Stadium upgrades-time to help the fan experience

[secondasky]

Random thoughts while wondering how that international building is progressing. There is probably more work to do for the athletes on the inside of the stadium but I hope that the next AD takes on these tasks to make the stadium more fan friendly and possibly increase attendance. I'm sure I left something out but here is a possible list:
1. Restrooms- Those lines can get pretty long for men and worse for women. Larger restrooms are needed. Delete the urinal troughs.
2. Concession stands- Once again long lines. Need to be larger and more efficient with better quality food selection. Provides more revenue for the university and keeps more people from leaving the stadium.
3.Stadium seats- Discussed this before. Those aluminum benches are hot in September and cold in Oct/Nov and hard on the rear. Need replaced with high impact plastic or individual fold down seating. Crimson color throughout the stadium to give the look of a full crowd even if there isn't one.
4.Lights- Heard from a lot of people there are not enough lights or the wattage is insufficient.
5. Press box - Build a new high tech one from end to end on the West side. Add suites just below it from end to end also.
6. Enclose the outer portion of the stadium (like on the North and South sides)- This will eliminate that wind tunnel effect that can occur when you get food, go to restroom. Also by doing this you now create a solid wall where the concessions could be moved thereby giving more room to make larger restrooms and eliminate cold weather.
Naysayers have at it.

 

[YOTHN]

At a minimum, paint the seats crimson.

 

[vesuvius13]

Any changes in the stadium to bring in more fans is good. I do want to see the AD work harder with alumni groups to provide transportation to the game from areas around the state. Make them party buses so people want to ride them to the game - no worries about driving enjoying drinks, food, and televised games heading to the game, etc. IU needs to do more than just promote the games to get more butts in the seats.

 

[CC Mac]

Random thoughts while wondering how that international building is progressing. There is probably more work to do for the athletes on the inside of the stadium but I hope that the next AD takes on these tasks to make the stadium more fan friendly and possibly increase attendance. I'm sure I left something out but here is a possible list:
1. Restrooms- Those lines can get pretty long for men and worse for women. Larger restrooms are needed. Delete the urinal troughs.
2. Concession stands- Once again long lines. Need to be larger and more efficient with better quality food selection. Provides more revenue for the university and keeps more people from leaving the stadium.
3.Stadium seats- Discussed this before. Those aluminum benches are hot in September and cold in Oct/Nov and hard on the rear. Need replaced with high impact plastic or individual fold down seating. Crimson color throughout the stadium to give the look of a full crowd even if there isn't one.
4.Lights- Heard from a lot of people there are not enough lights or the wattage is insufficient.
5. Press box - Build a new high tech one from end to end on the West side. Add suites just below it from end to end also.
6. Enclose the outer portion of the stadium (like on the North and South sides)- This will eliminate that wind tunnel effect that can occur when you get food, go to restroom. Also by doing this you now create a solid wall where the concessions could be moved thereby giving more room to make larger restrooms and eliminate cold weather.
Naysayers have at it.

All good ideas,the restroom and concession stand situation needs to be addressed first in my opinion.
Replacing the bleachers would be very expensive I assume but they do need to be painted.

 

[red hornet]

Random thoughts while wondering how that international building is progressing. There is probably more work to do for the athletes on the inside of the stadium but I hope that the next AD takes on these tasks to make the stadium more fan friendly and possibly increase attendance. I'm sure I left something out but here is a possible list:
1. Restrooms- Those lines can get pretty long for men and worse for women. Larger restrooms are needed. Delete the urinal troughs.
2. Concession stands- Once again long lines. Need to be larger and more efficient with better quality food selection. Provides more revenue for the university and keeps more people from leaving the stadium.
3.Stadium seats- Discussed this before. Those aluminum benches are hot in September and cold in Oct/Nov and hard on the rear. Need replaced with high impact plastic or individual fold down seating. Crimson color throughout the stadium to give the look of a full crowd even if there isn't one.
4.Lights- Heard from a lot of people there are not enough lights or the wattage is insufficient.
5. Press box - Build a new high tech one from end to end on the West side. Add suites just below it from end to end also.
6. Enclose the outer portion of the stadium (like on the North and South sides)- This will eliminate that wind tunnel effect that can occur when you get food, go to restroom. Also by doing this you now create a solid wall where the concessions could be moved thereby giving more room to make larger restrooms and eliminate cold weather.
Naysayers have at it.

