Sports Venues Elevate Fan Experience, Tie Facilities Strategy To Loyalty And Revenue

Stadium operations are the hidden force behind every successful fan experience. Reliable lighting, efficient concessions, and smooth entry all rely on facilities teams spotting and solving problems before they surface. In 2026, venues are increasingly being recognized as “civic architecture,” with fan satisfaction and operational foresight at the center of strategic planning. As venues compete to deliver immersive events and maximize revenue, proactive operations have become essential for safeguarding attendance, enhancing fan loyalty, and ensuring long-term profitability.

Addison Butler, Event and Facilities Operations Manager, has built his career on the conviction that great facilities work goes unnoticed. He has worked for professional and collegiate venues, including the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Phillies, Manchester City F.C., The Ryder Cup, and the US Open, gaining experience in both large-scale stadiums and smaller arenas. Butler’s approach focuses on the details fans never see, ensuring infrastructure supports the experience rather than detracts from it.

"The best way to describe a great fan experience is when they have no idea what the facilities are. When everything works, nobody notices, and that's fantastic," says Butler. Even minor issues, such as a stalled entry gate, a leaking roof, or a loose door handle, can disrupt an event and quickly become PR problems. By addressing these details proactively, facilities teams can keep fans engaged from start to finish.

• Proactive problem-spotting: Butler’s approach focuses on identifying issues before fans arrive. Daily walkthroughs catch minor problems, such as broken zip ties or loose doors, and larger concerns, such as drainage issues near concessions, that can be solved by trench drains to prevent crowd bottlenecks. “The work we do should be invisible. Fans only notice when something goes wrong, so our job is to prevent that entirely,” he says.

• Powering the solutions: Facilities leadership requires anticipating potential disruptions and designing solutions that maintain flow and comfort. Even amenities such as phone charging require careful planning. “If every outlet is being used, does a fuse break?" Butler asks. "Making sure your arena can handle that kind of electricity is as critical as any other part of the fan experience."

Legacy infrastructure adds another layer of complexity to facilities management. Balancing new technologies with older venues requires careful strategy to maintain safety, efficiency, and operational integrity.

• Historic and modern: Legacy stadiums bring both charm and challenges. At LSU’s Tiger Stadium, built in the 1920s, Butler describes balancing new technologies, from advanced lighting to fireworks, with the building’s physical limitations. "Is the building physically capable of supporting it? It's a constant question we ask," he observes.

• Courtside consequences: Small changes can have big consequences. Butler shares an example of rebranding a basketball court without consulting facilities that led to repainting costs nearly equal to a full replacement. “It's important to loop us in and tie all the questions together to avoid these issues," he notes.

• Across borders: Operational strategy is also shaped by fan expectations, which Butler notes can vary across regions and cultures. Understanding what drives attendance and engagement allows facilities teams to align resources with fan priorities. Facilities teams must anticipate expectations to deliver experiences that resonate with local audiences. “In Europe, fans are very focused on what happens on the field. In the U.S., fans care about getting their money's worth. They are calculating if the experience is worth their time and money,” he explains.

For Butler, facilities leadership plays a vital front-line role in enabling success every day. Strategic planning, proactive maintenance, and cross-department coordination ensure that both legacy and modern venues operate seamlessly. Every operational decision, from drainage systems and electrical capacity to court construction and stadium upgrades, reinforces the principle that infrastructure reliability is central to delivering a superior fan experience.

When operations run smoothly, satisfaction, attendance, and revenue are protected. “No news is good news. The work we do may be invisible, but its absence is immediately felt,” Butler concludes.