After visiting all 32 NFL venues, the website "Stadium Journey" ranked Bank of America Stadium as the fifth-best overall game day experience during the 2013 season.
"It was an overall great effort by the entire organization," director of stadium operations Scott Paul said. "It is something we want to build on. We want to continue to get better."
Each stadium review was based on seven categories: food and beverage, atmosphere, neighborhood, fans, access, return on investment and extras. Those categories were graded on a zero to five-star scale, and Bank of America Stadium received at least four stars in each category.
Paul emphasized two things: the revamped entry process and the commitment to fan engagement.
"The gate entry process is extremely easy, especially considering the NFL's expanded bag and access rules," wrote Brian Wilmer in his Stadium Journey review.
There was a lot of time and effort dedicated to making sure it was easy for fans to enter the stadium in 2013.
"We dramatically improved the entry process," Paul said. "Mr. Richardson gave us a lot of money to improve how we screen people and how people enter the stadium. We made that process much more seamless and effective."
The hard work paid off in fan engagement as well.
"The team has taken steps to improve the fan experience," Wilmer wrote, "and these additions are quite noticeable throughout the game."
Stadium Journey complimented items such as halftime entertainment, PurrCussion drumline and league-wide highlight reels.
The ongoing stadium enhancements that include the addition of escalators, two new ribbon boards and an improved sound system are ways the Panthers are trying to improve the fan experience and their ranking for 2014.
"We kept our fans engaged during pregame, halftime and timeouts," Paul said. "Guest relations continue to focus on the customer and the fan experience. We have a lot of good people that want to make fans happy and make sure they have a great experience at the stadium."
