The Scottish FA have confirmed Sodexo as venue partner for Hampden Park in a new ten-year contract, covering catering, retail, hospitality, conferences, events, marketing and sales.
The home of Scottish Football stages some of the biggest fixtures in the football calendar, as well as concerts and events, and is one of the host venues for UEFA EURO 2020.
The new agreement will see the Scottish FA and Sodexo, who have worked together since 1999, form a strategic upweighted commercial partnership, with Sodexo taking the lead on driving Hampden’s revenues as a venue, investing in facilities, branding, hospitality, and sales and marketing.
As part of the new partnership Sodexo is investing £1.7 million in upgraded hospitality facilities and reengineering the venue for a new product mix, in addition to new sales and marketing roles.
Eight of the existing hospitality boxes will be combined to create two ‘Superboxes’ with a terrace offering panoramic views over the pitch and a direct connection to some of the finest seats in the ground. These superboxes will become private dining rooms on non-matchdays. Sodexo will also introduce a “Club Seat” package – a match-by-match premium seat, which can be pre-booked and licenced for alcohol sales.
The existing café, Nevis Suite, Lomond Suite and two of the Silver Lounges will also be upgraded as part of a new tiering strategy for all hospitality at the venue, with seven different price points depending upon the offer, facility and fixture.
Anton Fagan, Head of Stadium Operations at the Scottish FA, said: “Since taking ownership of Hampden Park, the Scottish FA has made it one of our top priorities to improve the stadium facilities. The improvements that Sodexo have committed to making through this new partnership will not only benefit the match day experience but also transform the stadium into a top-class, year-round venue for events, which in turn will increase revenue that we can subsequently re-invest in the national game.
“The experience that Sodexo bring to this partnership and their commitment to reinvigorating the stadium will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goal of developing Hampden Park into a source of pride for the nation.”
David Trotter, Divisional Managing Director – Sports & Stadia, Sports & Leisure, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “I am delighted to be continuing our long-lasting partnership with the Scottish FA for a further 10 years. Hampden Park has great memories for many people; we can’t wait to welcome people back to create more unforgettable experiences.”
“This fantastic project has considered four spaces where we believe we can create a collection of next-generation hospitality spaces which encourage guests to stay longer by working intuitively at different times of the day and stretch far beyond the matchday.”
As part of the investment, Sodexo will also invest in technology to upgrade the consumer experience at the venue and drive efficiencies and better insight for the team. This investment will include new digital solutions to support conferencing and events, hospitality, ticketing and bookings, as well as digital EPOS and screens across retail counters.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
