Note: Due to the unique aspects of my job, I pulled questions from the events specific section and the sports specific section that would fit my experiences!

Menus.  How do you assist an event planner in choosing a menu for his or her event?  Do you have any suggestions for improving this process?  Participate in a tasting.  What was your experience like, what did you learn?

            Our menus are created by the catering company we are under contract with.  Prior to the season, meetings are held with catering managers and our hospitality managers to create menu options for all the premium areas.  Many menu items are staples and used on every game day, for example all club rooms have popcorn, hot dogs, and bagged chips each game.  Skyboxes choose from set menus each week.  One option is standard game day food like chicken tenders, hot dogs, chips and salsa, etc., and the other option leans toward a more upscale menu with items like brisket, bacon wrapped scallops, marinated chicken skewers, etc.  We do our best to allow members a variety of choices in all of our areas. 

            It can be hard to please everyone when you’re feeding so many different palettes.  I think our process is as good as it can be.  Sometimes there are challenges when working with creative chefs and opinionated guests but learning to maneuver that is all a part of the job.  Part of my responsibilities on game day is to try each menu item to make sure they’re to par.  I must admit they are not always a home run, but we discuss after and take members opinions into account when creating the next menu.  Many times, we remove items or reuse them accordingly to increase member satisfaction.

Explain the following details of your facility:  How many rooms are there?  How many square feet of the facility is considered a public area?  How many toilets are in your facility?  How many parking spots? 

            Bryant Denny Stadium is a massive facility.  Within our domain, there are 199 skyboxes and 6 club areas.  I am responsible for the South Zone club.  The South Zone has 1,698 outdoor backed stadium seats. The club room is 12,600 square feet in total. There are five bathrooms in total, two men’s rooms, two women’s rooms, and one family restroom.  In total, four urinals and 19 toilets.

            As far as parking on a gameday, our guests receive parking passes from a separate department.  Tide Pride is in charge of ticketing for the university and donor ranks.  Tide Pride donation levels and points determine the parking they receive.  Almost all parking on campus is used differently on game day.  Certain decks and lots are used for donors and guests, the closer they are to the stadium then they’re reserved for a higher-level donor within Tide Pride. There are spots surrounding the stadium but on a game day they aren’t in use, and on a regular weekday, they’re reserved for faculty and staff parking only.

There are many stakeholders for an athletic event, team, franchise, etc. Describe in one (1) paragraph, per stakeholder, your organization’s relationship with them. How do you serve them? How is your relationship with them mutually-beneficially (assuming that it is)?

            Our company’s primary concern is catering to the fans and donors.  We provide the best hospitality possible from the moment they step into our stadium to the moment they leave.  They’re greeted with smiling faces and warm welcomes.  In the South Zone club, complementary food is provided and served to their satisfaction.  It is equipped with flat screen televisions for game viewing while inside. We are present to provide any additional services that we can, from giving them a safety pin or Pepto-Bismol from our “ask” boxes kept in each of our areas to escorting them to other parts of a busy stadium through credential-accessed areas or anything in between. Our guests are taken care of and we keep the contract with UA.

            Sponsorship is a huge part of sports.  Specifically, our dealings with sponsorship primarily relate to food and beverage.  We have sponsors that have contracts to place their logo on cups for our guests.  In addition, our caterers use certain brands in their meals.  Golden Flake and Ziegler are official sponsors of the crimson tide, so our caterers must use both in their menu selections. The sponsors receive brand recognition and we receive support in purchasing.

            Lastly, the University of Alabama athletics administration and CTH must work close together to provide a smooth gameday experience for everyone. Our directors have meetings with the athletic directors before and after each season, and they remain in communication throughout the year to ensure everyone is on the same page.  We all want to provide for our guests.  In this last season, COVID-19 was a large factor in planning for both parties. In order to provide a clear message to fans, all departments had to be on a united front and information had to be accurate from all channels.  This required many meetings and approved statements for guests.

Does your venue or event provide alcohol to fans/attendees? If so, what precautions of measures in regard to risk management? If not, why has your organization decided to not provide alcohol to fans/attendees?

Bryant Denny Stadium recently became able to sell alcohol on premises after the SEC ban lifted a few years ago.  Although it was lifted, alcohol is sold in very few areas of the entire stadium.  In years past, premium seat holders could only bring alcohol in on Fridays before a home game.  This year, however, in one of the new premium areas, we do sell alcohol.  The terrace club and loge box members are able to go to a bar in their private concourse and order beer, wine, or liquor with ease. The skyboxes and other club areas have the ability to drink their personal pre-stocked alcohol within their respective areas and only poured into an opaque cup.

Our areas take all necessary precautions.  Our member guideline clearly state if a guest is becoming disorderly or breaking any of our rules regarding alcohol they will be removed from the stadium without reentry.  Our company also hires private security to assist in maintaining a safe and secure atmosphere.  Guests purchasing alcohol must be over 21 and are required to show ID before the sale.  Our other areas where guests bring their own alcohol do not have to provide proof of age.  As long as no disorderly conduct is seen, we hold skybox and club members responsible for their guests.  The hospitality managers, like my boss or myself, intervene when necessary or upon complaint.

Four major aspects of risk management for a sporting event includes 1. Insurance, 2. Facility inspection, 3. Crowd management, & 4. First aid and emergency services. In detail, describe your organization’s risk management plan for each of these areas.

            For our company’s protection, we have insurance for the facility and insurance for the Alcoholic Beverage Control standards.  To avoid any incidents, we provide a guidebook of rules for employees and a guidebook for guests.  In the case of a lawsuit, we keep detailed notes of any and all encounters deemed necessary.  Documentation is the best protection in the face of being sued. As for facility inspection, that is primarily handled by the athletic facilities office.  It isn’t under our responsibilities or jurisdiction, but we help by keeping notes and alerting them of any issues regarding facilities that need to be addressed.

            Crowd management is certainly not an easy task in Bryant Denny Stadium on a bustling gameday, but in our areas we are able to keep the flow of traffic going smoothly to avoid too much congestion.  Our guests have their own gates to come through and elevators for their use.  This season with 20% capacity, our members dealt with much smaller crowds allowing for much less congested club room and common area hallways.  Our security is also a massive help with crowd control if anything starts to get out of hand. In the stadium, there are first aid stations and EMT’s on premise.  If needed, we call the first aid number and they can arrive in our areas within minutes.  We also keep bandages and antibiotic ointment in each area for our guests and employees use.