The Stadium Consultancy delivers a full range of services for the renovation, planning, (re)development and/or the improvement of the operations of stadiums and arenas.
Our services can be categorised as follows:
Project Management
The Stadium Consultancy offers a range of project management services.
We believe in working in a structured manner, using proven project management principles, techniques and tools, which are commonly used in complex building projects such as stadiums and arenas.
We will lead and manage the project from start to finish on your behalf. We will build the project plan on which we will deliver the project. Importantly, we will coordinate all stakeholders and project members. We are committed to deliver the project on time, within budget and at the quality (performance specs) agreed with our clients at the outset.
Our project managers are unique in the sense that they are specialised in stadium and arena projects. They understand the critical success factors to deliver safe, compelling, profitable and sustainable venues. More importantly, they are experienced in managing the complex stakeholder environment surrounding stadium and arena projects, including (local) government, team owners, financiers, various fan groups, sponsors and sports authorities.
Working closely with our stadium operations subject matter experts, we can assist you in defining the project objectives and performance specifications (business plan, employers’ requirements) in detail. By doing so we establish a strong interface between the construction project and a sustainable operations of the venue.
We believe that it is crucial to warrant that the project is on the right track from the outset. After all projects fail at the beginning rather than at the end, if not properly set up and defined.
As dedicated project managers we will start the project by building the project plan to deliver the project. The project plan will first and foremost describre the project ambition level, the project objectives and desired outcomes. It will also define the project scope, key components and exclusions, sub-projects, outline program and indicative budget.
Large scale mixed developments, of which a sports or entertainment facility often is a core element, require a process management approach. Identifying all stakeholders involved, their common interests and goals, and connecting these parties is a crucial task. At The Stadium Consultancy we are experienced in this complex task of overseeing and steering the development process and preparing the plans towards political decision making.
The Stadium Consultancy has acted as client representative for stadium (re)development projects on several occasions. Combining our project management skills with our specialist stadium operations know how, we are the preferred consultant to warrant your interest during these complex and dynamic processes.
Whether in a traditional or design & build procurement strategy, we will represent the client’s interests in the project team, attending official project team meetings and reporting back to the client with regard to the project status update (quality, budget and time implications).
Specifically for external stakeholders such as governing bodies or financiers, we have developed a project monitoring methodology to assess the delivery of stadiums for a major tournament on an ongoing basis. This methodology consists of a toolset with standardized reporting requirements by the project teams, regular review meetings with the project teams, site inspections and dynamic risk assessments. These risks assessments will provide insight into the risks and challenges affecting the overall delivery of the project – and also the ones specifically affecting you.
This methodology was successfully applied for the UEFA EURO 2012 Tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
As stadium and arena experts we are your consultant of choice when it comes to managing your design team. This starts from basis of design through concept, schematic and detailed design to construction documentation and ensuring the final concept delivered fully meets the client’s brief and objectives.
We will not only manage the contractual obligations of the design team but, moreover, we will be your sparring partner in reviewing and assessing the design solutions proposed. Based on our expertise and experience we will verify compliance with requirements as well as good practice in stadium operations and management, warranting an efficient and operable design.
The Stadium Consultancy is your specialist for drawing up tender packages and RFPs for both services as well as equipment. We have assisted our clients in the selection of architects (design contests), the definition of operation and management packages as well as the procurement of stadium specific installations and equipment (e.g. CCTV systems, LED screens, seating, pitch, track and field installations).
The Stadium Consultancy can support your commissioning team in verifying compliance with the requirements of governing bodies, such as FIFA, UEFA, IOC or IAAF, including compliance with international standards regarding safety, comfort and accessibility. To this end we have developed a proprietary commissioning tool, which specifies the functional, spatial and technical requirements of the venue and which defines the commissioning requirements as early as the design stage.
Planning & Development
The Stadium Consultancy offers a full range of services for the development of new stadiums and arenas, the redevelopment, renovation or upgrading of existing facilities.
Whether operating as a standalone consultant or as part of a multi-disciplinary project team, we typically deliver following services and products.
The Stadium Consultancy offers full services for technical and financial feasibility studies for stadiums and arenas. We have developed proprietary financial models for the venue industry, which generate income and cash flow statements and which will enable carrying out extensive risk and sensitivity analysis.
