TicketsOkay, I'll admit it: I love surveys. I get really excited when one of my favorite brands asks for my feedback. And I'm much more eager to complete a survey if I had an experience that didn't meet my expectations. (I'm looking at you ENTER ANY AIRLINE NAME HERE.) I figure most companies want to know when they need to improve, so I gladly fill out their form honestly and never expect anything to happen from there.
Every Sunday, I find a quiet corner of the world and cozy up with our survey responses from the previous day's game: Great insights from my 38,007 friends. No joke... my wife knows to leave me alone so I can focus on how to pivot quickly and get our team prepared to jump into action. I think about what we can accomplish, what might be a long-term opportunity, and how we will respond.
Game 1 surveys are always the most helpful. Fans are always willing to let us know what we can do better, and generally, their input is extremely valuable to our decision-making process. Whether it's a survey, email, or phone call, we listen and do our best to improve. We had more than 900 survey responses and 100+ emails with feedback. We're thankful for every single one.
I encourage all fans to continue to fill out our surveys, which we send immediately after the game, or reach out to us directly (difinoaf@uc.edu). We're here to steward your gameday.
In an attempt to give our fans a "peek behind the curtain," here are some of our action items from Game 1 that we'll implement for Game 2:
- We heard our fans loud and clear. Literally.
- You're happy with the clarity of the sound system and the adjustments we made, but the loud part is the issue. We're working to adjust our audio levels to ensure we get the correct volume for all elements of our show. We're testing more upgrades to our system this week, so expect a refinement.
- For fans who suggested we add speakers to the south endzone, we're in active discussions to understand how this impacts our current system. The professional feedback we've sought on this idea has been unanimous. We've been told not to add additional speakers before the primary sound system work has been completed and refined, or we risk completely distorting our sound distribution.
- Our fans' passion for the band over "canned music" is strong.
- To the delight of our band, we will continue to call on them as a primary source of musical entertainment, as we directed in our game production for Game 1.
- The band indicated we called on them and were happy with their volume, but our fans WANT! MORE! BAND! So do I, so I told Director of Bearcat Bands Chris Nichter to ensure that the band is ready to, as one band director said to me at a previous school, "play until their lips bleed." We won't take it that far, but you'll hear more tubas on Saturday.
- Please note: During pregame and some key moments, our student-athletes have requested specific music for warm-ups and hype. We're also here to serve the team and ensure their experience is superb.
- Personal note: This was the first game for our new partner, SodexoLive! I believe they handled their operations pretty smoothly for what those in the industry feel is a tricky venue for a concessions operator. With a new point-of-sale system, plenty of non-profit groups working, and a goal to implement new concepts, I err on the side of grace and patience as they make the proper adjustments to their operation.
- We're working with our hawking company to ensure they get their employees into stands to service our fans.
- Surveys showed fans were in need of more IPAs and seltzers (with a specific call-out for High Noon).
- Great Lakes beers will now be located behind Section 113 (Seasonal Wheat and IPA).
- More seltzers will be distributed to our beer locations.
- Sam Adams Zero (NA) will be in the grab-and-go locations behind Sections 109, 113, and 121.
- Hawkers will have pretzel options available.
- We're adding 25+ additional hawkers in the stands for more point-of-sale opportunities.
- And we're adding more seating to Stadium View Cafe above the north endzone.
For clarity and transparency, the following is the timeline provided for concessions offerings:
- Alcohol sales will stop at the end of the 3rd quarter. Please drink responsibly.
- "Hard stands" (the ones built into the walls of Nippert) will stay open through the 5-minute mark of the 4th quarter.
- Snack carts will remain open through the end of the game, allowing fans to purchase snacks and beverages as they leave the stadium.
- Specialty stands like Cincy-Q and gyros will stay open through the 3rd quarter and close as they run out of fresh products.
- Many fans had issues with the tipping feature of the new point-of-sale system.
- Please note that tipping is optional. But, for clarification, many of the staff you see at stands are not full-time or even part-time employees. These workers are volunteers from non-profit groups that serve our Greater Cincinnati community. If their service warrants a tip, note that the tips go directly to their organization, not the volunteers themselves. They are there to raise money for their cause or organization by serving you on gameday.
- I thank these non-profit groups for their hard work and dedication to helping make Nippert a special place!
- Surveys and outreach show a need for more "gameday favorites" such as burgers, pretzels, pizza, metts, bratwurst, and (of course!) Skyline.
- We're working to create menus to meet these needs. Specifically for Game 2, we may not be able to deviate too far from the provisions already secured. Your patience is appreciated, as we will have more Game Day Favorites starting with the Houston game.
- We will add soft pretzel bites to our current gameday favorite location, which serves Skyline and Donatos.
- We will keep a very close eye on soda and water levels in the coolers. We aim to keep them stocked as best as possible, including diet options, throughout the game.
- The snack corner (located by Jimmy's Bar in the 3rd floor Gravity Club) will now include, from kickoff, fresh-buttered popcorn, Oreo popcorn, salty Chex Mix, and kettle chips. We will continue to serve desserts, novelty ice creams, and cookies.
- Fans indicate they would like more healthy options and more options in general. Our focus will continue to be to accommodate all guests. We will retain the carving stations and other stations created to satisfy feedback from previous seasons (healthy options, salads, elevated dishes).
- A bar was added on floors 4 and 5 to accommodate guests with specific drink requests.
- I continue to encourage fans to be at the gates at the 35-minute mark. This allows for entry 30 minutes before kickoff. Meet up with friends, explore Nippert, watch the players warm up, or simply grab some food and a beverage and enjoy "showtime"!
- With foot traffic leaving The Grid, Gate J is the busiest. I suggest utilizing Gate A (Fifth Third Arena) for the speediest entry.
- Fans noticed a lack of security/ushers in their locations.
- This has been rectified with our vendor, who says staffing levels will be adequate to meet the needs of our fans.
- Fans shared issues with Grid spot numbering. We will ensure that spots are properly laid out for this weekend's game.
- Our local law enforcement and emergency services partners have indicated that they will be more active upon entry and exit of the parking facilities.
- Please review our maps, as many traffic patterns have been updated this season to ensure faster garage and campus exit timing.
- Fans have asked us to control the weather––specifically the humidity. I'm happy to share that my team has potentially accomplished this! We're cooking up some football weather for Cincinnati.
Thank you for everyone's support, and we look forward to hosting our fans in Nippert on Saturday!