What to expect at sports venues
Pandemic leads city to consider masks, prepackaged food, more.
All eyes will be on Orlando the next two months, with ESPN Wide World of Sports on Disney World property poised to host the NBA and Major League Soccer.
It’s part of a return to some normal activity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that’s responsible for close to 73,552 cases in Florida and nearly 3,000 deaths as of Sunday.
While these early sporting events are taking place in empty arenas or stadiums, there is a growing hope that will change and fans can soon begin watching events in person.
Allen Johnson sure hopes so.
“When are they going to be able to come back? Will they come back?” said Johnson, who is the executive director of the Orlando venues. “Some national groups are looking at us.”
Each year, millions of visitors take in the venues that Johnson shepherds, including Amway Center, Bob Carr Theater, Camping World Stadium, Henry P. Leu Gardens and the Mennello Museum of American Art. But none since the COVID-19 outbreak. “Thank goodness for our industry and our profession because nobody yet has been able to match the excitement of seeing a sporting event live or an entertainer or concert event,” said Johnson. “Nobody has been able to match that yet. I think we all see that now as we watch the plays on TV and the concerts on TV and its just not the same as being there.”
The state of Florida has already begun the process of reopening, and that means live events could be on the horizon. But what will have to change to improve safety?
Johnson and his staff have been looking into that question and, along with his peers across the country, here are some early ideas of what people should expect:
Expect to wear masks
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. While masks are required in many businesses and government buildings, they’re not widely used in public.
“If it were today, I think masks would be required. If you’re asking me if I see that in September and October, I don’t know,” Johnson said. “Do I think it’s a good policy to start with and I hope that people do
“When are they going to be able to come back? Will they come back? Some national groups are looking at us.”
— Allen Johnson, chief venues officer, Orlando’s Venues Department
adhere to it? It’s for their protection as well as others.”
Masks will most likely be mandatory for Orlando venue employees and servers, as will temperature checks at least in the beginning.
While many have embraced the wearing of masks when out in public, not everybody has adhered to the practice for various reasons.
Johnson acknowledges it will be difficult to enforce the use of masks inside the venues.
“Say we’re allowed to put 10,000 people in for a Magic game whenever we’re allowed to return. If a person sitting in row Z decides to take their mask off … there’s not enough staff to go tell all 10,000 people to go put their masks on,” he said.
Embracing technology
Even before most people arrive at the venue, there will be steps taken to assure little contact.
Most organizations such as the Orlando Magic use paperless ticketing, allowing for venue employees to scan a ticket bar code on phones.
The challenge will be getting 10-15,000 fans into an arena while still practicing physical distancing.
It’s something Johnson and his staff have been discussing during the past few months.
“Do you stagger times for people with tickets like a Fast Pass that says at 6:15 you may enter the venue, and if you don’t show up at that time, you go to a different time and wait for a period where you can keep congestion down at the gates?” he said.
Another obstacle Johnson and his peers have discussed is whether to allow bags into venues once events begin to happen.
“That’s a drastic step,” said Johnson, who understands that some people like to carry a few small things into events. “The NFL went to small clear bags and that set the bar for us to start that.”
Weighing changes to security screening
Upon entering a stadium or arena, fans will still need to go through security protocol much like before the pandemic, but there could be new steps added.
“When you come through the door, you go through a magnetometer,” Johnson said of metal detectors Amway Center and Camping World Stadium entrances. “Now will you go through a temperature [check]? I’m not there on that yet.
“There have been some questions on how accurate they are.”
Maintaining social distancing
The next step will be providing a safe, secure space for fans inside Orlando venues.
“The challenge is once people get into the venue, there will be a lot of personal responsibility that people will have to take on themselves,” Johnson said.
“How do you manage congestion? You can put the stickers on the floor, which are great. They’re reminders. Are we going to have to have people standing at the concession stands to say, ‘You’re too close.’ I don’t know.
“I think at some point, we’re going to have to count on people to be able to be responsible for their protection and safety.”
Amway Center, for instance, has a staff of 1,400 employees, including cleaning staff, concession workers and security personnel. With a typical Magic game averaging 15-18,000 fans, it’s easy to see how difficult it would be to enforce social distancing.
Spreading out seating
Things will look different when fans reach their seats as well.
Johnson and his staff have been accounting for different scenarios, including how Amway Center or Camping World Stadium would look at 25%, 50% or 75% capacity. In each case, you’re likely to see some interesting configurations.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the term checkerboard seating, where it’s four to six on each aisle and nobody in the middle and the next aisle back has six in the middle [with aisle seats empty],” Johnson said. “I think we’re looking at all that. How do we get the six-feet distance between people?”
The spread-out seating adjustments will include suites, which typically can have 16-20 people per game.
Revamped concession stands
Technology is going to play an important part in how venues minimize contact from paperless tickets to mobile apps that allow fans to buy team merchandise and food right from the comfort of their seats.
The Magic have been leaders in that area, according to Johnson, and he expects technology to carry over to other places such as Camping World Stadium.
“We’re looking at a [point-of-sale] system that is going to be touchless,” Johnson said. “You order on your phone or you give your order to a person who taps it in and then you [Google,] AirPay or tap-and-go with your credit card.
“You never touch anything but your food when you walk away.”
Fans can probably expect to see more prepackaged food as well as more graband-go foods, according to Johnson. He said they require less interaction between the employee and the guest and offer better protection for both.
Exiting events safely
Fans typically pour out of their seats at the end of games or concerts, creating another challenge when you need to stress physical distancing.
“Do you stagger the time that people can leave their seats after an event?” Johnson asked. “We can do barricades and have stickers on the floor to remind you. We can police that pretty well and we can skip a door, so you are not as close.”
Many of the potential solutions to coronavirus problems could evolve. What sounds good now may not be ideal in a few months or even weeks.
“What we talk about this week could change next week, depending on what CDC may recommend or the [World Health Organization] or a governmental entity or somebody will come out with something and each week it changes,” Johnson said.
But Johnson remains excited about the return of live sporting events.
“We’re going to be at least the two-sports capital of the world this summer with the NBA and MLS. That’s exciting for us,” he said. “I’m one of those people who wants to see sports come back.”
“If it were today, I think masks would be required. If you’re asking me if I see that in September and October, I don’t know. Do I think it’s a good policy to start with and I hope that people do adhere to it? It’s for their protection as well as others.”
— Allen Johnson