This information was posted on fieldgulls.com via Facebook. It appears there are quite a lot of changes coming to Centurylink Field this coming year, including limited beer sales and hard alcohol sales. The whole posting is below:
A coworker at Microsoft Paul Wilde is on the Seahawks Fan Advisory Council and here are the main points the council had discussed with team execs at CenturyLink on Thursday 6/5/2014.
There are some significant changes coming for the upcoming Seahawks season - As always, I appreciate the feedback you have provided….and look for opportunities to work it into the discussion as appropriate.
Game presentation:
•Regular season opener – there will be a major concert, w/ significant artist(s)….to be held in North lot on 9/4 earlier in the day….open to public (I believe they also indicated it would be a free event). It’s going to be an eventful day overall, team has been working with NFL for several months on this. Team wants to emphasize to game attendees to get to stadium early and watch on stadium screens rather than stay outside and be caught in crunch getting into stadium before the game. If you are going to the game, I’d suggest you plan to take the day off.
•Phish Russell Wilson song/chant prompt – will not be back
•Bittersweet Symphony will remain – it is fond to people within the organization (no specifics), and change would invariably alienate a significant % of fans…..but they do recognize there are many that would like to see this updated. Additional value they see in keeping it is that it is unique to the Seahawks (not always the case around the league) and it is immediately recognized/meaningful to the crowd/fan base on game day.
•No throwback uniform in the near future – want to continue to emphasize current uniforms – including the alternate wolf grey
Alcohol policy - changes:
•No hard alcohol anywhere other than Club level – and even in the club level, only in upper club (loft) areas
•100 level “Red Bull’ bar areas (under Hawks Nest) being upgraded – but will no longer serve hard alcohol
•Club level main floor (2) side bars will gone – only center bar will remain – serving beer and wine
•1 beer per person limit after halftime
•1 hard alcoholic beverage limit per person
•2 ID check approach for hard alcohol purchases – at line entrance and again by server
Technology:
•Four new video boards are in place and look fantastic – very bright, even in bright sunlight. Old stats boards are gone – I believe one of them will be displayed in (I believe) the proshop -- displaying stats from the last game they were used for -- NFC Championship
•Wi-Fi – great (very new) news….very recent deal w/ new sponsor/partner to provide full-stadium Wi-Fi was just reached, hope/intent is to have full wi-fi throughout the stadium by Sept. regular season opener…but lots of work to happen to make that real between now and then.
•Cellular coverage – Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to add capacity…Verizon and AT&T already did last year
•Club Level Loft audio – I brought up the lack of audio in upper level club loft areas (and outdated TVs) – CEO authorized his IT staff to address that this year
•New TVs will be added to restroom line areas this year
•TVs will be replaced -- around stadium overall this year – some emphasis on club level, and club level lofts
•Seahawks.com website will get a significant revamp in the fall, Hawks are one of four NFL teams in first wave of broader NFL plan
•Updating mobile app will be an area of major focus and updates
•In seat ordering/various ways of leveraging technology as a way to reduce lines is being looked at – no specifics on changes/approach yet
•Intent still there for overall stadium audio system revamp – although that won’t happen for the upcoming season
Other:
•Prominent stadium sign in the field (SW corner) that says ‘Home of the 12th Man’….likely to be changed to ‘Home of the 12s’ before the season starts. My takeaway was this is not an absolute certainty yet, but very likely….and the trend to communicate this way will continue.
•Variable ticket pricing info will be communicated w/ delivery of tickets – 3 price tiers (preseason, regular, premium). Premium tier games are Green Bay, Denver, Dallas, San Francisco. Intent with this is to better align cost with value
•~30 field level seats (sold as auction items last year) were already snapped up as full season seats….~12 more being added at each corner, to be sold via auction. Tougher access (via 100 level stairs) for those, since there isn’t a separate entrance
•Season ticket holder gift will be ‘non-wearable’ item commemorating the season. I did provide the feedback that fans would like some way to get more (either paid or free), potentially based upon # of seats. I don’t expect any changes on that this year.
•Similarly, a sponsor will be giving away ‘season ticket holder gift-like’ items….via coupons sent to season ticket holders….quantity of which will be dependent on # of seats
•Stadium expansion plans still being vetted, nothing will happen for this season, but the discussion indicated this is still likely to proceed later – exact configuration options being actively evaluated
•Big concerts (like U2 several years back, Kenny Chesney, etc.) still a focus…difficult to find major acts that are a great fit for the large venue
•Another condo tower will be built in NE corner of North Lot that will take up more parking space – not sure of timing of that
Go Hawks!
