Date of Publication

Spring 4-30-2019

Document Type

Undergraduate Project

Professor's Name

Katharine Burakowski

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to examine why Buffalo Bills fans come out to games, and how that further affected their individual experience. The importance of the research was critical because the results of the surveys were sent to the Buffalo Bills, to potentially use to help guide decisions which have impacted the Guest Experience positively at New Era Field. With a continued push for enhancing the guest experience positively, the importance of the research was critical due to the potential use of the data being collected to make executive decisions for the organization as a whole. It’s been known that there have been many issues with the fan experience at New Era Field, as arrests and ejections have been a part of the culture with Bills fans in the past. It’s also known, that the NFL has taken part in marketing campaigns to improve the fan experience, as tailgating has brought attention to the league through arrest records. The method used to help draw conclusions were stratified random sampling methods through the administration of a survey through Qualtrics. Descriptive and inferential statistics were both used to further examine significantly different variables in the study. It was determined that Bills fan motivations differentiated among gender, as gender provided an outline of significantly different statistics within the study. It was found that Bills fan motivations aligned mostly towards in game entertainment that includes music, fantasy updates, mascot appearances, pre-game tailgate and family inclusion at games. Despite these being the most significant points, there was also a huge curve to the results in relation to new tailgating methods and pre-game methods that have been used in the past at the stadium. These methods used by the Bills were the Billevard, Fan Zone and Tailgate Guys being added to pre-game tailgate festivities. The information was determined important because of the impact the results had on decisions made for the fan experience. With continued research and plan development made to impact the experience at the stadium, the results found have helped strengthen research to reach the best outcome for the organization.

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