comprise the 42,500 seats are set on a thrilling steep rake, offer clear sightlines of the pitch no matter where you’re seated and are positioned closer to the field of play than the previous seating plan to maximise the atmosphere and fan experience. The noise that was created from fans seemed to reflect back into the seating bowl as a result of the stadium design, which in turn added to a louder and more intense experience for spectators.

The vibrant and unique art design of the seats by Indigenous artist Tony Albert is titled ‘Two Worlds Colliding’ and really makes you feel like you’re sitting right on top of the action while the innovative design of the diagrid roof also sees 100% of the seating area now undercover (up from only 30% previously) to offer weather protection for spectators which again illustrates a commitment to the fan-first vision of the venue. Rooster’s member Alan Katzmann agreed and added, “The stadium is terrific. I sat in the members stand on level 4 west and found it easy to get around with great viewing areas to mingle with friends and I felt very comfortable throughout” while Easts diehard Jane Cook also stated that “the atmosphere was phenomenal as I felt so close to the turf from my seats in the Chookpen members area”.

Architecture and Design

Designed by Cox Architecture and constructed by John Holland on the site of the original Sydney Football Stadium, the $874m venue transformation was delivered on time and features a host of innovative architectural design elements, exciting active spaces and art for spectators and the local community to engage with that highlight the venue’s iconic architectural identity.

The precinct around the stadium features an accessible open-air fitness space with gym equipment and a basketball court on a visually striking sports surface while there are also sculptures, audio art, a wind-screen and seating areas with historic moments from the ground carved into them that add to the fan experience on game days as well as also being a creative use of public space for the community to utilise all year round. A signature of the architecture are the 980 bronze coloured fins that form an elegant curtain wall surrounding the external façade of the venue while native vegetation has been used to increase shade and reflective roofing has been installed to add a heat mitigation solution to keep fans cool and comfortable inside the venue which further highlights a focus on putting fans and the environment first.

Food and Beverage

Merivale Group is the exclusive ‘hospitality experience’ partner of the venue and has clearly brought it’s culinary expertise into the stadium with a host of interesting gourmet selections as well as the standard footy fare that is expected of fans. The inclusive design of the menu features over 350 food and beverage options for fans to chose from across 64 outlets ranging from pork belly tacos and veggie burgers to margarita seltzers and independent craft beer from local Sydney breweries while the addition of more F&B outlets, self service ordering stations, a 30% increase in the counter lengths of bars and the use of mobile backpack beer servers all saw service times sped up and queues alleviated to enable fans to get back to their seats.

A highlight of the first match day at the venue was the generous offer for fans that saw 49% off the price of all beverages while F&B prices were seen to be on par with other venues for standard stadium fare with items such as water ($5), hot chips ($5.50) and soft drinks ($4.80) actually being cheaper than other Australian venues. It was also good to see the inclusion of combo meals, non-alcoholic beer and dietary needs being taken into consideration however ‘stadium sauce’ was being sold for the outrageous price of $2.90 in one snack bar (although for research purposes I tried it and it was actually delicious!).

Overall it was clear that the quality and diversity of the stadium grub on show at Allianz Stadium is a step above and puts this on another level in terms of the stadium food and beverage that is currently available in other Australian stadiums.

Fan Engagement

The Sydney Roosters put on a spectacle on the field for the 41,906 fans in attendance winning 34-6 (NRLW) and 26-16 (NRL) while off the field their fans and members were also winning with sponsors and staff both delivering a spectacular effort in storytelling and fan engagement. Roosters Fan Engagement manager Ryan Chant highlighted that “Returning home to Allianz Stadium provides us with an array of new opportunities to engage with our members and supporters” and this was evident asoutside the ground there were relevant sponsor activations for fan of all ages plus live entertainment while the pre-game build-up featured an emotional scene of two young fans embarking on their journey home to the venue. The hype reel, player entrance and big screen visuals, amplified by the impressive JBL loudspeakers, increased the intensity of the atmosphere while all fans were given free commemorative flags and TRY cards on entry before Aussie band The Presets kicked off the pre-game show with a pumping gig that had fans up in their seats.

Conclusion

The redeveloped Sydney Football Stadium is the result of years of collaborative teamwork amid COVID lockdowns and government restrictions and is a spectacular venue that fans both deserve and should be proud of due to its forward-thinking modern facilities that elevate the atmosphere and puts them closer to the action than ever before.

