How Venue Design Impacts Sports Event Experience

The design of a sports facility plays an important role in shaping the experience of a fan.

Today’s spectators want more than just a place to sit and watch a game; they expect to have comfort, interest, convenience, and a connection from the time they walk through the door of the facility until the event is over.

With more competition for spectators’ efforts to gain their attention, event planners and team organizations are using the design of their facilities to set themselves apart.

Well-designed facilities enhance excitement, reduce stress, create a reason to remain and spend money, and encourage patrons to return for future events.

Evolving Expectations of Sports Fans

Organizations such as the NBA and FIFA understand that the way in which a fan experiences an event directly correlates with how many times they attend that event and/or view it via television.

Facility design now addresses entertainment, socialization, and accessibility along with the sport itself.

Facility Design Is Part of the Fan Experience

The many ways that fans enter a facility through a gate or arrive in a seat bowl are also steps in shaping how they will interact with the experience of the event.

Sports facilities no longer serve only as containers; contemporary facility design has transformed the operational role into shaping the emotions of fans at both live and televised sporting events and how they will feel comfortable and satisfied.

The Logo of a Sports Venue’s Exterior Architecture

The exterior of a sports venue is an anticipation creator before the spectator even arrives at the event.

A venue’s exterior delivers messages regarding the scale, identity, and excitement of the venue and impacts the way that spectators feel about their experience as they approach the venue to attend the event.

Using Exterior Architecture to Establish the Brand Identity of a Sports Venue

Venues designed in conjunction with designs from companies such as Populous use the exterior of the facility to communicate to the spectator what the team represents and to reflect the culture of the team and the city that the team is from.

Seat Design and Sightline Quality

Seating design is among the leading factors impacting fan satisfaction.

Proper sightlines, seat height, and proximity to the playing area all directly impact how adequately fans can follow the action.

Modern venues place extreme emphasis on providing continuous views to every seating area.

Fan enjoyment quickly diminishes with poor sightlines or cramped seating, regardless of the match quality or environment.

Comfort Supports Prolonged Engagement

Fans who have comfortable ergonomic seating during lengthy events can stay engaged with the game and have less fatigue.

This is essential for families or older fans.

Crowd Flow, Accessibility, and Mobility

Efficient crowd flow is vital to the overall fan experience at sports events.

Bad circulation causes frustration, congestion, and safety issues, while thoughtful movement patterns help facilitate movement through venues.

Wider concourses, logical pathways, and clear wayfinding reduce confusion.

Fans spend less time looking for things and more time enjoying food and merchandise, in addition to the event!

Acoustics, Lighting, and Emotional Connection

One of many essential elements to creating the “emotional connection” to a sporting event for a spectator is through acoustics and lighting.

Through sound, atmosphere is created, and through lighting, quality of sound is enhanced, enabling the spectator to connect with the action as it occurs.

Creating acoustics that amplify the “energy” of the crowd not only enhances the event experience for a spectator but can also disconnect the spectator from key moments in the competition if the sound quality is poor.

Many of the NBA‘s arenas are designed specifically for the synchronization of audio and lighting, so that when these factors combine, they will cause each match to be experienced as an entertainment experience, keeping the spectator energized and enthusiastic throughout the entirety of the event.

Visual Technology and Information Clarity

For example, large video displays provide instant replays of a game as well as statistics and storytelling elements that will help the spectator understand how the game played out.

Particularly important is this consideration for first-time attendees that may have been unable to easily see what to do and when to do it through visual signage.

Data-Driven Fan Experience

Supporting the use of technology to personalize the fan experience, Technology Partners provide the ability to create Smart Venue Solutions that utilize technology to improve how fans navigate through the venue and utilize live analytics.

Interactive Social Areas and Brand Partnerships

Social areas provide fans the opportunity to gather, converse, celebrate and share common experiences with one another prior to, during, and after a game or concert.

Fans feel more connected to an event if they have a social aspect associated with it, as opposed to just observing the event.

Safety, Security, and Psychological Comfort

Security elements, like lighting, staff presence, and sight lines, should create a comfortable feeling for fans, without the presence being overwhelming or invasive.

The design/layout directly affects the psychology of those attending the sporting event.

Designs that promote calmness versus impatience, ease of movement during congestion, and logical flow to exits through clear signage and wide exit pathways will help to keep fans calm during the more active phases of the event and immediately following the conclusion of the event.

The governing bodies that regulate international sporting events, such as the International Olympic Committee, have guidelines governing the design of venues that promote fan safety and comfort.

Sustainability and Environmentally Responsible Venue Design

Sustainability has become a large factor in how fans define and associate their experiences with modern sporting venues.

Environmentally responsible design of hotels, arenas, and stadiums have improved the level of comfort that fans/guests experience and brought the venue’s sustainability initiatives into alignment with the expectations of the younger, socially-conscious generation that seeks to minimize their footprint on the planet.

Modern venues using solar energy, rainwater harvesting, and waste reduction technologies are seen by fans as positive attributes.

Fans derive positive attitudes toward attending events in sustainable/green facilities.

By associating trust, loyalty, and comfort with sustainability-focused venue design, organizations can increase their customer retention and increase their overall attendance through the use of well-designed and sustainable venues.