Not only is Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the most technologically advanced stadium in the world, as well as one of the costliest, but it’s managed to do what not many new arenas can – offer a phenomenal fan experience.
And for a stadium that is home to two major sports and franchises, that’s no easy feat. The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, as well as MLS side Atlanta United, regularly pack out the mega-dome, with the more established Falcons even looking on enviously, at times, at their younger Soccer sibling and how their fans engage with the side.
Speaking to UCFB as part of the virtual Atlanta Global Summit, Scott Jenkins, General Manager of the stadium, outlined its success. He said: “It’s unique to have an NFL and soccer team in the same venue, especially here in the US when we have a seating capacity of 70k. Most MLS venues are probably in the mid-20s, but the beauty of Arthur (Blank) owning both teams, as well as being committed to winning and both fan bases, is that we built the stadium to accommodate both.”
With the arena being built for both sports, things like sight lines and changing facilities were of vast importance, as was the ability to convert the arena from sport to sport overnight. As Scott pointed out, it’s not uncommon for United to play in the MLS on a Saturday evening before the Falcons take on an NFL heavyweight the following afternoon.
He said: “There is no break at all [when converting]. We work hard and when we go back-to-back there are hundreds and hundreds of people working through the night.”
Scott added: “You can image what it’s like trying to clean up after 70k people so the next day when you open the gates you have no idea you threw a gigantic party the night before!”
Ultimately the fan experience for both sports is down to attention to detail, explains Scott.
“From Darren Eales (President) and Carlos Bocanegra (Technical Director) on the team side, to our marketing people and to our game day production folks, everything is geared towards it being a great fan experience. There’s no detail that we don’t overlook. We’re constantly asking our fans ‘how are we doing?’ and ‘what can we do better?’ to make it more exciting.”