Allianz Stadium’s fan-first approach has significantly raised the bar on every aspect of the fan experience from accessibility and design to seating and food and beverage and represents a new era in Sydney’s sports and entertainment stage that will create memorable moments for fans, boost the local economy and place the capital in a prime position to attract major international and local events into the future. Put it on your list of sporting game day’s to experience and you won’t be disappointed.

BIO:

Blair Hughes is an award winning, globally respected fan engagement specialist who helps clients in the sports, music and craft beer industries grow their fan bases, improve fan experiences and create new business and revenue opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter at @MrBlairHughes or at www.MrBlairHughes.com.

Sydney Roosters NRL Fan Experience, Allianz Stadium (GRAND OPENING GAME DAY), Sydney, Australia, 2/9/22

Last night I took in the brand new and incredibly impressive Allianz Stadium in Sydney for the Roosters versus Souths NRL and NRLW matches. I will have a comprehensive review of the fan experience coming shortly for Australasian Leisure Management Magazine but for now here are some of my highlights on the venue and fan experience.

– Incredible atmosphere from the Roosters and Souths fans

– Accessible seating and more of it for fans who need it

– Wide concourses and no security or ushers telling you to move on

– Local Sydney craft beers (Happy Hour pricing 49% off was nice)

– Seating is outstanding. Nice comfy seats and good views everywhere

– LEDs, IPTV’s, light up posts, lighting, big screens all impressive and vibrant for fans

– Sustainability initiatives

– Roosters fan engagement

– Pre-game show was pumping from The Presets

– The Merivale food offering was outstanding. You can see the quality and diversity.

– Customer service was phenomenal

– Welcome on entry from staff

– Seamless ticketing entry through gates

– Transport was brilliant with the new light rail just superb. Electric car charging, buses, cycle racks

– Increase in toilets, especially female toilets.

– Self service kiosks for food and beverages

– The public art work from the 6 artists on show was very eye catching

– The outside court sports surface that anyone can use is very cool and a good use of stadium space on non game days

– Free commemorative flags and try cards on entry for the big game

– Very clear way-finding signage inside and outside the venue

Sport Techie Articles #4: Sydney College Football Cup: A Showcase Of Americana, Technology

Sydney College Cup 2017

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES – AUGUST 27: Rice University players run onto the pitch for the start of the College Football Sydney Cup match between Stanford University (Stanford Cardinal) and Rice University (Rice Owls) at Allianz Stadium on August 27, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

SYDNEY — College football returned down under for a second straight year, providing Australian gridiron fans with a world-class fan experience as the Stanford Cardinal faced off with the Rice Owls at Allianz Stadium for the Sydney College Football Cup.

The college football season opener saw 33,000 passionate fans treated to a game-day experience that included iconic American sporting entertainment features like tailgate parties, a dedicated “Frat Party” seating section, innovative fan engagement as well as American-themed food and beverage options.

To read my full report head to Sport Techie’s website here:

Sydney College Football Cup: A Showcase Of Americana, Technology

An Australasian Perspective: Fan Engagement Down Under 2014 Review

2014 Australian Fan Engagement Review

Fan engagement activations from sporting clubs and stadiums are taking the US and UK by storm but are also becoming ever more creative and exciting down in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia and New Zealand. Fans young and old are enjoying the experience of being able to watch the game on the field but also engage with the same game on their second screen and in turn fan loyalty is being rewarded with extra incentives like seat upgrades, prizes and digital media activations coming to fans from every angle. Subsequently there are impressive fan engagement lessons to be learnt from Aussie Rules to rugby league and netball to football from what is taking place in the world of fan engagement down under.

Pie Beacon at MCG

It’s clear from my experience travelling the length and breadth of the country in 2014 that every sporting team and stadium in Australia and New Zealand are doing very impressive fan engagement initiatives for their supporters and have the interests of these fans right at heart as they know that this will lead to creating the ultimate spectator experience as well as get more people through the turnstiles. From the gluten free food stand at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and Melbourne and the MCG’s immense selection of food outlets and use of iBeacon technology to Sydney’s connected free WI-FI at ANZ Stadium and Adelaide Oval’s state of the art audio and visual experience it is clear that our stadiums down here are working hard to give fans more bang for their buck and more valuable lasting memories.

SlideLiner at ANZ Stadium

Within my role with audioBoom I’ve been lucky enough to travel frequently around Australia and New Zealand in 2014 talking to sporting teams and stadiums about how they can use our audio platform for their fan engagement strategies. As I’m passionate about being a sports fan but also in learning what these teams and stadiums are doing with fan engagement for their supporters, I’m also very enthusiastic in promoting and showcasing the exciting things that the talented digital, marketing and fan engagement reps are doing down under for their club or stadiums fans.