Through a combination of project specific research and using our extensive database comprising benchmarks and key financial data of stadiums of various sizes, such as construction costs, maintenance and operations costs, we will make a realistic estimate of operational income and expenditure.
The Stadium Consultancy can deliver a comprehensive business plan for your stadium of arena project. Based on a thorough market and sociodemographic analysis for the use of the stadium for various event types as well as the non-event use of the stadium, we will define the mission statement, ambition level and strategic positioning for the stadium.
We will propose the various functions to be included, we will prepare an event profile and forecast the various revenue streams of the venue.
We will develop the operating vision of the venue, incl. outsourcing strategy, prepare the organisation chart and forecast operational expenditure.
We will explore various funding options of the project capital expenditure (capex), including sponsoring & partnerships, development receipts from mixed use development, crowd funding, bonds, debentures, crowd funding and debt funding.
We will produce the P&L and cash flow statements for the project and, based on a thorough risk analysis of the project, we will carry out a sensitivity analysis taking into account various scenarios.
We will complete our report with a clear set of conclusions and recommendations for development of the project.
Based on the Client’s ambition level for the project, the business plan and the employer’s requirements, The Stadium Consultancy can prepare a conceptual design for your stadium or arena project, including the 3D development of the stadium bowl.
Our extensive experience in the development of stadium and arena projects in various sizes, will ensure the highest standards in safety, security, comfort and fan experience are being met, whilst warranting that the design also meets best practices in modern and sustainable stadium operations.
With our specialist expertise we warrant that this first crucial design stage meets international good practice, so that the further design development can be undertaken by the client’s architect of choice, even if the achitect has limited experience in stadium and arena design.
The selection of the right stadium site is key to the success of the project. The location will determine not only how the various user groups will be able to access the stadium for different events, but also how attractive the venue is on non-event days and its potential to generate income year around.
The Stadium Consultancy can carry out a full commercial site analysis, assessing the potential site(s) on the basis of amongst others catchment area, accessibility by public and private transport, commercial attractiviness, land costs and development potential, proximity to key functions, such as the airport, hotels and the city centre.
The relationship with and connection between the venue and its surroundings is vital to the long-term success of the overall development. The venue can be the catalyst for the transformation or regeneration of an entire urban area. At The Stadium Consultancy we understand from experience how the venue can positively influence the functions surrounding it and vice versa. But we are also aware of operational limitations, for example created by crowd dynamics, event overlays or legal constraints due to the clean stadium principle demanded by sports governing bodies, such as FIFA, UEFA and the IOC.
TSC can prepare the concept masterplan to optimise the synergy between the various functions, taking into account operational restrictions, and maximising the sharing of infrastructure such as parking.
- Design reviews, during the various design stages (CD, SD, DD and IFC);
- Compliance checks with requirements of governing bodies, such as FIFA, UEFA, IOC or IAAF;
- Safety & security audits, including static calculations and dynamic crowd flow modelling;
At The Stadium Consultancy we firmly believe in a lifecycle management approach when it comes to venue development, offsetting initial investment costs against future operational income and expenditure. This philosophy is also applied in our value engineering services. Rather than simply seeking to reduce the initial investment costs (CAPEX) of the project, we look to reduce the total costs of ownership as well as increasing the function-costs ratio to deliver added value (greater functionality, more operational income and/or less operational expenditure) for the same investment costs.
On a spatial level we always try to build in as much flexibility as possible so that spaces such as rooms, lounges, suites and corporate entertaining areas can be used multifunctionally on event and non-event days.
The earlier the value engineering process starts, the more potential value (saving of lifecycle costs or better value for money) can be realised.
The Stadium Consultancy can assist you in developing the commercial concept for your venue, including inter alia (non comprehensive):
- Venue segmentation and yield management plan;
- Sponsoring and partnerships opportunities;
- Corporate hospitality and Food & beverage concepts;
- Fan engagement strategy;
- Digital media opportunities;
- Supplementary retail and leisure concepts;
Our stadium operations consultants can assist you in a wide range of specialist areas, including amongst others:
- Accessibility and inclusive design;
- Safety & security issues;
- Crowd management and dynamic crowd flow modelling;
- Pitch design and management;
- Hospitality & catering, food & beverage;
- Broadcast & media requirements;
- Facility management and maintenance.
