CLEVELAND — We are just two days away from the Cleveland Browns season opener. The stadium has a new name, Huntington Bank Field, and the fan experience is going to be elevated too.
Huntington Bank Northeast Ohio Region President Sean Richardson said the new partnership with the Browns just made sense and aligned with the bank’s values.
“We have deep roots in the community, we have been in Ohio since 1866, headquartered here,’” said Richardson. “We felt aligning with the Browns at this moment makes all the sense in the world. We have ambitions to grow nationally, so this is part of our national branding strategy.”
For a second year, the Browns are bringing back “dog tags.” They can be found on the armchair of every single seat in the stadium. Fans scan the QR code, and it unlocks a personalized fan experience depending on seating.
“The minute they scan that tag, they’ve now opened up a plethora of opportunities to do fun and exciting things inside of the game itself,” said Matt Papatheodorou, Director of Marketing. “Fans will have a chance to win autographed items, take part in our 50/50, maybe join selfie cam.”
While fans will be seeing a lot more green this season, they will also be seeing more AI used to enhance the fan experience. Vice President of IT Brandon Covert said “Express Access” will be used at 10 concessions around the stadium apart from the entrance. Enrolling can be done straight from your phone.
“All you really need to do is take a photo, link your ticketing account and walk right in,” Covert added. “If you use the concessions, you just have to scan your ID, save a card on file and you can use concessions. There are dedicated lanes and you get to skip the line. And it’s tremendously efficient to get into the stadium.”
Food is also being taken to the next level. Huntington Bank Field’s executive chef, Alex Lizark, said they teamed up with world-renowned Cleveland native Chef Michael Symon to bring fans new, unique, memorable bites for everyone from veggie burgers to a meat lovers dream.
“We are trying to bring it to the next level,” said Lizak.
The Browns kick off against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday evening.