Great ideas! Agree 100%

 

[DANC]

All good ideas,the restroom and concession stand situation needs to be addressed first in my opinion.
Replacing the bleachers would be very expensive I assume but they do need to be painted.

Agreed. I'd like to see them take out the restrooms under the stands and move them all to the outer wall. It would requiire some building and new plumbing, but I wouldn't think cement block buildings and re-routing plumbing would be that costly.

Then put in concession stands under the seats where the restrooms were. This would allow more varied and specialized concessoins without taking up space in the middle of the walkway, like they are now.

I would like to see an updated pressbox - possibly add on to the north and south ends of the current one on the entire west side. Suites would fit nicely there.

If new seating were put in, I'd widen the seating area for each seat. They're pretty cramped now. At Nebraska, they sell seat backs for $5 and you pick them up as you go in, and they are high-quality seats. Much better than the ones we have. At the end of the game, you just leave them there. $5. It's a bargain. I'd bet they sell 10k-15k of those per game, making a nice revenue stream for basically no cost other than buying the seatback and paying a minimal amount to gather the seats after the game.

 

[CC Mac]

Agreed. I'd like to see them take out the restrooms under the stands and move them all to the outer wall. It would requiire some building and new plumbing, but I wouldn't think cement block buildings and re-routing plumbing would be that cost.

Then put in concession stands under the seats where the restrooms were. This would allow more varied and specialized concessoins without taking up space in the middle of the walkway, like they are now.

I would like to see an updated pressbox - possibly add on to the north and south ends of the current one on the entire west side. Suites would fit nicely there.

If new seating were put in, I'd widen the seating area for each seat. They're pretty cramped now. At Nebraska, they sell seat backs for $5 and you pick them up as you go in, and they are high-quality seats. Much better than the ones we have. At the end of the game, you just leave them there. $5. It's a bargain. I'd bet they sell 10k-15k of those per game, making a nice revenue stream for basically no cost other than buying the seatback and paying a minimal amount to gather the seats after the game.

I had to go to 3 different concessions stands at the Michigan game to get a cup of coffee.
Then when I did get it,it was cold,there is no excuse for that.

 

[hoosier roadtrips]

The trough was never a pleasant experience. I always had thoughts about someone having an argument and being pushed into it.

 

[welshman#]

Random thoughts while wondering how that international building is progressing. There is probably more work to do for the athletes on the inside of the stadium but I hope that the next AD takes on these tasks to make the stadium more fan friendly and possibly increase attendance. I'm sure I left something out but here is a possible list:
1. Restrooms- Those lines can get pretty long for men and worse for women. Larger restrooms are needed. Delete the urinal troughs.
2. Concession stands- Once again long lines. Need to be larger and more efficient with better quality food selection. Provides more revenue for the university and keeps more people from leaving the stadium.
3.Stadium seats- Discussed this before. Those aluminum benches are hot in September and cold in Oct/Nov and hard on the rear. Need replaced with high impact plastic or individual fold down seating. Crimson color throughout the stadium to give the look of a full crowd even if there isn't one.
4.Lights- Heard from a lot of people there are not enough lights or the wattage is insufficient.
5. Press box - Build a new high tech one from end to end on the West side. Add suites just below it from end to end also.
6. Enclose the outer portion of the stadium (like on the North and South sides)- This will eliminate that wind tunnel effect that can occur when you get food, go to restroom. Also by doing this you now create a solid wall where the concessions could be moved thereby giving more room to make larger restrooms and eliminate cold weather.
Naysayers have at it.

#6 is probably not practical from an engineering standpoint, and unlikely from a financial one, but if and when attendance ever approaches "maximization" thanks to sustained competitive success and decent roads/highways to and from Bloomington, then adding seats/suites to the East stands is an obvious step to investigate

 

[IUXC68]

I had to go to 3 different concessions stands at the Michigan game to get a cup of coffee.
Then when I did get it,it was cold,there is no excuse for that.

Just out of curiosity, what quarter in the ball game did you go looking for hot coffee? Typically, concession operators are very knowledgeable about what items sell at what times, whether you are talking about a football game or an outdoor musical event, and they shut down the coffee urns at a particular time rather than keeping the coffee hot and causing the coffee to change flavor as it steams. Unfortunately, most of them don't have a microwave oven that they could use for reheating food or beverage.

 

[IUXC68]

At a minimum, paint the seats crimson.

Most of the seating is brushed aluminum and is not painted. What difficulties do you see in preparing brushed aluminum for a coat of some sort of paint?

