Why Sports and Experience-Driven Lifestyle Districts Are Driving Urban Transformation

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As anyone who has watched a Super Bowl, World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event knows, sports fans are among the most loyal, passionate communities of brand enthusiasts. As such, it’s no surprise that these people are at the center of the trend toward more shared, communal, in-person experiences. Sports and entertainment districts are having a moment in the sun.??

Arenas, stadiums, smaller music venues, and practice facilities are becoming popular anchors that not only offer new and inventive ways for sports teams to generate revenue—they can also drive urban transformation. As momentum for sports and entertainment continues, these developments will play an integral role in bringing life and vibrancy back into downtown neighborhoods.???

At both the professional and collegiate level, today’s fans are demanding more from sports venues. We must deliver compelling, diverse, year-round activations that unite passionate fans, visitors, and locals and give them a reason to leave their homes to gather, connect, feel joy, and form memorable, lasting connections.??

Sports are a key component of our cities’ vibrant, experience-driven lifestyle districts.?

• 86% of U.S. consumers are motivated to engage in experiences that encourage community, socializing, and making a positive impact on others (U.S. Consumer Experience Survey 2024).

• 50% and 59% of global urban residents say having a downtown district that’s vibrant and has culture and entertainment offerings, respectively, are very or extremely important factors in deciding to stay in their cities (Gensler City Pulse 2024).??

• Analysis of Gensler’s City Pulse data identifies the key drivers of a great downtown experience: providing opportunities for fun, discovery, and meeting new people, high quality and diverse food and beverage offerings, and easy navigation.?

College sports have long been a cultural touchstone—We must make sure those experiences deliver on their fans’ expectations, too.??

• 48% of respondents cite spending quality time with friends and family as a primary motivation for attending a recent college-level, in-person sporting event (U.S. Sports Experience Research 2023).??

• For standard-level tickets at college games, fans most expect access to diverse food & beverage (F&B) offerings (58%), padded seating (45%), and access to social or gathering spaces inside the venue (34%) (U.S. Sports Experience Research 2023).??

• The game day attributes with the largest satisfaction gaps between attendees to college level sporting events whose expectations were exceeded and those whose expectations were not include the quality of food and beverages, variety of activities at the venue, seating comfort, and sound clarity (U.S. Sports Experience Research 2023).

Premium in-stadium offerings will help outcompete home amid growing consumer expectations for a return on investment.??

• “Value for the money” is a top consideration (65%) when deciding to engage in a consumer experience, a finding that is consistently important across generations (U.S. Consumer Survey 2024).?

• 79% of respondents would be willing to pay up to 50% more on their most recent standard ticket if it would provide them access to their most desired premium-level features or benefits (U.S. Sports Experience Research 2023).??

• 51% of respondents feel that the best stadiums and arenas should offer diverse food and beverage offerings (U.S. Sports Experience Research 2023).??

Good experiences address more than just getting consumers in the door or through the gates in the stadium or arena. Today’s venues need to be compelling enough to make the time spent and the overall experience meaningful and worth it.?

By integrating a mix of diverse offerings that consumers can opt-in or opt-out of, from retail to hospitality to food and beverage, this bundling of experiences adds value to consumers and lets them be part of a vibrant experience that will draw them back to these venues year-round, again and again.??

More stats and stories you need to know.??

• Explore how we’re reimagining the brand-new Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.?

• See how sports experiences can create entire ecosystems of entertainment, engagement, and community.??

• Learn how technology is redefining the fan experience at sports and music venues.?

• Explore how small upgrades can engage fans and deliver ROI.?

• Read more about the ways that multi-use districts are shaping the future of cities.?

Written by Jon Niemuth, Director of Gensler Sports, and Ryan Sickman, Gensler Sports Leader, and Michelle DeCurtis, Research Strategy Lead for the Gensler Research Institute?

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Join the conversation. What do you look for from a stadium when attending a sports game? How do sports affect how you see and experience a city??

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