VIP HOSPITALITY
Insta famous
In the US, the same millennial desire for experiences
to be shared on social platforms has been influencing
stadia for years, according to Jeffrey Kingman, lead
management advisory services consultant and chef
in residence to Camacho Associates, which has
provided food services facility design services for
venues including the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and
the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Kingman believes the
trend is universal across pro leagues with an emphasis
on creating a sense of place by using local ingredients.
“In the US, ‘farm-to-table’ isn’t just a trend
anymore, it has become de rigueur by fashion, etiquette
and usage,” says Kingman. This trend is about to go
a step further, he believes, with the ‘farm-inside-thekitchen’
concept. “The next evolution will happen
through biophilic design, which increases connectivity
to the natural environment, and also food growing
cabinets right inside the kitchens. Sports stadia will use
as much space as possible to grow their own produce.
We’re exploring these concepts right now with our
clients.” Kingman predicts, too, that technology will
soon play a greater role in premium experiences as
robots and micro-drones start to fulfill orders.
In the US, stadium operators have abandoned the
old belief that all fans will be transfixed by the beauty
of the game. There’s a realization that many prefer to
use it as a place to party, listen to music, or dine out.
The Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami
Dolphins, offers several private clubs with all-inclusive
menus, as well as a branch of LIV, the beach-side
nightclub venue. At Safeco Fields, the Seattle Mariners’
stadium, the ’Pen club offers a cocktail lounge and
a fire pit. “No one wants to sit in a stadium seat to
watch the whole game anymore,” says Chris Bigelow,
president of stadium consultants The Bigelow
Companies. “They want a place to hang out, enjoy
better food and beverage options, local specialties
and local beverages and still keep an eye on the game
on multiple TVs and their phones.”
Food technology
As well as determining how to provide hospitality
to their various demographic groups, stadium
operators face tough choices about technology, Bigelow
says. “New equipment is invented daily, so do owners
make a significant investment for experimental
technology that may not be relevant in three years?”
From a purely technical standpoint, the biggest
foodservice engineering challenge is always cooking
ventilation. Older venues rarely had enough kitchens
and cooking locations but it can be complex to retrofit
them by adding exhaust shafts. One solution is to use
newer ventless equipment but it requires a lot of
electrical power and can be expensive.
Brett Daniel, project manager at Camacho
Associates, has to solve technical challenges when
planning kitchen installations. He used the ventless
solution for a project in Georgia, USA, where he had to
convert a back-of-house pantry area behind a bar into a
kitchen. “We didn’t have room to get an exhaust system
and associated ductwork in so we had to go with
ventless cooking equipment with integrated smoke and
odor scrubbers and fire suppression. We were still able
to support the requested menu options without a huge
cost impact to redesign the floors above,” Daniel says.
On the Mercedes-Benz Stadium project, the biggest
technical challenges for Camacho Associates related
to the coordination of all the beer and soda conduitstub
ups, he says. “There were a lot of beams we had
to work around and limitations with the number of
holes we could put through the slab per so many feet.
We did all of that coordination and clash detection
through Revit and Navisworks models,” he says.
All the US trends will continue to influence sports
stadia in the UK, Roy Westwood claims, but he also
believes that the UK now has a benchmark premium
offering of its own at Tottenham. “It sets a marker and
other venues will want to equal, or better it, so it can
act as a catalyst for the whole industry,” he says. n
The Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-
Benz Stadium serves food made
from locally-sourced ingredients
DATA HUNGRY
With stadia and arenas no longer standalone venues, mobile
and wireless connectivity plays an important role. Concourses
and even afar as outdoor plazas will need to connect fans to
the indoor action. “In today’s mixed-use developments, sports
venues provide a hub for year-round entertainment and
gathering,” says Ron Tellas, Technology and Applications
manager at Belden, a leading communications and networking
company. “Even on days when there are no sporting events,
surrounding restaurants, shops and hotels also need mobile
and wireless connectivity to support a seamless experience
across the entire area.”
“The new capabilities of 5G will enhance employee and
customer experiences, improve safety and streamline building
operations,” he believes. “But to make it a reality, a robust
network that can accommodate the needs of a densely packed,
data-hungry venue will be required.”
46 www.stadia-magazine.com June 2019
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