Stadium managers are increasingly competing with the couch: 59% of US sports fans would prefer to watch the game from their own home. More than ever before, stadium managers should strive to create positive, memorable ticket-holder experiences that allow guests to focus on the game, the concert, or whatever it is you’re offering.
One way to achieve this result is by designing a stadium experience that feels safe and easy, from beginning to end. Fans don’t want to miss a minute of the action, yet the stadium experience is not stationary. From finding seats, to visiting concessions at half-time, ticket-holders need to be able to quickly and easily move around your stadium to avoid missing out on the action. So, how do you make a stadium that can fit 100,000 people stress-free and easy to navigate? Physical signage is a simple yet powerful tool for improving wayfinding as well as crowd control, security, and queuing.
Here are four ways you can enhance the stadium experience of your fans with physical signs:
1. Direct crowds with wayfinding.
Stadiums can feel like a maze. Help ticket-holders navigate themselves with a well-planned signage strategy. In addition to preventing frustration by anticipating customer needs, effective wayfinding can be cost-saving. As one example, it frees up the time of your staff, who might otherwise get tied down with addressing customer questions such as finding their seats or locating an exit. In other cases, you can design your wayfinding path in a way that helps direct customers to revenue-generating areas of the stadium, including food or merchandise stands.
2. Stay on top of security with access control.
There are some places in a stadium that you just don’t want attendees to have access to. By making it clear where customers can and cannot access using signage such as post and panel signage barriers or swing gates with built-in signage, you can help keep ticket-holders where they belong.
3. Drive sales with in-queue promotions.
Turn the waiting line at the food or merchandise stand into a promotional opportunity with in-queue signage advertisements. These physical signs offer ample opportunity to customize the look to match your stadium. In-queue promotion options include hinged-frame sign panels and slim frames that slot into a retractable belt setup. Signage in the waiting line can also support customer decision-making, so they’re ready to order as soon as they get to the register.
4. Customize the look of your stadium.
Show your team spirit or brand your event with custom printing on retractable belts. Choose the logos, text, and colors that make fans feel right at home in your stadium.
You can also use customized retractable belts as a strategic form of queue management. For example, queues formed with red retractable belts can be dedicated to fans purchasing tickets the day of, whereas queues designated by blue belts address customers with pre-purchased tickets.
Unless you recently revisited your signage strategy, your stadium may be missing out on big opportunities to enhance branding, drive sales, and improve the ticket-holder experience. Explore powerful and cost-effective signage solutions to spruce up your stadium here.
