Rams Hope Stadium Changes Improve Fan Experience
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – If you're headed to the Los Angeles Rams first preseason game at Memorial Coliseum Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys, there's some major stadium changes that you'll want to know about.
To try and ease traffic for fans driving to Exposition Park -- and to create a less crowded feel at the stadium itself -- the Rams will be selling fewer seats, aiming for around 60,000 fans per game.
"By design, we always knew in the second season, that we wanted to normalize that crowd, optimize the fan experience for people to come," Jake Bye, vice president of sales and consumer marketing for the Rams, told CBS2 Thursday.
Last season's home opener against the Seattle Seahawks had an attendance of about 90,000.
"Which enables us to get people through lines more quickly, get products that they want to buy in their hands more quickly," Bye said.
A huge issue last September was overheated fans. This season, the Rams will be allowing each fan to bring in two standard sized, 17-ounce factory-sealed water bottles. There will also be free cups of water at all concession stands. Fans can also bring in their empty bottles and fill them at filling stations.
"They can bring an empty container and use it at a number of filling stations that we have throughout the building," Bye said. "And actually, a free cup of water is available for fans at every concession stand as well."
Unlike last season, all concession stands will have the same food options.
"We've actually divided the building into quadrants, so those key items like hot dogs, we have a three-dollar water available at every corner," Bye said.
The Rams also added several new options to the food court.
There was only one video board in the stadium last season. The Rams added two more this summer, bringing the total to three.
"We'll be able to have more fantasy stats, more content, more replays," Bye said. "Things that fans want when they come to a game. Things they can get home we can now provide here at the Coliseum."
Bye said the improvements were implemented based on fan feedback.
Kickoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will air on CBS2. For details on parking and public transportation options, click here.