2014 has been a huge year for fan engagement activations around Australia and I’ve been lucky enough to take in around 80 events here across football, AFL, rugby league, cricket, rugby, netball, hockey, motor racing as well as major events like the fan engagement overload that was both the MLB Opening Series in Sydney and the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

AUS GP Melbourne

As a way of shining a light on how well I think Australia and NZ are doing in the fan engagement ranks I have listed a selection of some of the best fan engagement activations that I was able to witness in 2014. There are probably a thousand other ideas from clubs and stadiums far and wide however that are equally as good, however these are just some of the best ones from examples that I was able to witness on my travels.

In March I attended both the Australian Grand Prix Formula One in Melbourne and the Opening Game of the MLB series in Sydney at the SCG. The AUS GP is a fan engagement mecca with a multitude of activations on offer for fans from the #AUSGP twitter hashtag stand for fan photos, classic car roadshow, free Daniel Riccardio face masks, live music on festival type stages, fan zone bars with public access, free kids face painting and action zones featuring race car simulators. At the Major League Baseball opening game at Sydney’s Cricket Ground the sheer scale of what the event organisers Moore Sports pulled off with this event from securing the correct dirt for the pitching mound to make the stadium look like an American baseball ground was incredible to witness. However it was also all of the fun fan engagement on offer for baseball fans that really was impressive and definitely enhanced the day out at the ground. Outside the ground there were photo opportunities with the MLB trophy, batting cages and pitching zones to merch tents with free giveaways. Once inside the ground there were special zones set up including the ESPN Fan Deck, which featured free merch for fans like inflatable ESPN foam hands and customized beer holder cups. The event also provided a smorgasbord of American food varieties including giant 60cm hot dogs, bacon on a stick and ice cream in baseball helmets, which definitely had fans excited.

ESPN Freebies at the SCG

MLB at the SCG

The National Rugby League (NRL) had an impressive year with fan engagement activations from the Brisbane Broncos and Manly Sea Eagles giving away free flags to fans at games, to Allianz Stadium and the Kangaroos test match rewarding fans with a ‘Seat and Eat’ offer where fans could eat as much as they could during the game. The Newcastle Knights teamed up with SportsBet to feature fans twitter names on the back of their jerseys while the NSW State of Origin rugby league team changed the sponsor words of beer Victoria Bitter on the front of their jerseys to feature fans names. The North Queensland Cowboys gave out free cut out headgear masks of star player Johnathon Thurston to fans while the Broncos also developed an away day cinema room for fans at their club house and gave out a prize to all members at their final home game through a lucky dip bin. The Penrith Panthers had a novel idea by letting fans buy cheaper jerseys if they traded in their old ones which then went to a worthy charity and the Melbourne Storm held a 31 day Instagram challenge which encouraged fans to tag a photo and follow a new theme like try celebration or tickets for example. Five NRL teams also engaged fans by donning special super hero jerseys featuring Wolverine, Captain America and more that were sold to fans and worn during games.

Seat and Eat at Allianz Stadium

Newcastle Knights

Broncos members lucky dip

Storm Instagram Challenge

The Australian Football League (AFL) also rolled out the fan engagement royalty for fans with the Hawthorn Hawks having a fan guard of honour and Port Adelaide Power continuing to build on their theme song by getting fans to sing the INXS classic ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ in unison at home games. The Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns also had two of the best fan zones I witnessed on my travels in 2014 with Brisbane’s ‘Lions Park’ having skills and drills activities and photo stands whereas the Suns featured a live music area called the Fifth Quarter and loads of fan incentives like seat upgrades and food offers as well as allowing members to present players with their jerseys at the fan day. The Sydney Swans offered fans a 2 for 1 ‘Bring a Buddy’ deal to home games as a smart marketing tie in with their star player Buddy Franklin. Many teams emblazoned their jerseys with their members names while the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne Demons featured a women’s exhibition game before a main game and the Richmond Tigers used a photo-tagging platform to enable fans to tag their location at the match. Carlton Blues also used audioBoom to record player biographies, which were then linked to QR codes that were placed around their headquarters so that fans could tour the ground and learn and engage with the history of the club. The home of AFL, the Melbourne Cricket Ground also featured new iBeacon technology which saw roving meat pie sellers fitted with “iBeacons’’ that send messages via Bluetooth technology to supporter’s smart phones as they move around the stadium. Fans who have downloaded the MCG app have a message telling them a pie boy is nearby and are then handed a free Four’N Twenty meat pie when they show their mobile notification message. The MCG also encourages fans to ‘tweet the crowd’ whereby the fan that is closest to the correct crowd figure wins a special rewards. As can be seen from these examples in fan engagement, the AFL and its teams are enhancing the spectator experience of fans.

