City have partnered with Oak View Group (OVG) as part of the club’s plans to enhance the food, drink and hospitality experience at the ProAmpac Stadium.
OVG Hospitality will take responsibility for the club’s hospitality and catering operations, working alongside City to develop the offering across matchdays, conferences, events and other activities held at the stadium.
The partnership brings significant experience to the ProAmpac Stadium, with OVG providing hospitality services at hundreds of sports and entertainment venues around the world. Its UK football portfolio includes Manchester City, Leicester City, Southampton and Stoke City.
A key focus will be on improving the experience for supporters throughout the stadium, with OVG’s approach encompassing general concessions, catering and premium hospitality. OVG is focused on enhancing the supporter experience across the stadium, from general concessions to catering and premium hospitality. Its approach combines efficient service, locally inspired food and drink, and the use of technology and data to deliver a better customer experience.
The agreement comes at an important time for City as significant investment continues across the ProAmpac Stadium, including the development of new and enhanced supporter and hospitality areas.
Chief operating officer Dan Seaborne said: “We’ve made significant investment in the stadium this summer and, for me, this partnership is about making sure the experience around the food, drink and hospitality matches the progress we’re making across the rest of the site.
“OVG bring a huge amount of experience from some of the best sporting and entertainment venues in the country, but it’s really important that what we create here still feels like Lincoln City. We want to use that expertise without losing our own identity.
“Lincolnshire has some fantastic local producers and suppliers and we want that to be reflected in what we offer. Wherever we can, we want to work with local businesses, bring more local produce into the stadium and create something that feels connected to the club, the city and the wider area.
“For supporters, that ultimately means better quality, more choice, good value and a better overall experience when they come to the ProAmpac Stadium. The same applies to our hospitality guests and to people using the stadium for conferences and events outside of matchdays.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can create together and, importantly, making sure it becomes something that feels very much our own.”
Katie Harel, managing director of OVG Hospitality, said: “We are delighted to be working with Lincoln City FC and to bring OVG’s experience to the ProAmpac Stadium. Our focus is on enhancing the matchday experience by reducing queues, improving service times and creating a smoother, more enjoyable visit for supporters, hospitality guests and everyone coming through the gates.”
The partnership continues OVG Hospitality’s growing UK and European footprint. OVG currently operates a joint-venture with City Football Group to manage food and drink at the Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live in Manchester, the latter of which they also own and operate, and manages all hospitality at Leicester City, Stoke City and Southampton. The UK expansion follows the success of OVG’s hospitality model across major U.S. sports and entertainment venues, such as Mortgage Matchup Center, Benchmark International Arena and Penn State University’s Beaver Stadium.
The partnership will also support the club’s ambitions to make greater use of the ProAmpac Stadium outside matchdays, with the development of the Imps Territory providing enhanced facilities for conferences, functions and events.