 

[CC Mac]

Just out of curiosity, what quarter in the ball game did you go looking for hot coffee? Typically, concession operators are very knowledgeable about what items sell at what times, whether you are talking about a football game or an outdoor musical event, and they shut down the coffee urns at a particular time rather than keeping the coffee hot and causing the coffee to change flavor as it steams. Unfortunately, most of them don't have a microwave oven that they could use for reheating food or beverage.

I think it was right before halftime,I just thought it was strange that only one stand on the west side was selling coffee on a cold,wet day.

 

[IUXC68]

I think it was right before halftime,I just thought it was strange that only one stand on the west side was selling coffee on a cold,wet day.

I'm with you on that.

 

[IUXC68]

The trough was never a pleasant experience. I always had thoughts about someone having an argument and being pushed into it.

Ever since alcoholic beverages have been sold at the stadium, I have been more concerned about a guy not being able to control his aim at the trough.

 

[Chriselli]

Getting rid of troughs has actually dramatically increased wait time at several restrooms. Troughs are awkward but very efficient.

 

[DANC]

Just out of curiosity, what quarter in the ball game did you go looking for hot coffee? Typically, concession operators are very knowledgeable about what items sell at what times, whether you are talking about a football game or an outdoor musical event, and they shut down the coffee urns at a particular time rather than keeping the coffee hot and causing the coffee to change flavor as it steams. Unfortunately, most of them don't have a microwave oven that they could use for reheating food or beverage.

Our concession stands are run by volunteers to raise money for their organization.

That's part of the problem.

 

[DANC]

Getting rid of troughs has actually dramatically increased wait time at several restrooms. Troughs are awkward but very efficient.

I haven't noticed a longer wait time at all.

The trough can induce 'shy bladder' syndrome.....

 

[DANC]

I think it was right before halftime,I just thought it was strange that only one stand on the west side was selling coffee on a cold,wet day.

I think they were more concerned with keeping the hot chocolate going.

That was an unpleasant day weather-wise and game-wise.

We did have one Michigan fan near us get kicked out for being obnoxious. That was pretty much the highlight of the game in our section.

 

[IUXC68]

Our concession stands are run by volunteers to raise money for their organization.

That's part of the problem.

Even so, there should be some sort of coordinating office or staff in the Athletic Department. Since I am a Bloomingtonian, I will have to look into that. Thanks for bringing that up.

 

[82hoosier]

Most of the seating is brushed aluminum and is not painted. What difficulties do you see in preparing brushed aluminum for a coat of some sort of paint?

I know it is awfully hard to get paint to adhere to aluminum. It would not take much time before the paint started to peel. Then they wouldn’t have a an entire stadium full of peeling paint to worry about,

Has Fred come out and said anything about stadium upgrades? More specifically, upgrades specific to the individual fan experience.

How do Indiana’s bleachers stack up against the rest of the Big 10.

 

[DANC]

Even so, there should be some sort of coordinating office or staff in the Athletic Department. Since I am a Bloomingtonian, I will have to look into that. Thanks for bringing that up.

Been one of my complaints for a long time.

I have no idea why they don't contract out concessions. It would seem like a tailor-made situation for a contractor to just manage the whole thing.

 

[DANC]

I know it isn’t awfully hard to get paint to adhere to aluminum. It would not take much time before the paint started to peel. Then they wouldn’t have a an entire stadium full of peeling paint to worry about,

Has Fred come out and said anything about stadium upgrades? More specifically, upgrades specific to the individual fan experience.

How do Indiana’s bleachers stack up against the rest of the Big 10.

Bleachers are bleachers. I haven't noticed any difference, except some seats are closer together and some are wider than ours. We're about in the middle, I'd say.

Michigan's seemed closer. Nebraska's seemed wider. I've always felt really cramped at Northwestern.

Purdue I haven't noticed because the crowd is alway small enough that there's plenty of room to spread out.

 

[CC Mac]

Our concession stands are run by volunteers to raise money for their organization.

That's part of the problem.

Agreed,I wasn’t blaming the actual workers,just question some of the food and drink selections and trying to figure out where the lines begin and end.

 

[IUXC68]

I know it isn’t awfully hard to get paint to adhere to aluminum. It would not take much time before the paint started to peel. Then they wouldn’t have a an entire stadium full of peeling paint to worry about,

Has Fred come out and said anything about stadium upgrades? More specifically, upgrades specific to the individual fan experience.

How do Indiana’s bleachers stack up against the rest of the Big 10.

