Our group is attempting to improve the football game day atmosphere of all Vanderbilt University home games. The innovative concepts presented are designed and intended to enhance the pre-game, in-game and/or post-game experience for all fans (students, alumni, season-ticket holder, first-time visitors, opposing fans, etc…). We are hopeful our contributions will provide a desired, high-quality experience where fans look forward and are proud to attend Vanderbilt football games. The concepts presented have been approved by Eric Nichols, Vanderbilt University Athletics’ Director of Marketing and Promotions.
CONCESSION LINES
To improve concourse traffic flow we propose creating a new line system for fans purchasing from the concession stands. Currently, fans stand in separate, straight lines perpendicular to the concession stands. The lines can grow 20 feet from the concession stands, thus impeding fans using the concourse to move about the stadium.
Our suggestion is to horizontally, snake the concession lines by having one entry and exit point for each line. Lines will serve 4 to 6 registers and fans will be prompted when to approach a point-of-sale cashier when that cashier is free. This improvement will result reduced wait times for customers. In conjunction with the above idea, we have also recommended creating a smart system where fans exchange money by using prepaid “food-cards” or tokens to make their concession purchases.
Aesthetic Stadium Improvements
To take advantage of the Commodore nickname, erect a large, sailed, naval-looking ship in the open end of Vanderbilt stadium. Put cannons that fire blanks on the ship to celebrate the team entering the field, and big plays or scores during the game. The ship would hopefully draw attention to the stadium and the team, and make an otherwise very boring stadium more interesting.
To build the ship, Vanderbilt could enlist private architectural and engineering firms, but also could make at least the design of the ship a contest for the Engineering school at VU, and contract out the actual construction.
Pre-Game Cooking Contests.
Professional cooking teams are always looking for venues to show off their talents and to sell their food. The Pre-Game festivities would create a series of cooking contests from BBQ to Chili, to tailgate food. Contests would be publicized and draw crowds of people to the pregame and into the stadium. Cooking teams would be required to purchase a certain number of game tickets as entry into the contest, allowed to sell to the public and advertise to the public to bring in people.
CONCESSION LINES
To improve concourse traffic flow we propose creating a new line system for fans purchasing from the concession stands. Currently, fans stand in separate, straight lines perpendicular to the concession stands. The lines can grow 20 feet from the concession stands, thus impeding fans using the concourse to move about the stadium.
Our suggestion is to horizontally, snake the concession lines by having one entry and exit point for each line. Lines will serve 4 to 6 registers and fans will be prompted when to approach a point-of-sale cashier when that cashier is free. This improvement will result reduced wait times for customers. In conjunction with the above idea, we have also recommended creating a smart system where fans exchange money by using prepaid “food-cards” or tokens to make their concession purchases.
Aesthetic Stadium Improvements
To take advantage of the Commodore nickname, erect a large, sailed, naval-looking ship in the open end of Vanderbilt stadium. Put cannons that fire blanks on the ship to celebrate the team entering the field, and big plays or scores during the game. The ship would hopefully draw attention to the stadium and the team, and make an otherwise very boring stadium more interesting.
To build the ship, Vanderbilt could enlist private architectural and engineering firms, but also could make at least the design of the ship a contest for the Engineering school at VU, and contract out the actual construction.
Pre-Game Cooking Contests.
Professional cooking teams are always looking for venues to show off their talents and to sell their food. The Pre-Game festivities would create a series of cooking contests from BBQ to Chili, to tailgate food. Contests would be publicized and draw crowds of people to the pregame and into the stadium. Cooking teams would be required to purchase a certain number of game tickets as entry into the contest, allowed to sell to the public and advertise to the public to bring in people.
I like your idea of #3 for a pre-game cooking/tailgating contest. It could be from groups of friends to clubs on-campus. Great way to get Vandy students/staff involved at Vandy football games. I don't know if the logistics of selling tickets at booths would be beneficial. It might be more of a hassle.
ReplyDeleteI like idea #2. The capacity of Vandy football stadium is very small. To attract more fans,putting something special in the stadium would be much easier than increasing the capacity. However, the ship should be nice enough to attract people's attention. Good job!
ReplyDeletesomeone was paying attention in core ops. number 1 would make a world of difference and really cut down on wait times and it's such a simple solution. good idea and i can't believe vanderbilt doesn't do it already.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the 3rd solution. You know that football game is not merely a sports game but also interesting social events in each area. This cooking contests will improve the relationship with people. I want to recommend you to explain the detail part and standard for the competition.
ReplyDeleteWhile the pirate ship theme reminds me of the Tampa Bay Bucs, whom I despise, it wold be very cool at Vandy. I think the ship should also serve as a party deck atmosphere. Of course what Vandy football really needs is the ability to sell beer. Find a way to get around that NCAA rule and I would go to every game.
ReplyDeleteTo expand on the party deck theme in my earlier post, I am envisioning something that a lot of minor league ballparks do in their outfields. A hot tub, private concession area, comfortable seating. These areas can be reserved on a per-game basis. It would also serve as a source of extra revenue.
ReplyDeleteI know it is particularly hard to get Vandy students to attend any sporting events (especially football). But what is the real cause of the problem? Do people just not care about Vandy athletics? I personally like number #3 and think you could significantly change attendance with more events before the games. You could expand it beyond just cooking and line up some performances or themes for the games. Even if you do not implement this during the class you should keep these ideas going for next year.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, the most feasible seems to be the first and third. The concessions need some operational focus, and Vandy's mixed results on the field mak it a great place to emphasize tailgating. The cannon idea would be fun at first, but there may be some nuisance issues as time goes on. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a similar construct, I wonder if they have fan sites where the long term opinions of the fans are given.
ReplyDeleteBeing from Tampa and HUGE Tampa Bay Bucs fan, I love the ship idea! It is definitely a draw in Tampa and certainly gives Bucs games a unique experience. I think it would be great to try and make Vandy games have that unique something that makes it different from others in the SEC. Rather than it looking like a pirate ship though, I am hoping it would be something more worthy of a Commodore.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas here. I agree with others on the merits / drawbacks. The canon thing sounds cool but may be a bit big given the timeframe you have. Could be worth doing in the long-run anyway.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the cooking idea could be done with local restaurants as a way to advertise and show off their wares.
I really think that sorting out the concession lines would be huge. It doesn't sound like much, but really can add to quality of life. I have often had the feeling that it is expensive already - now I have to stand in this huge line and miss part of the game. This is the kind of hygeine innovation where people don't appreciate it when it's there, but feel the pain when it's missing. Maybe you could map it out and put tape on the floor (even use this as a prototype) to help people manage themselves and each other. ((By providing an explicit set of rules - i.e., tape on the floor - it allows people already in line to refer to the rule ---that is point at the floor--when the want to stop people from cutting or to get the line to snake in the right direction. is there an event where you can try it out in the next week or two??
I think y'all are on to something awesome. I personally like the concessions idea as I think it has a great impact right away, and that is one of those things that will never change unless a group like yours comes along. If you could get the lines to snake across, I would say "you did it" because it is simple, yet powerful. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteExcellent ideas! I am worried that the ship is hard to implement by the end of the mod.
ReplyDeleteThe line is a queing theory that has proven results. All staduims could implement this!
Good luck!
--V.