Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/808089
www.cheersonline.com 8 • March/April 2017 DRINK CULTURE SPORTS ARENAS AMP UP THEIR BEVERAGES Sports fans at games are no longer content with cheap beer and cocktails—they now demand premium beverages and more upscale options. That's why several arenas have ramped up their food and drink offerings, and in some cases, part- nered with premium brands. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas began working with Levy Restaurants and consultant/The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim in 2016. The partnership produced a mixology pro- gram that offers craft cocktails throughout the 20,000-seat space. This includes the arena's signature drink, the Atomic Fizz ($18), made with Grey Goose Le Citron vodka, Aperol, agave nectar, prickly pear puree, freshly squeezed lemon juice and sparkling water. Magenta in color, the Atomic Fizz, matches T-Mobile's branding, while the name references the history of atomic bomb tests in Nevada. "Just like how you've got to get the Mint Julep at the Kentucky Derby, we wanted to give guests a unique cocktail that was a signature part of their overall experience," explains Abou-Ganim. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, last year teamed up with Rum Diplomático. As part of the partnership, which will go through 2021, the premium Venezuelan rum brand will take part in a ceremonial fi rst pitch and join the Green Monster Experience inside the section of the park where the baseball scores are still recorded manually. Rum Diplomático is also poured in luxury suites and in craft cocktails at Fenway's fi ne-dining restaurant EMC Club. The Red Sox "realized they had a niche to fi ll within their stadium," explains Diplomático brand ambassador Chris Carney. "We're a premium brand, and they're looking to provide more premium experiences." GOING WITH THE FLOH Floh Vodka began looking for a sports-team partner right after it was launched in 2014 by Floh Spirits. Company founder/CEO Jacques Evans talked with 10 orga- nizations as he tried to fi nd the right fi t. "Starting a new vodka brand is already a hard task," he explains. "So I looked to develop partnerships with up-and-coming cities and teams. But it's not just about getting into any arena. It's about getting into the right arena." After considering NFL, MLB and NBA franchises, Evans reached a deal with the NBA Milwaukee Bucks. Beyond their young nucleus of emerging basketball talent (including Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton and Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo), the Bucs boasted a "great" home city, and an arena with a food-and-beverage group that was eager to facilitate. The partnership with the Bucks and their hometown BMO Harris Bradley Center resulted in the Floh Vodka Lounge. Opened in 2015, the space is leased to the brand and serves craft cocktails made with its namesake spirit. Four large, fl at-screen TVs show the Bucks and other NBA games. Evans designed the lounge as an upscale boutique, with fl oor-to-ceiling murals that depict photo shoots of the vodka at city bars and restaurants. "This allows us to connect with other companies by advertising the local businesses in the lounge," Evans explains. Why would the Bucks welcome a lounge that's focused on such a new brand? "They get to be the arena that brought this new vodka to their fans, who will remember that," Evans says. "And as we both grow together, there's the possibility for future partnerships." And the benefi t for the brand is "so much bigger than just being in the arena," Evans says. "Sports teams bring so many different people into one location, people of all different back- grounds and ethnicities." What's more, Floh Vodka signage throughout the BMO Harris Bradley Center appears on televised Bucks games, spreading brand's awareness beyond Milwaukee. To keep the lounge's environment fresh, Evans will change around mu- rals and other signage each season. He plans to swap out the existing fl oor this year for one designed to look like a basketball court (with the lounge's hashtag #realbig spelled out on either side to encourage sharing of content recorded in the Floh Lounge). Appropriately enough, guests will fi nd a free-throw line right before the bar. "You always have to be coming up with ways to keeping adding that 'wow' factor to the lounge," Evans says. —Kyle Swartz Floh Vodka partnered with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and opened the Floh Lounge in the BMO Harris Bradley Center in 2015. The Atomic Fizz (citron vodka, Aperol, agave nectar, prickly pear puree, lemon and sparkling water) is the signature drink at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.