Gold Coast Suns

Australia’s domestic football competition, the A-League also featured many diverse fan engagement activations which included giveaways like free shoelaces for fans, digital activations like trivia at the A-League All Stars game and double header matches featuring the women’s teams playing before the men’s at plenty of stadiums around the country which was a good way to build support and engagement with the women’s game in Australia.

The Football United tour of New Zealand featuring West Ham and Newcastle United at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium showcased a tantalizing range of food and beverages at their newly opened fans public bar that would rival some of the member’s bars at stadiums around the world. The Football United App and use of TagBoard at the ground were also good digital activations in Wellington that got fans engaging on their second screens at the double-header match.

Football United Tour of NZ

Perth Glory utilized QR codes to have fans vote for their man of the match while the Western Sydney Wanderers encouraged fans to share the footage they record at games to the teams Instagram and Twitter accounts as a way of bringing fans closer to the club. Brisbane Roar held a group fitness day for fans and the Central Coast Mariners constructed a beach bar at one end of their ground where fans could swim behind the goals and take in quality food and drinks all while the main game was taking place. The Mariners also held a Superhero Saturday, which encouraged fans to dress up as their favourite superhero on game day. The Australian national team, The Socceroo’s teamed up with Twitter to show their appreciation to fans with a personalized and signed team photo in the lead up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Socceroo’s also published a ‘leave pass’ for fans to give to their bosses in the hope of getting off work early to see the team play some of their games in 2014.

Mariners beach bar

Perth Glory

Socceroos Leave Pass

But it’s not just the AFL and NRL leading the way with the Australian Rugby Union using the innovative experience of the SlideLiner at both ANZ Stadium and Suncorp Stadium. The SlideLiner was a four-person fan bench structure that sat on an 80-metre track near the pitch and moved along the field, following the game as it happened. The SlideLiner was equipped with Samsung technology so fans can share images through social media. The Queensland Reds Super Rugby team also featured personalied player mascots and enrolled the services of a cute red heeler puppy which were both a big hit with fans young and old. The National Rugby Championship (NRC) competition also featured match day programs,which could be downloaded via QR code direct to fans phones or tablets.

NRC Rugby QR Code program

The SlideLiner

QLD Reds mascots

The Australian Baseball League (ABL) also offered fans some very appealing activities with the Brisbane Bandits and Melbourne Aces leading the way. The Aces have set up a dedicated fan zone at their stadium while the Bandits have incorporated food trucks on game nights as well as all you can eat incentives for fans. Another interesting activation by the Bandits was their speed dating ‘singles’ night which could possibly now give Tinder a run for its money for single sports fans to meet that special someone over an authentic ballpark hot dog!

The ANZ Netball Championship also saw plenty of exciting fan engagement with free giveaways at games but one of the more impressive things I noticed was the free healthy and nutritious raw food recipes being published by the Queensland Firebirds team which was certainly a refreshing thing to see in terms of healthy living education. Hockey Australia also engaged fans with their #12daysofhockey campaign which was run across the Hockey Australia, Hockeyroos and Kookaburras social media channels, website and digital platforms and saw fans engage with the national teams via platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and audioBoom in order to win prizes.

Netball Fan Engagement

12 Days of Hockey Fan Engagement

Fan engagement is on the rise in Australia and New Zealand with teams and stadiums constantly looking to improve the match day experience for fans. This review has only touched the surface of all the impressive activations that are taking place down here however there are many valuable and creative fan engagement ideas which can be learned from what the hard working club and stadium sports business marketing and digital media reps are doing to get fans back into the stadium and create these lifelong memories for sporting fans.

Simply The Best: Allianz Stadium Fan Experience Review, Sydney, Australia 02/09/2022

Sydney Roosters NRL Fan Experience, Allianz Stadium (GRAND OPENING GAME DAY), Sydney, Australia, 2/9/22

Sport Techie Articles #4: Sydney College Football Cup: A Showcase Of Americana, Technology

An Australasian Perspective: Fan Engagement Down Under 2014 Review

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