THE JUMP
MARKETING
FCC’S NEW STADIUM GOES PUBLIC
Non-game day event spaces honor Cincinnati history and feature local food and beverage partners. — LEYLA SHOKOOHE
Now that TQL Stadium, home of FC Cincinnati, is officially open for business, the 518,000-squarefoot soccer-specific stadium is marketing more than a dozen indoor and outdoor event spaces for non-game day use. Even the home team’s lockerroom. “The goal is to use
this space, which otherwise will sit empty, for the community, first and foremost, and then for private events,” says Allison Linkhart, FCC’s director of private events sales. Little homages to Cincinnati are woven throughout the stadium and the event spaces, from names like
22 REALM SUMMER 2021
the Cincinnatus Club on the third floor to the 513 fin lighting fixtures surrounding the perimeter of the stadium to commemorative artwork featured throughout the event areas. “A lot of interest we’re getting is not only from sports fans but just about what’s happening
in the community and the excitement around the team in the community and wanting to be part of that,” says Linkhart. More than 10 different spaces will be available for events, including the outdoor plaza and the field lounges. The seven named event spaces include the First Financial Club, the Tunnel Club, the above-mentioned CTI Cincinnatus Club, the Pitch View Club, the KMK Law Terrace, the Legends Room, and the Cintas Field Lounge. Rental costs for each range from $1,500 to $4,000, and there is a 10 percent discount available to nonprofits. The First Financial Club is the facility’s largest, at nearly 17,000 square feet, and is fashioned after an underground old-world beer hall, featuring huge ceilings threaded with hundreds of dangling light pendants. There are massive murals, three bars,
and numerous high-top tables. “The space is so big you can kind of break things up” for event-specific needs, says Linkhart. From company family days to wedding celebrations to corporate presentations on the several televisions mounted throughout the club, the space’s versatility is helped by a minimum amount of seating, an intentional choice designed to encourage FCC fans to stay in their stadium seats during games. The CTI Cincinnatus Club features murals and photos of local interest, with massive windows overlooking the West
End. The Legends Room on the third level is akin to walking through a Cincinnati sports hall of fame, as you’re greeted by 12 colorful portraits of famous individuals like boxer Ezzard Charles, whose namesake Cincinnati street is mere feet from the stadium. The local ties continue with club food choices, led by Executive Chef George Zappas, most recently at Orchids at Palm Court. Both TQL beverage partners are located in Over-the-Rhine, and 16 Bricks and 80 Acres provide bread and produce. On game days, all vendors are local or state-specific, among them LaRosas, Rhinegeist, and Revel Urban Winery. Future plans for TQL Stadium spaces include taking advantage of the massive entryway plaza overlooking Central Parkway, which will be open to the public before games and during halftime to encourage community engagement, with bars and televisions.
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