Operations & Management
The development of a new stadium or arena project quite often solely focusses on the realisation of the building (the hardware), with little attention for the set up of the operator organisation (the software), the definition of operational processes (e.g. administrative, procurement, etc.), the preparation of operational plans & procedures and the selection and training of staff.
At The Stadium Consultancy we firmly believe that the development of hardware and software is equally important and should go hand in hand. For instance the way the catering in the stadium is being organised, the products and service concepts which are offered to the various seating segments, will impact on the design of the venue. Equally the design of the venue will impact on the emergency evacuation procedures.
Early involvement of our stadium operations consultants to coordinate and align hardware and software development, will minimise (expensive) changes to the building at a later stage or even after commissioning.
The Stadium Consultancy offers a range of services for operations and management of stadiums and arenas.
Our pre-opening services focus on supporting your operator team towards the opening of the venue and the organisation of the first event. The Stadium Consultancy can provide the specialist know-how and resources, required to build and strengthen your team towards these first important events, including the inaugural event. This includes the organisation of a series of test events to test the venue and the venue team, including a comprehensive evaluation after each test event, on-the-job training of staff and details proposals for further optimising both venue and operator organisation.
The Stadium Consultancy can develop a comprehensive set of operations plans for your venue. Applying best practices gained with the operation & management with some of Europe’s leading venues, but always taking into account the specifics of your venue design and masterplan, local legislation as well as cultural aspects, our stadium operations consultants will draft inter alia the following plans and manuals:
- Facility management plan;
- Event management plan;
- Safety management policy and plan;
- Security plan;
- Contingency & emergency plans, including validation through dynamic crowd modeling software;
- Stewarding training manual;
- Capacity building plan for your venue team.
We offer various services to audit your venue and its operations:
- Operations audits, in order to identify areas to further improve the operations of your venue and make it more efficient.These audits cover all aspects of stadium management and operation, from facility management to food & beverage operations;
- Safety management audits. Our comprehensive safety management audits of both the physical safety infrastructure of your venue (P-factor) and safety management capabilities of your organisation (S-factor).
- Accessibility audits to verify whether your building and your organisation meet the latest good practice for a fully inclusive event experience;
- Sustainability audits, covering the entire triple bottom line of your operations: social, environmental & economic sustainability. Our audits focus on the building and organisation alike and cover such diverse areas as: waste management (recycling), energy (re-)use, community engagement, transport management, accessibility, lifestyle & health promotion.
- Functional & technical due diligence studies as part of an integral due diligence study to assess the value of your asset.
Upon request our experienced stadium operations consultants and managers, can provide interim management services. We have a pool of associated consultants with experience in the venue management of stadiums and arenas from 10,000 to 60,000 capacity.
We can develop a comprehensive training plan for your management organisation, focusing on middle and senior management, and covering all aspects of modern stadium management.
In cooperation with our partners and a selected pool of leading stadiums in Europe we also offer on-the-job training programs, shadowing programs, peer reviews and study tours. For details please contact us.
Overlay Planning & Bid Books
At The Stadium Consultancy we have developed longstanding experience in the development of overlay plannings and bid books for major events.
We are fully up-to-date with regards to the latest requirements for and developments in the organisation of single- or multiday events, such as FIFA World Cup, UEFA EURO, UEFA Champions League Final and the UEFA Europa League Final.
The Stadium Consultancy has been involved in the preparation of the EURO 2012 Tournament in Poland & Ukraine, on behalf of UEFA, and successfully prepared the event overlays for various stadiums, for both FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO tournaments.
The Stadium Consultancy has been involved on behalf of UEFA in the development and/or updating of various stadium requirements, including:
- UEFA Infrastructure Regulations;
- Access for All good practice guide;
- UEFA EURO Tournament Requirements.
We have also successfully assisted several National Associations in the preparation of their bids to host a major tournament or final. Our tasks have included the turn key preparation of all stadium requirements and templates, including all overlay plans, stadium maps and diagrams, evacuation plans, program of works, operational costs and proposed rental levels, etc.
