CAROLINA PANTHERS / 17.9 / 2524 / www.panthers.com

Can you elaborate on the security changes?The first thing fans are going to see is that entering the stadium is a little different. We have gone from hand-held magnetometers to walk-through magnetometers, which are a league-wide initiative. We tested these last year during the 2015 season and learned a lot. The NFL asked that all stadiums implement this screening process by 2017 for all fans, media, and employees, so we are a year ahead of schedule. The nice thing about the new magnetometers is that you just have to take large metal objects out of your pockets, like cell phones, cameras, binoculars, and can leave all other small metal objects in your pockets; you don’t have to take your wallet out or your belt off.

You can leave loose change and keys in your pockets. We think once fans get used to this new procedure, it will be more efficient and less intrusive. How will the Wi-Fi system be different on game days this season than in the past?We have gone from 600 access points with the previous Wi-Fi system to over 1200 access points in the newly installed system. Combined with our cellular system we installed last season, we believe that Bank of America Stadium will be one of the best connected NFL stadiums in the country. Where does Bank of America Stadium now rank among other NFL stadiums when it comes to connectivity?I think that is a difficult question to answer.

There was a survey done last year that ranked us second in the league with our cellular system and Wi-Fi, which really excited us because we hadn’t yet implemented our new Wi-Fi system. We are anxious to see over the next couple of games how this system works and complements the cellular system we installed last year. We do understand, however, how important it is for our fans to have access to their phone capabilities in a stadium environment.The 500-level concourse underwent a comprehensive upgrade during the most recent renovations. Can you give us details about the improvements? We really wanted to tackle the 500-level experience. Our goal was to get fans through the food and beverage lines more efficiently. During the evaluation process, we looked at how to increase the number of points of sale and how to better get the fans through lines. We decided to remove draft beer from the fixed concession stands and serve packaged beer instead. We also removed Pepsi dispensers from the stands because they ate up counter space. We will now offer an all-you-can-drink cup for purchase at the stands, and we added twelve locations where fans can fill up their cups at any time throughout the game. By removing these functions from the stands, it enabled us to pick up a tremendous amount of space in the fixed concession stands, resulting in an added 134 points of sale on the 500-level. It also will reduce transaction time for our cashiers at the point-of-sale. This should help fans get through the lines much quicker during the busiest pre-game time and half-times. We also studied the impact of adding digital menu boards to the storefronts of the concession stands. For the first 21 years, we only had static menu boards in the back of our concession stands, so it was really difficult for our fans to see what was on the menu until they were next in line. By adding digital signage to the front of the stands, fans are able to see earlier what is in the stand and determine what they want to eat and drink long before they are ready to order. The test that we did last year during the 2015 season showed that the concession stands with digital signage versus just the static signage were able to

towers to help our fans get up to the 300 and 500 levels. In Phase Two we refreshed our suites. We made some changes in the suites that our patrons asked for, and we completely overhauled our cellular antenna system to improve service in the stadium. What was the focus of Phase Three of the stadium renovations?This emphasis was directed on the 500 level concourse to improve the experience for our fans. We also installed a new Wi-Fi system, which complements the cellular system, and upgraded our security infrastructure and footprint as well.

Could you provide a brief recap of what has been done in the renovations entering this year?In Phase One, we wanted to make sure that first year we touched all 75,000 fans. We increased the size of our video boards by almost five times. We added two 360 degree ribbon boards in the bowl. The top board is our information center, and the bottom is used for fan prompts and sponsorship elements. We also changed the in-bowl sound system from a single point source at the west end of the field to a fully distributed sound system, which has been really well received. On the outside of the building, we added four escalator

Q&A: 2016 STADIUM UPGRADES

This summer, the Roar sat down with Scott Paul, executive director of stadium operations, to learn about Phase 3 of the renovations at Bank of America Stadium - renovations that are ready for the 2016 season of Panthers football.

Q&A:

WITH SCOTT PAUL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STADIUM OPERATIONS

STADIUM UPGRADESBY CHARLIE DAYTON

26 / www.panthers.com CAROLINA PANTHERS / 17.9 / 27

handle more transactions.Although it will not be as noticeable, we also created a production kitchen for our barbeque on the 500 level. All of our barbeque will be prepared there and distributed throughout the stadium. We are really excited about our signature item, JJR’s Barbeque. It has been well received over the years, and we hope to make that even better in future years. Lastly, we improved the lighting and revamped way-finding signage on the concourse. I do believe we made a significant improvement to the fan experience on the 500-level this off season.How do you feel about the results of the most recent renovations?We are very satisfied with the results of the Phase One and Phase Two renovations. It’s too early to answer those questions on Phase Three. We are excited about the way the 500-level concourse looks. We think it is going to operate a lot more efficiently for our fans and we are optimistic, but until we can get through a few games, we really won’t know.

Q&A: STADIUM UPGRADES

What improvements and renovations are planned for future years?Assuming everything goes as planned on the 500-level, we want to implement very similar improvements to the 100-level next year. We will do the same with the 300-level. We want to improve the experience for all fans. We need to upgrade the look and finishes as well as increase the number of points of sale and just create a better experience for fans on the 100 and 300-levels. With the stadium operating at near capacity as it was last season, what challenges does this present?I don’t think that presents any more or less challenges when you have to open a building for a major stadium event. We were excited that the recent soccer game attracted over 50,000 people, and Fan Fest had over 40,000, which gave us a good test of the magnetometers and the 500 level improvements going into the Panthers season. So opening up a building for 55,000 versus 70,000 is not much different from our perspective.

Q&A: STADIUM UPGRADES

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