No sellouts, mandatory masks: Delaware North is studying how fans can return to TD Garden safely - The Boston Globe
▪ Controlled entry. To avoid a crush at the door and diminish risk of infection, gates will open earlier, perhaps three hours ahead of game time for suite-holders and two hours for general seating — an additional hour in each case.
▪ Ticket-holders could be required to reserve an entry time, designating, say, a 15-minute window of when to arrive at a particular gate. In this sense, getting into the Garden could be akin to boarding a plane, be it by zone or status, the latter defined by class of seat or brand loyalty in the form of season-ticket longevity.
▪ Unless or until a vaccine is developed, the days of a Garden sellout upward of 18,000 will be over. The aim of the “Safer Stadia” initiative, according to Todd Merry, Delaware North’s chief marketing officer, is to develop strategies that would allow for a maximum of 12,000-14,000 fans in the building.
▪ The mandatory wearing of masks. This will be de rigueur for all building staff, including ushers, concessionaires, and the like, and likely for all fans, other than when they are eating or drinking.
▪ Amended protocols around the serving of food and beverages. Nothing much is expected to change operationally around the Garden’s dozens of concession stands, although a smaller attendance base should translate to less volume at each station. Added stands also could thin out lines.▪ Controlled entry. To avoid a crush at the door and diminish risk of infection, gates will open earlier, perhaps three hours ahead of game time for suite-holders and two hours for general seating — an additional hour in each case.
▪ Ticket-holders could be required to reserve an entry time, designating, say, a 15-minute window of when to arrive at a particular gate. In this sense, getting into the Garden could be akin to boarding a plane, be it by zone or status, the latter defined by class of seat or brand loyalty in the form of season-ticket longevity.
▪ Unless or until a vaccine is developed, the days of a Garden sellout upward of 18,000 will be over. The aim of the “Safer Stadia” initiative, according to Todd Merry, Delaware North’s chief marketing officer, is to develop strategies that would allow for a maximum of 12,000-14,000 fans in the building.
▪ The mandatory wearing of masks. This will be de rigueur for all building staff, including ushers, concessionaires, and the like, and likely for all fans, other than when they are eating or drinking.
Elsewhere, high-end clubs and suites most likely will eliminate most of the buffet all-you-can-eat opportunities.
Part of Delaware North’s hope is that its “Safer Stadia” practices can be adopted industry-wide, at arenas and ballparks around the world. All with the realization, and hope, that the more restrictive portions can be dropped if a vaccine is developed.