INTERVIEW
CHARLENE NYANTEKYI & HARRY LOMAS LUXURY HOSPITALITY MAGAZINE SPEAKS WITH CLUB WEMBLEY’S GENERAL MANAGER CHARLENE NYANTEKYI AND HEAD OF CULINARY HARRY LOMAS ABOUT CHALLENGES POSED BY THE PANDEMIC AND FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
CHARLENE NYANTEKYI: How did the pandemic affect Club Wembley and what does it feel like to slowly returning to some sort of normality in terms of being able to reopen etc.? C: While it’s been brilliant seeing our members back in the stadium, we are always looking for new events and experiences to incorporate into our calendar. Evolving our offering to ensure our Club Wembley members get to experience some truly magical moments on and off the field will always be our priority. The pandemic presented us with an opportunity to test more events across our digital platforms. We brought some exclusive digital events with legendary sports personalities and family-friendly content that included an interactive magic show that our members could enjoy at home, which really encapsulated the sense of community we embody at Wembley. What was the first event allowed when you reopened and what was the atmosphere like?
C: As part of a coronavirus trial in April 2021, we welcomed 4,000 fans back in the stands for Leicester City’s Emirates FA Cup semi-final clash with Southampton and the atmosphere was electric despite the restricted attendance. Die-hard fans from both sides could be heard singing throughout the afternoon which was a surreal experience having gone over a year without any crowd noise in the stadium. Seeing sports fixtures live and in a world class venue such as Wembley is a completely unique experience and one that those fans had been craving since the lockdown, so it filled me with immense pride to be able to help deliver this experience for them. The electricity in the stands was undoubtedly matched by a sense of optimism around the ground from both the supporters and the whole team here at Wembley; we strongly believe that this trial fixture played a significant role in the Government’s decision to allow fans back into stadiums up and down the country at all levels and across all sports at that pivotal moment. Talk us through forthcoming fixtures C: Looking ahead to 2022, we are set to host several international football fixtures as the England Men’s team prepares for the Qatar World Cup. These matches have consistently attracted huge crowds as fans are still looking to make up for lost time, having been deprived of the opportunity to go to live sporting events for so long and we expect this enthusiasm and support to continue over the next year.
Luxury Hospitality Magazine
The historic and standout Emirates FA Cup semi-finals and final will once again be held at Wembley from April 16th onwards and these fixtures always promise to be special occasions – particularly as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the competition this season. We’re excited to find out which sets of fans we’ll be welcoming into the stadium and guarantee that it will be an experience to remember off the pitch for them no matter the result. Aside from sport, we’re also looking forward to hosting Ed Sheeran and Coldplay for several nights respectively over the summer – we have no doubt that those will provide some incredible evenings for all guests in attendance.
40