I haven't seen anything from Fred about the stadium. Perhaps you should contact Fred, probably by email, and pose your question. IU has a mixture of seats at Memorial Stadium. What we refer to as bleachers are our basic seats and not truly bleachers with open air underneath, so it is difficult to compare them to other stadiums. I have been to every BIG stadium except Penn State, Rutgers, and Purdue, and I would say that we are comparable.

 

[destewart]

Our concession stands are run by volunteers to raise money for their organization.

That's part of the problem.

I would venture a guess that volunteers work the majority of all college stadiums and arena concessions to make money for charity except a few highly unionized cities. There is a national labor shortage for qualified food and hospitality jobs that are full time. When you get to less than 4% unemployment you are really scraping the bottom on the barrel for even the most basic food service jobs.

 

[82hoosier]

I would venture a guess that volunteers work the majority of all college stadiums and arena concessions to make money for charity except a few highly unionized cities. There is a national labor shortage for qualified food and hospitality jobs that are full time. When you get to less than 4% unemployment you are really scraping the bottom on the barrel for even the most basic food service jobs.[/QUOTE

Whether it’s paid or volunteer you only work six days a year.

 

[76-1]

Bleachers are bleachers. I haven't noticed any difference, except some seats are closer together and some are wider than ours. We're about in the middle, I'd say.

Michigan's seemed closer. Nebraska's seemed wider. I've always felt really cramped at Northwestern.

Purdue I haven't noticed because the crowd is alway small enough that there's plenty of room to spread out.

I've said for literally decades that the bleacher solution is simple...: keep them but roll out 1/2 inch closed cell foam on them and then cover that with PVC coated sail cloth (in Crimson)...

 

[4IUSox2]

Bring back the IU Calliope (probably have to be over 50 to know what it looks like). I've read they store it in Indy, take it to occasional parades, so it's still around. Not sure when or why they did away with it, but I'm guessing it's been 30 years since it sat above the south end zone. G

 

[Grateful Redbeard]

I would venture a guess that volunteers work the majority of all college stadiums and arena concessions to make money for charity except a few highly unionized cities. There is a national labor shortage for qualified food and hospitality jobs that are full time. When you get to less than 4% unemployment you are really scraping the bottom on the barrel for even the most basic food service jobs.

This is correct. It’s a lot of churches and charities that have people working for free and the money they make as a group goes to the organizations they support.

 

[Chriselli]

Bleachers are bleachers. I haven't noticed any difference, except some seats are closer together and some are wider than ours. We're about in the middle, I'd say.

Michigan's seemed closer. Nebraska's seemed wider. I've always felt really cramped at Northwestern.

Purdue I haven't noticed because the crowd is alway small enough that there's plenty of room to spread out.

I just looked at my pics from Rutgers, and the bleachers are aluminum but the seat backs are red. Most schools have either painted the concrete in school colors or have added seat backs. For some reason, I think the bleachers at Michigan are blue.

 

[Chriselli]

I haven't noticed a longer wait time at all.

The trough can induce 'shy bladder' syndrome.....

Do you sit on the West side? You had to go upstairs if you didn't want to miss any of the 2nd half for big games. In particular, the restrooms between sections 3 and 8 were terrible.

 

[DANC]

I would venture a guess that volunteers work the majority of all college stadiums and arena concessions to make money for charity except a few highly unionized cities. There is a national labor shortage for qualified food and hospitality jobs that are full time. When you get to less than 4% unemployment you are really scraping the bottom on the barrel for even the most basic food service jobs.

Probably right. I haven't been to a stadium yet that handles concessions well. Lucas Oil Stadium doesn't do badly, but college concessions aren't the greatest.

At the Gator Bowl, I didn't even attempt to get conessions - the ailes were narrow and the lines were insane. Not a big fan of that stadium, but it's not bad once you get to your seat.

 

[DANC]

Do you sit on the West side? You had to go upstairs if you didn't want to miss any of the 2nd half for big games. In particular, the restrooms between sections 3 and 8 were terrible.

Yeah, I sit in Section 9, lower level.

To be honest, I rarely go to the restroom during the game. I think I've trained my bladder to last through the game - can't remember the last time I even went during the half or end of 3rd quarter. So, I can't speak with any expertise about wait times during the game. But I know they used to be really crowded after a game and I haven't noticed it as much this year.

The restrooms on the north side are great - they should have put more urinals in them, though.

