Since the inaugural season of Major League Soccer, RFK Stadium has been known to be a building that opponents were wary of and that housed the best atmosphere in the League. Those characteristics remain intact as United is set to open its 16th season at the iconic facility. Among the many areas of organizational improvement during the off-season are several items that will contribute to a better game-day experience to United faithful at home games throughout the season.
The effort begins before fans even enter the building with the best tailgate in DC. Adding to parking lot festivities for the season will be entertainment by La Nueva 87.7 FM and four popular local food trucks to provide additional food options at the club’s 2011 home opener on Saturday, March 19 vs. the Columbus Crew.
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Areas of focus in the RFK Stadium concourse include accessible TD Bank ATMs, new and improved team merchandise stations as well as improved concession offerings courtesy of Centerplate. Stadium officials have recently come to an agreement with the highly respected food service company to provide food and beverage throughout RFK Stadium in the season ahead.
Centerplate will begin the season with a happy hour for United club seat holders this Thursday afternoon and will continue their unprecedented commitment this season with a post-game event in the Capitol View Club, located on the Mezzanine Level behind section M14, after every game. United fans are encouraged to visit for food and drink specials. The club also has plans to show Ben Olsen’s post-game press conferences live. Centerplate will also provide improved in-game servicing for club seat and field level customers.
United has also expanded and retrained game-day customer service personnel for the coming campaign. This group is better equipped than ever to handle customer questions in timely manner. This guest services mission statement says it all: 'We are committed to providing our guests with the highest quality soccer and entertainment experience in a safe, friendly and enjoyable environment.' This supports proactive customer service elements present on the dcunited.com mobile platform and on-line customer service monitoring of club facebook and twitter accounts.
The end result will be an improved game-day experience for the best fans in MLS.
As Kevin Payne, Dave Kasper, Ben Olsen and our technical staff have been working hard to put a top-quality product on the field for D.C. United this season and to continuing the rapid development of our youth Academy system, the rest of the front office has put in the long hours necessary to be sure all other elements of our business are tended to in advance of the 2011 MLS campaign ahead.
Opening Night on Saturday, March 19 can’t come soon enough for players, staff and supporters alike. Over the ten days leading up to the Columbus game, I’ll walk through the business flow of our offices, sharing insight and updates on strategic development of ideas for the core areas of our focus. Under the leadership of Executive Vice President Stephen Zack, day-to-day business activities work in concert to create a seamless flow of information, activation and promotion, leading to sales. A dedicated customer service staff and high-energy support crew follow-up to maximize these opportunities.
Doug Hicks is D.C. United’s Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications. Follow him on twitter at @DCUDoug.
