Together again: Sports venues prepare for safe return from COVID-19 shutdowns
Large sporting events bring people together in a special way that has been mostly missing during the pandemic. Teams and venues are eager to bring fans and staff back, but doing it correctly and safely is top of mind for everyone.
On the night of March 11, 2020, thousands of fans in sports venues around the country gathered as their favorite teams took the court or the ice—many not knowing it would be the last time for a long time. Just as the evening’s games were wrapping up, news came down that the NBA would be suspending its season indefinitely due to COVID-19 concerns. The NHL quickly followed suit. Suddenly, that feeling of coming together that only happens in bleachers and stands as fans cheer on their champions was off the table for the foreseeable future.
But now as the COVID-19 prognosis brightens, sports venues—including the Wells Fargo Center (home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers), Rose Quarter Campus (Portland Trailblazers) and Scotiabank Arena (Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors)—are working toward a responsible return to sports. They’re doing this by embracing the rigorous, evidence-based, third-party verified requirements of the WELL Health-Safety Rating.
To highlight these health and safety efforts and provide useful insights for other venues, Melanie Koch, Director at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), sat down with decision makers from WELL Health-Safety Rated sports venues to discuss their success.
Preparing to play, spectate and support
“We worked closely with an advisory taskforce that we stood up specifically around sports and entertainment venues during the development of the WELL Health-Safety Rating,” said Koch. “We wanted to ensure the program would be well aligned with the unique considerations of sports venues.”
Currently, more than 12,000 locations have enrolled in the WELL Health-Safety Rating program, representing more than a billion square feet of space.
“Getting the community back using our facilities and taking advantage of what we can offer them, it was so important to us,” said Mike Wendling, director of event spaces for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and a WELL AP.
In addition to Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs, MLSE runs Launchpad, a community-based recreation center that serves underprivileged youth in Toronto.
“When MLSE Launchpad got shut down, it was devastating,” said Wendling. “Some of these kids have nowhere to go. It was really important to us that this building got the WELL Health-Safety Rating quickly. Launchpad actually got the seal about a month before Scotiabank Arena did. The seal is up on the door, and we’re communicating to the parents, saying, ‘Send your kids back; we’re going to take care of them; they’ll be safe in our building.’”
One of the reasons organizations feel confident inviting guests back to their venues is how holistic the rating is, based on scientific findings about promoting health and safety in buildings.
“The WELL Health-Safety Rating addresses operational issues at the forefront, with cleaning and sanitization and ventilation controls, making sure we’re operating as efficiently as possible,” said Katie Bailey, sustainability operations manager from Rose Quarter Campus and the 12,000-seat Veterans Memorial Coliseum. “But it also goes into other aspects of health and well-being, things like air and water quality. It looks at emergency preparedness, access for your staff to mental and physical health service resources and more.”
“Supporting mental health is a big component of the WELL Health-Safety Rating,” agreed Wendling. “We were doing a lot already, but this really pushed HR to add more resources for our hourly staff, which is a big deal.”
Operationalizing excellence and prioritizing safety
As part of the rating, each of these venues has carefully documented their processes for review.
“Our median tenure for our operations staff is 25-plus years. Some folks have been with the organization for more than 40 years,” said Bailey. “This was an opportunity to sit down with them and take that procedural knowledge that they have in their heads and put it down into written policy documents that we can update, which contributes to more efficient operations in the long run.”
Cleaning and disinfection trainings are now part of onboarding for all new Rose Quarter employees.
Meanwhile, the Wells Fargo Center has put a special focus on improving airflow to help limit the spread of airborne infection.
“After an $11 million renovation of our HVAC system, we can complete a full change-over of the air in the arena, at minimum, every 30 minutes. Under ideal conditions, we can lower that down to 20 minutes,” said Ryan Hemenway, director of operations for the Wells Fargo Center. In addition to hosting sports, the center houses ABC Sports Philadelphia’s TV studio, as well as offices, bringing between 500 and 1,000 workers in, depending on event need. “At any given time, we’re introducing 50% of outside fresh air into the building, which is tremendous.”
Hard work: worth it
“We’re always where the budget gets cut from,” said Wendling. “Now, with the seal, we can say, ‘No, we really can’t cut that, because we’ll lose our WELL Health-Safety Rating.’ It is very important to us as an organization to keep that rating, so this gives us some teeth in the boardroom when we’re fighting for dollars.”
Each of the panelists spoke to the importance of working closely with partners and IWBI to make the process as efficient and effective as possible.
“I would highly recommend to everyone to use the resources you have,” said Hemenway. “They’re there to help. Everyone has the same goal. Everyone wants to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this pandemic.”
It’s hard to say for sure when we can get back to the unique communal joy of a big sporting event, but many venues are taking it upon themselves to make getting back in the game while prioritizing safety by pursuing the WELL Health-Safety Rating.
