Sodexo wins 10-year contract as venue partner for Hampden Park

Sodexo has won a 10-year contract as venue partner for Hampden Park, covering catering, retail, hospitality, conferences, events, marketing and sales.

Hampden Park stages some of the biggest fixtures in the Scottish football calendar, as well as concerts and events, and is one of the host venues for the rearranged Euro 2020 competition this year.

The agreement will see Sodexo and the Scottish FA form a strategic upweighted commercial partnership, with Sodexo taking the lead on driving Hampden’s revenues as a venue, investing in facilities, branding, hospitality, and sales and marketing.

As part of the new partnership, Sodexo is investing £1.7m in upgraded hospitality facilities and reengineering the venue for a new product mix, in addition to new sales and marketing roles. Sodexo will become the exclusive sales agent for hospitality, concerts and premium seating, and hospitality spaces will be rebranded and redesigned.

Eight of the existing hospitality boxes will be combined to create two ‘superboxes’ with a terrace offering panoramic views over the pitch and which will become private dining rooms on non-matchdays. Sodexo will also introduce a ‘club seat’ package – a match-by-match premium seat, which can be pre-booked and licensed for alcohol sales.

The existing café, Nevis Suite, Lomond Suite and two of the Silver lounges, will also be upgraded as part of a new tiering strategy, with seven different price points depending upon the offer, facility and fixture.

David Trotter, divisional managing director – sports and stadia, sports and leisure, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “I am delighted to be continuing our long-lasting partnership with the Scottish FA for a further 10 years. Hampden Park has great memories for many people; we can’t wait to welcome people back to create more unforgettable experiences. This fantastic project has considered four spaces where we believe we can create a collection of next-generation hospitality spaces which encourage guests to stay longer by working intuitively at different times of the day and stretch far beyond the matchday.”

Nick Byrom, business development director of Sodexo Sports & Leisure UK, said: “This is an exciting development in our relationship with the Scottish FA. In the new contract we are bringing together our breadth of experience across hospitality, retail, guests services, ticketing, and sales and marketing, to offer a compelling venue partnership approach. This is a model we are applying right across our business as we rebuild out of Covid-19 and develop more strategic partnerships with our clients.”

Anton Fagan, head of stadium operations at the Scottish FA, added: “Since taking ownership of Hampden Park, the Scottish FA has made it one of our top priorities to improve the stadium facilities. The improvements that Sodexo have committed to making through this new partnership will not only benefit the matchday experience but also transform the stadium into a top-class, year-round venue for events, which in turn will increase revenue that we can subsequently re-invest in the national game.”