The Amenities Attracting Fans in New Stadium Projects

Stadium developers are embracing the experiential trend to attract fans. At Allen Matkins’ View From the Top conference this week, speakers on the Influential Women of Commercial Real Estate panel talked about the amenities coming to new sports stadiums. Lydia Tan, managing director of real estate at the Oakland Athletics, and Marlene Nations, SVP and general counsel at the Los Angeles Stadium and entertainment district at Hollywood Park, were on hand to discuss the amenities race in stadiums.

Although for different sports, both stadium projects are including amenities to engage fans, including retail and dining options and communal spaces. At the Oakland Athletics’ stadium project, attracting fans is a top priority. According to Tan, the average baseball fan is over 50 years old, and the sport has been unsuccessful in attracting younger fans. The reason: baseball games are long, and sitting in a seat for the duration of the game isn’t all that appealing. “We are not continuing to grow in terms of population, and the MLB organization is looking for ways to attract millennials,” said Tan on the panel. “We are finding that millennials don’t want to sit in their seat for three hours. We are looking for other things to do at the stadium, whether that is adding places to lounge and watch the game or places for a family to play their the kids. The design has also been impacted by the logistics of putting on a baseball game, so we are trying to bring the experience closer to the field.

Hollywood Park is taking a similar approach. The stadium will be set into a mixed-use campus complete with a wide-range of amenities, including lounge areas, retail and dining. To accomplish the scale of the project, Nations says that the organization has partnered closely with the city. “In the city of Inglewood, we have had great relationships with the community,” she said. This has included fielding construction complaints and compensating neighbors for the dust.

In addition to amenities, stadiums are also looking for ways to service fans through technology. The Oakland Athletics are launching a ticketing app as part of the project, which will give fans an opportunity to buy and organize tickets. “We have also looked at new ways to sell tickets through the app. New tickets give access to the stadium, without having to buy a seat, so that fans can come to the stadium and experience the game at the stadium.