 

[DANC]

I just looked at my pics from Rutgers, and the bleachers are aluminum but the seat backs are red. Most schools have either painted the concrete in school colors or have added seat backs. For some reason, I think the bleachers at Michigan are blue.

I was at Michigan a few years ago - pretty sure the area where we sat in the IU section - the south end zone WAY up - they were just normal silver aluminum. Maybe in other sections they're blue?

 

[ElMeson]

I’ve never noticed but I’m fairly certain that every school has bleachers. OSU has a club section in A deck Between the 30’s with folding seats. Minnesota has a section as well.

 

[oldcougar77]

I’ve never noticed but I’m fairly certain that every school has bleachers. OSU has a club section in A deck Between the 30’s with folding seats. Minnesota has a section as well.

I can't say if all of them are, but I was at the game at Minny last year (2018) and most of the seats are full stadium seats, not bleachers. Of course, it is much newer than any other B1G stadium. Big difference between building a stadium with those seats and retrofitting an old one designed for bleachers.

 

[UncleMark]

I haven't noticed a longer wait time at all.

The trough can induce 'shy bladder' syndrome.....

Successfully using the troughs is a milestone in every young boy's life. Since I was a farm kid, pissing with others around was no big deal. My problem was reaching up over the edge.

 

[YOTHN]

Most of the seating is brushed aluminum and is not painted. What difficulties do you see in preparing brushed aluminum for a coat of some sort of paint?

Valid, then put new red bleachers in or red covers. The red just offers better eye appeal

 

[mk23]

Probably right. I haven't been to a stadium yet that handles concessions well. Lucas Oil Stadium doesn't do badly, but college concessions aren't the greatest.

At the Gator Bowl, I didn't even attempt to get conessions - the ailes were narrow and the lines were insane. Not a big fan of that stadium, but it's not bad once you get to your seat.

I swear most of that darned town acted like the game was an inconvenience to them. I felt like I almost had to beg to be served. Won’t go back, screw the Jaguars too.

 

[goody1986]

Random thoughts while wondering how that international building is progressing. There is probably more work to do for the athletes on the inside of the stadium but I hope that the next AD takes on these tasks to make the stadium more fan friendly and possibly increase attendance. I'm sure I left something out but here is a possible list:
1. Restrooms- Those lines can get pretty long for men and worse for women. Larger restrooms are needed. Delete the urinal troughs.
2. Concession stands- Once again long lines. Need to be larger and more efficient with better quality food selection. Provides more revenue for the university and keeps more people from leaving the stadium.
3.Stadium seats- Discussed this before. Those aluminum benches are hot in September and cold in Oct/Nov and hard on the rear. Need replaced with high impact plastic or individual fold down seating. Crimson color throughout the stadium to give the look of a full crowd even if there isn't one.
4.Lights- Heard from a lot of people there are not enough lights or the wattage is insufficient.
5. Press box - Build a new high tech one from end to end on the West side. Add suites just below it from end to end also.
6. Enclose the outer portion of the stadium (like on the North and South sides)- This will eliminate that wind tunnel effect that can occur when you get food, go to restroom. Also by doing this you now create a solid wall where the concessions could be moved thereby giving more room to make larger restrooms and eliminate cold weather.
Naysayers have at it.

The stadium upgrades over the last decade have been transformational, and I think it’s important to recognize all the good, thoughtful work that’s been done. But I think they really missed the mark on a few things, some more important than others, and have some obvious next steps for future work.

1) The different height and architectural styles of the North and South ends have given me a permanent twitch every time I see the stadium. Just not as aesthetically harmonious as it could be. The NEZ got it right, the SEZ not so much.

2) They should have used SEZ construction to redistribute some seats. They could have eliminated all or a significant portion bench seating, replaced it with modern chair backs, and redistributed lost seating to a SEZ that maintained the same lines as the east side and NEZ. This would improve the fan experience nearly universally. Tough to undo now, but a good chunk of that bench seating needs to find a way to disappear to improve the fan experience for the average fan.

3) There’s opportunity for additional seating options ranging from bench, chair backs, premium, outdoor club, suite, etc. Other places are getting really creative to provide an experience you can’t get on TV and that isn’t uncomfortable and terrible. We need to do the same.

4) Obviously the press box/suites is in significant need of change. It should be much larger and offer several types of suites and clubs that are more high-end than what we have now. Our offerings are about 40 years out of date.

5) Not the stadium, but Mellencamp needs a renovation and/or a second indoor facility is needed.

Even with my gripes, the stadium is light years ahead of where it was not so long ago.