The Daily Fix recently asked college football fans what features stadiums should have as they’re being rebuilt. The top two answers were comfortable seats and restrooms. Plenty of restrooms.

“‘Plentiful—and I mean plentiful—restrooms that are clean! I dehydrate myself at games to avoid spending a full football quarter in line for a stall,’ wrote Brenda Fletcher, a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, who was reminded of the challenges women face at major sporting events after watching a recent Dolphins game at Sun Life Stadium.”

Concerning seats, fans want wide bucket ones with plenty of leg room so they don’t have to stand up when someone passes. (By the way, whenever I have to pass someone in a seat, I’m always reminded of this Letters From a Nut letter.)

Other features fans want include clear sight lines to the field, hi-def Jumbotrons with instant replay without advertisements, and Wi-fi and smartphone apps that allow them to order food from their seats (people really do not want to get up!)

Please check out The Daily Fix for what fans want banned from stadiums, and let us know if you agree or what items you’d like to see featured in stadiums.

(Image via Flickr: Keith Miller/Creative Commons)

ICCC 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina, kicked off Thursday morning with an outing to the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Situated on approximately 400 acres, the Center is home to the world’s largest man-made whitewater river and is an official Olympic Training Site for whitewater slalom racing.

ICCC attendees enjoyed ziplining, eco trekking, and rock climbing, to name a few of the activities, but whitewater rafting was far and away the favorite, bringing convention center professionals together for teamwork, adventure, and even stronger personal and work connections.

Before the Florida Gators take on the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field in Jacksonville on November 2, a few hundred tailgaters will be the first to experience IMG College’s new premium, portable Playmaker’s Club.

The three-story bar/lounge/club utilizes decommissioned shipping containers and includes private restrooms, wi-fi, a “jumbotron” and LED TV’s throughout. A shuttle takes patrons to and from the game, and visits from cheerleaders, mascots, former players and live entertainers appear to be in the mix. A Playmakers Club ticket is set at $500 for the Florida-Georgia game, and $800 for the BCS National Championship Game. (Take a virtual tour here)

In a recent Sports Business Journal article, Kelli Hillard, SVP of Events, Entertainment and Development for IMG College, alluded to the future possibilities for this hospitality concept. “It’s unique to what’s out there, especially in the college space. It’s completely experiential for the client that’s looking for music, entertainment, celebrities and a ticket to the game.”

With three test games in the books for the 2013-2014 season, it will be interesting to see how premium experiences outside the venue integrate into the overall guest experience (and spend) happening on the inside.

I recently witnessed something at a play that I’d never experienced before—the encouraged use of social media during the production.  Usually, house managers speak to the audience before the show starts and ask everyone to turn off their mobile devices. At this particular production by Echo Theatre at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas, though, we were told we could tweet and Instagram during the play as long as we were sitting in the back row (and our phones were on silence, of course).

I almost got up to go sit in the back row, but the seats were already taken.

What surprises is that more theater companies and venues don’t encourage social media use during shows, because social media is where a lot of people get information about shows. In a recently released report conducted by LiveAnalytics (Insight division of Ticketmaster International, Live Nation Entertainment), 93 percent of theatergoers who write reviews of plays do so on social media. Around 40 percent of those polled also feel that reviews are important in encouraging them to attend a show.

The same report says that checking your phone during a performance is the least acceptable behavior of theatergoers. Still, 25 percent of patrons do that. And when it comes to tweeting, 24 percent tweet about the performance they’re about to see. However, of those polled who are between the ages 16-19 say they tweet 47 percent of the time about a show they’re about to see.

As that age bracket gets older, they’re going to carry those habits with them into the theaters. The report addresses this concern by suggesting some best practices. For example, embrace engagement with audiences before and after shows and consider using social media as a way to capitalize on the emotional connection that live performances create.  Also, know your audience and the type of performance that is happening at your venue. Not all attendees want to tweet, so think about setting aside space for those who do (much like Echo Theatre does).

Do you know of more theaters and performing arts centers that encourage social media use during productions? If so, please let us know about them in the comment section.

(Image via Flickr: Trey Ratcliff/Creative Commons)

Potential Remake at South Boston Convention Center
-The Boston Globe

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority on Wednesday filed legislation for a massive expansion of its South Boston exhibit hall, saying the $1 billion project is necessary to make Boston a top US destination for meetings and trade shows.

If approved, the project would increase the meeting and exhibit space at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center by 60 percent. The existing building, which opened in 2004, is already the largest of its kind in New England.

The authority’s executive director, James Rooney, said expanding the center itself could be funded without any new taxes or fees. But he said public subsidies will certainly be needed for a separate project the authority is pursuing — an adjacent hotel complex with up to 1,500 rooms.

Rooney has long argued that the two projects are necessary to help Boston compete for the nation’s biggest trade shows.

NASCAR’s Green Efforts Make It a Sustainability Leader in Sports
-Huff Post Sports

Five years ago, NASCAR realized that it stood in an important position when it came to becoming a leader in the nation’s green movement. Hosting races across the United States where fuel was consumed and emissions were sent into the atmosphere, the motorsport sanctioning body took a look at its business platform and recognized that it could turn those environmental harms into benefits.

Games in All Sports at Service Academies Suspended
-NBC Sports

As it turns out, the Air Force-Navy game isn’t the only one facing cancellation.

In a press release sent out a short time ago, Navy announced that the Department of Defense has suspended all intercollegiate competitions at the nation’s service academies due to the government shutdown.  At the very least, the Air Force-Navy game as well as Army’s game at Boston College are in danger of being canceled. Continue Reading →