A coworker at Microsoft Paul Wilde is on the Seahawks Fan Advisory Council and here are the main points the council had discussed with team execs at CenturyLink on Thursday 6/5/2014.
There are some significant changes coming for the upcoming Seahawks season - As always, I appreciate the feedback you have provided….and look for opportunities to work it into the discussion as appropriate.
Game presentation:
•Regular season opener – there will be a major concert, w/ significant artist(s)….to be held in North lot on 9/4 earlier in the day….open to public (I believe they also indicated it would be a free event). It’s going to be an eventful day overall, team has been working with NFL for several months on this. Team wants to emphasize to game attendees to get to stadium early and watch on stadium screens rather than stay outside and be caught in crunch getting into stadium before the game. If you are going to the game, I’d suggest you plan to take the day off.
•Phish Russell Wilson song/chant prompt – will not be back
•Bittersweet Symphony will remain – it is fond to people within the organization (no specifics), and change would invariably alienate a significant % of fans…..but they do recognize there are many that would like to see this updated. Additional value they see in keeping it is that it is unique to the Seahawks (not always the case around the league) and it is immediately recognized/meaningful to the crowd/fan base on game day.
•No throwback uniform in the near future – want to continue to emphasize current uniforms – including the alternate wolf grey
Alcohol policy - changes:
•No hard alcohol anywhere other than Club level – and even in the club level, only in upper club (loft) areas
•100 level “Red Bull’ bar areas (under Hawks Nest) being upgraded – but will no longer serve hard alcohol
•Club level main floor (2) side bars will gone – only center bar will remain – serving beer and wine
•1 beer per person limit after halftime
•1 hard alcoholic beverage limit per person
•2 ID check approach for hard alcohol purchases – at line entrance and again by server
Technology:
•Four new video boards are in place and look fantastic – very bright, even in bright sunlight. Old stats boards are gone – I believe one of them will be displayed in (I believe) the proshop -- displaying stats from the last game they were used for -- NFC Championship
•Wi-Fi – great (very new) news….very recent deal w/ new sponsor/partner to provide full-stadium Wi-Fi was just reached, hope/intent is to have full wi-fi throughout the stadium by Sept. regular season opener…but lots of work to happen to make that real between now and then.
•Cellular coverage – Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to add capacity…Verizon and AT&T already did last year
•Club Level Loft audio – I brought up the lack of audio in upper level club loft areas (and outdated TVs) – CEO authorized his IT staff to address that this year
•New TVs will be added to restroom line areas this year
•TVs will be replaced -- around stadium overall this year – some emphasis on club level, and club level lofts
•Seahawks.com website will get a significant revamp in the fall, Hawks are one of four NFL teams in first wave of broader NFL plan
•Updating mobile app will be an area of major focus and updates
•In seat ordering/various ways of leveraging technology as a way to reduce lines is being looked at – no specifics on changes/approach yet
•Intent still there for overall stadium audio system revamp – although that won’t happen for the upcoming season
Other:
•Prominent stadium sign in the field (SW corner) that says ‘Home of the 12th Man’….likely to be changed to ‘Home of the 12s’ before the season starts. My takeaway was this is not an absolute certainty yet, but very likely….and the trend to communicate this way will continue.
•Variable ticket pricing info will be communicated w/ delivery of tickets – 3 price tiers (preseason, regular, premium). Premium tier games are Green Bay, Denver, Dallas, San Francisco. Intent with this is to better align cost with value
•~30 field level seats (sold as auction items last year) were already snapped up as full season seats….~12 more being added at each corner, to be sold via auction. Tougher access (via 100 level stairs) for those, since there isn’t a separate entrance
•Season ticket holder gift will be ‘non-wearable’ item commemorating the season. I did provide the feedback that fans would like some way to get more (either paid or free), potentially based upon # of seats. I don’t expect any changes on that this year.
•Similarly, a sponsor will be giving away ‘season ticket holder gift-like’ items….via coupons sent to season ticket holders….quantity of which will be dependent on # of seats
•Stadium expansion plans still being vetted, nothing will happen for this season, but the discussion indicated this is still likely to proceed later – exact configuration options being actively evaluated
•Big concerts (like U2 several years back, Kenny Chesney, etc.) still a focus…difficult to find major acts that are a great fit for the large venue
•Another condo tower will be built in NE corner of North Lot that will take up more parking space – not sure of timing of that
Go Hawks!
