BEREA--Browns president Alec Scheiner met with the local media Monday afternoon and outlined plans to improve the fans experience.
"The two things Jimmy Haslam said he wanted to support the football team and enhance the fan experience," Scheiner said. Scheiner joined the Browns after being with the Cowboys in a similar capacity. He and his staff said he's talked with Browns fans and have come up with a plan for FirstEnergy Stadium to make it a high-quality gameday experience.
Here are the five different areas the team is hoping to improve from the beginning of the season:
1--Stadium ingress: Scheiner said fans made it clear that when they get to the stadium it takes too long.Beginning with the team’s preseason opener Aug. 8, fans can expect to enter the stadium more quickly than in prior seasons. That’s because the Browns have installed 20 new turnstiles and 44 new security screening chutes. Those improvements will allow an additional 4,000 fans to enter the stadium every 15 minutes, compared to 2012.
2--Cell phone service is one of the first steps the organization took was to coordinate with major cell-service providers to provide fans in and around the stadium a much stronger phone signal than they’ve seen in the past by adding a cell tower from Verizon. 3-- Store experience by upgrading the main story and added kiosk-type stores throughout the stadium.
4--Our guest experience or hospitality and how fans feel when they come to the game.
5-- Game day experience (also known as our rituals).
"We know we have the best fans, now we want to have the best rituals," Scheiner said. "Most of the things we'll roll out have come directly from the fans." Once in the stadium, fans will hear new music and see original video presentations, including an augmented sound system, and creative player introductions. During the game, the Browns will create iconic moments at key intervals, and as a result fans will have another opportunity to engage with their team. Scheiner said fans approaching the stadium will see more coordinated football pageantry and entertainment elements, including for every game a drumline, something nearly half of NFL teams and many college stadiums already include. Halftimes also will feature inventive entertainment. Plus, the team has added more than 100 televisions to fan areas, and upgraded merchandise options throughout the stadium.
"We think all of these things together will enhance the fans experience," Scheiner said "We know this is only the beginning and the more feedback we get from fans, the better."
