Leading the way at Levi's Stadium
The venue's GM shares what goes into crafting the site's first-rate fan experience
Francine Hughes has been working in sports and venue management for more than 20 years, including a stint managing L.A.'s Dodger Stadium.
“Throughout those experiences I've overseen the crafting of best in class fan experiences, as well as the behindthe-scenes operations of major organizations,” says Hughes, who has worked on such massive events as the Los Angeles Marathon over the years.
All of that served to prep Hughes for her latest role — executive vice president and general manager of Levi's Stadium.
She's only a few months into her first NFL season, yet she's already impressed with what she's witnessing in Santa Clara.
“After joining the San Francisco 49ers (earlier this year), I can already tell there's no fanbase or building quite like the `Faithful' or Levi's Stadium, so it's a privilege to get to do that work for this organization,” she says.
We recently had the chance to talk with Hughes about her new job.
Q What's the best thing about your job?
A The best part of the job is getting to work with an incredible team, who handle everything from ensuring fans get delicious concessions, to keeping the stadium safe, clean and sustainable. They're the best in the business and work hard making sure our building runs smoothly, and they're also wonderful human beings.
Q What's the hardest thing about your job?
A The hardest part is also one of the things that I love about it — days at the stadium are completely unpredictable. You never know what new challenges might arise. That's why my experience at other venues is so critical — I've just about seen it all. So our team spends a lot of time preparing for every possible eventuality, and developing protocols and strategies to anticipate as much as we can.
Q Your time at Dodgers Stadium was marred when San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was brutally beaten by some L.A. fans in 2011. What are your memories of that situation?
A That was truly horrible, and I will always keep Bryan and his family in my thoughts.
Fan violence has no place in sports, and protecting fan safety has always been my No. 1 priority day in and day out.
First responders serve a critical role in our ability to protect public safety during stadium events. I'm grateful for the security and medical staff who were able to reach Bryan at Dodger Stadium that day, and for our continued partnership with the Santa Clara Police Department here at Levi's to ensure that all fans can continue to confidently enjoy events.
Q What's your goal as a GM of Levi's?
A Our organization's mission is to create meaningful moments that inspire and connect. My part of that mission is to ensure that every visitor who comes through our gates has a safe and memorable experience they will look back on fondly for years. We want everyone to be glad they came, and to look forward to the day they return, regardless of whether they attended a concert, a football game or a company holiday party.
Q What's an average day look like for you during the football season?
A I don't think I could ever say I've had an average day during the season, but my days mostly consist of a significant amount of planning, coordination and conversations with my team and other departments in preparation for large scale events.
Q How does that change in the off-season?
A Once football is done we pivot towards our concert and event season, which often includes soccer matches and major musical acts. The demands for those look much different. We also use that time to work on big projects around the building to improve the fan experience and ensure our venue stays modern and up to date. We can't do construction when we've got 70,000 people in the building every Sunday, so we have to be organized and get to work on those improvements as soon as football is over.
Q Why did you want to work with the 49ers organization?
A The 49ers have an incredible legacy of connecting with fans and representing the Bay Area, and Levi's Stadium is the center of gravity for this fan community. This stadium is an economic driver for the region, a cultural attraction and an industry-leading venue across the country. So I am thrilled to be able to contribute to that legacy in a leadership role at Levi's Stadium.
Q What's it been like since taking the job?
A Since I joined the team, we hosted several world-class events over the summer, including (Taylor Swift's) The Eras Tour and (Beyonce's) Renaissance Tour. And now that football is back in the building, I'm getting to feel the energy of the
Faithful firsthand — and they are every bit as passionate as I'd heard. So it's been a busy few months getting up to speed but overall it has been incredible so far. I'm lucky to have joined a best-in-class operations team, who are already experienced professionals and who have been generous partners.
Q You've had a huge concert season in your first year on the job. What's that been like for you?
A It's been awesome — Levi's Stadium is a world class venue for all major events, as proven by the fact that we had two of the biggest tours in the world, Taylor Swift and Beyonce, here just a month apart from each other.
We also hosted the highest number of attendees at any event in Levi's Stadium history for the Ed Sheeran concert. Across our events, we showed the full spectrum of what Levi's Stadium is capable of from different sports, to different stage setups, and different types of crowds. I could not be more proud of those accomplishments and of the team that pulled it off.
Q Talk to me about the economic impact that these concerts have on the area?
A It has always been the organization's mission to build and manage a stadium that could be an economic driver for the region. As we play the 10th season in the building, we're happy to share that the stadium has generated more than $2 billion for the local economy. And with Super Bowl LX and the FIFA World Cup around the corner, that's truly just the start.
Q Do you get to watch the shows? Or are you too busy?
A Just like the rest of the staff, during concerts I have a job to do making sure thousands of fans are able to enjoy the show. So I'm typically too busy to catch much of the performances. But we can always tell who is playing a particularly incredible show because you can feel fans' excitement throughout the building.
Q How is 2024 shaping up in terms of the concert calendar?
A Our goal is always to have a full calendar and schedule, and we've already got Luke Combs visiting Levi's for back to back shows in May 2024. I can't say more than that for now, but everyone should stay tuned.
Q Any chance we'll see the Bay Area's greatest rock band — Metallica — perform at Levi's soon?
A We'd love to have them! Their music is consistently part of our soundtrack at 49ers games at Levi's Stadium so it would be fitting for them to perform.
Q What are your thoughts on the curfew issue? Seems like that is always a topic when it comes to concerts at Levi's.
A The bottom line is that it's a balance between working with artists so they can perform their shows as the fans want and as they envision it, and to minimize disruptions to the local area. We do our best to work alongside promoters and artists to help them understand the importance of these rules, and to help us ensure we are being respectful neighbors for our community.
Q Talk to me about the 49er Faithful. What's it been like dealing with these fans?
A They're the best in the world, put simply. We enjoy an incredible home field advantage that stems from their energy and excitement for every single play in every single game. And on top of that, we've seen the power of the Faithful who travel to games on the road. It's humbling to experience and makes the long days of work leading into games worth it.