How are venues worldwide preparing for the return of fans? During ESSMA Spotlight, Vince DiGennaro focused on the COVID-19 guide on spectator safety for American venues while Eamon O'Boyle shared research on the process of reopening Irish sports venues after COVID -19.
FC Utrecht has built a home for its mascot Tiger and Tigergirl in the center of the stadium.
The mastermind session on sustainability during ESSMA Spotlight brought together 10 stadium industry professionals to discuss recent evolutions in energy management including rainwater harvesting and battery storage systems. In general, we feel the question is no longer ‘should we invest in sustainable solutions’ but rather ‘which sustainable solutions are fit for the current budget and will deliver the most value in the particular stadium situation’.
Johan Cruijff ArenA is a key example in the field of innovation and technology. Willem Hegen, Crowd Services Manager at the ArenA, discussed several ongoing projects during ESSMA Spotlight.
The majority of sports and entertainment venues have had the opportunity to welcome back (a small amount of) visitors in the past months. Valuable lessons were learned about hygienic requirements, safety protocols and fan experience. To kick off our first ESSMA Spotlight, John Beattie - Stadium & Facilities Director at Arsenal FC, Adam Baker - Safety Direct at FIA and Cyril De Greve from ESSMA shared their insights during a high-level panel discussion.
2021 is a year with a festive touch for the ESSMA-community.
Lots of ESSMA Spotlight participants joined the presentation of Arnaud Delpech, Voice of Customer Officer at PSG. In addition to the impact of COVID-19 on the matchday ticketing procedures, participants also learned more about Ticketplace, PSG’s club-owned secondary ticketing platform.
More and more stadium projects, whether they are redevelopments or new constructions, are including an urban redevelopment of the surrounding area in their plans. At SBV Excelsior, they are going even one step further and are planning to build real estate on top of their current stadium. To learn more about the project, ESSMA interviewed Ferry De Haan, General Manager at SBV Excelsior.