The Kansas City Chiefs are highlighting a number of construction, renovation and fan experience enhancements that have been made at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the 2021 season.
CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION PROJECTS
Hall of Honor Renovation: Originally opened in 2010 as a 28,000 square foot space to house inspiring exhibits celebrating the best players, coaches and moments from throughout franchise history, the Hunt family approved a renovation to ensure that the stories of the Chiefs, the American Football League and team Founder Lamar Hunt continue to live on inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium through new interactive displays and museum-style exhibits. The newly renovated space, which officially opened at a ribbon-cutting event prior to the home opener, maintains its place as the most comprehensive collection of Chiefs and American Football League artifacts and memorabilia. Located on the field-level concourse of the stadium, the Hall of Honor is unique in its accessibility to all fans on gameday, free of charge. The space is now fully enclosed and climate-controlled, offering additional protection from the elements for the artifacts and digital displays, while also providing the team with a brand-new, one-of-a-kind space to host special events as part of the club's Arrowhead Events business.
Locker Room Renovation: The home locker room complex, including the locker room, training room, coaches' locker room and staff locker room on the service level of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium received a major renovation ahead of the 2021 season. Marking the most significant renovation on the service level since the stadium opened in 1972, the new locker room features brand-new lockers with built- in leather seats and multiple storage areas, a built-in Gatorade hydration station and a ceiling-mounted Chiefs logo in the center of the room. The locker room was unveiled to the team by Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt on Thursday, Aug. 26 in a private event ahead of the club's only home preseason game on Friday, Aug. 27.
Endzone Suites: Building on a project that was completed in 2020, the club converted six open-air field boxes into four fully enclosed suites to meet the demand for premium, conditioned spaces for suite members to host and entertain while watching the Chiefs.
Chairman's Club and Champions Club: Two new all-inclusive club spaces are available for the 2021 season. These clubs offer a premium hospitality product that fits between a club level seat and a suite ticket, targeting a group of fans that want an elevated, more private food and beverage experience that isn't a suite. Membership comes with a season-long pass and access to food and beverage options during pregame and halftime, while providing views of the playing surface. The theming and designs of each club are connected to the organization's championship teams as well as proximity to the Founder's Suite.
FAN EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENTS
Ford Tailgate District: Introduced in 2018, the Ford Tailgate District is a re-imagined pregame tailgate experience for fans attending Chiefs games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Building on Kansas City's strong tradition of tailgating in the parking lots, it provides an option for fans who may not have their own tailgate, or who want a place to meet with other Chiefs fans in a tailgating atmosphere before the game. It is the largest pregame entertainment area available free of charge to all fans on gameday, opening four hours prior to kickoff and closing just before kickoff. The space will continue to feature food trucks, drink specials, tailgate games, live entertainment, and will also feature appearances by Chiefs Cheerleaders and The Rumble.
Tailgate Suites presented by Tickets For Less: During the 2020 postseason, the club piloted a portable tailgate suite option that featured air conditioning, heat, televisions and furniture, as well as offering custom catering packages. After a successful pilot, the club's Tailgate Suites presented by Tickets For Less has expanded to 10 tailgate suites, offering an elevated, turn-key tailgating option for fans. The premium private suites have space for up to 40 guests and include a fully catered buffet with choice of menu options and access to premium tickets and parking. More information on Tailgate Suites presented by Tickets For Less is available at www.chiefs.com/tickets/premiumseatingandsuites/tailgatesuites.
Chiefs Training Lab powered by GEHA: The Chiefs Sports Lab originally debuted as part of the extensive stadium renovation that was completed prior to the 2010 football season. After a decade as a first-of-its-kind, in-stadium destination devoted to teaching children the importance of sound nutrition and physical fitness, the Chiefs Training Lab powered by GEHA "rolled" out at the home opener on Sunday, Sept. 12 in its new format, a mobile truck. Replacing the old in-stadium space, the technology-driven mobile truck provides students – as well as adults – with the tools to build a foundation for a healthy life. The Chiefs Training Lab powered by GEHA will make trips to schools, youth groups, community organizations, and will be on-site for all Chiefs games. More information is available at www.chiefstraininglab.com.
Concessions and Merchandise: In an effort to continuously provide fans with the best concessions and merchandise experience in the NFL, the club's concession partners – Aramark and Levy Restaurants – are investing in the food and merchandise operations throughout the stadium, with a focus on self-service and automation. Mobile ordering and pickup options will be expanded in 2021, with the features being operational at eight locations through the field and upper concourses as well as at all concessions locations on the CommunityAmerica Club Level. After moving to cashless payment at all concession stands in 2020, the cashless operation will now include hawkers and vendors in the stadium bowl.
Aramark, which manages concessions on the field and upper-level concourses as well as all retail operations, will introduce new concepts, new self-service grab-and-go locations, as well as a new retail shop on the field-level concourse near the Hall of Honor. Additionally, Aramark is opening two new retail locations in the upper-level concourse.
Levy Restaurants, which manages concessions on the CommunityAmerica Club Level, is introducing new point-of-sale kiosks that enable self-ordering and payment. Levy is adding additional point-of-sale registers at several bar locations to increase speed of service and is also refreshing select concession concepts on the club level.
Chiefs Mobile App: The Chiefs have simplified the login process for multiple features available through the Chiefs Mobile app, including Chiefs Kingdom Rewards, Chiefs Pay and the Chiefs Gameday Challenge. The login now allows fans to seamlessly access all three features. Chiefs Mobile is free to download through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The app continues to offer in-market live game streaming, stats, access to purchase tickets and parking, as well as stadium information.
- The club has revamped the Chiefs Kingdom Rewards program (www.chiefskingdomrewards.com) with a focus on delivering a better user experience for all fans, along with a litany of new features.
- Chiefs Pay (www.chiefs.com/chiefspay/), the club's official mobile wallet technology, received improvements that should make for a more seamless purchase experience at all retail points of sale throughout GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
- The Chiefs Gameday Challenge (www.chiefs.com/fans/gamedaychallenge) is a free-to-play in-app prediction game offering fans the chance to predict 10 different outcomes based around player stats. Competing with other Chiefs fans, participants have a chance to win prizes that include memorabilia and Chiefs Kingdom Rewards points. The Gameday Challenge opens at 8 a.m. on gameday and closes at kickoff, with points being awarded shortly after the end of the game.
