RCD Mallorca in vanguard of novel hospitality

Article posted by Coliseum, October 31^st, 2023

Image: LaLiga and RCD Mallorca

Most stadia in the world of football today try to offer heightened hospitality to its fans as the present crop of supporters are very refined in their taste when it comes to venues’ hospitality offerings.

‘LaLiga & RCD Mallorca’ stated that the LaLiga team RCD Mallorca have raised the hospitality bar by extending their offerings as part of which guests visiting their home ground – the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium in Balearic Islands, Spain – can choose from one of the seven different types of hospitality experiences. The LALIGA EA SPORTS club recently launched four new packages to ensure that VIP guests are spoilt for choice.

The LALIGA EA SPORTS is the top men’s professional football division of the Spanish football league system. It was previously known as LaLiga Santander. The name change was due to a new sponsorship deal with EA Sports.

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Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Mallorca or just Mallorca, is a Spanish professional football club based in Palma on the Island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain. It plays in LaLiga, the top men’s professional football division of the Spanish football league system.

The 23,142-capacity Mallorca Son Moix Stadium is a football stadium located in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, and serves as the home ground of RCD Mallorca. It is the largest stadium in the Balearic Islands and the 26^th largest in Spain.

‘LaLiga & RCD Mallorca’ further stated that with the expansion of the VIP hospitality offering, RCD Mallorca now offer the following seven packages: Footprint Tunnel Experience, Premium Seats – Player Walk Out, The Premium Club, Stadium Restaurant Experience, Presidential Lounge, VIP Box North, and VIP Box West.

Each possesses something slightly different, but the common theme is to deliver high-quality gastronomy, dedicated service and fun pre-match and post-match entertainment. Providing unrivaled access has also been a longstanding objective, such as with the club’s well-established ‘Tercer Tiempo’ (‘The Third Half’) period, which has been in place since before the pandemic and which allows the VIPs to enjoy a meet-and-greet moment with the players and coaches after the game.

RCD Mallorca: A Pioneer in VIP Hospitality Experiences

This isn’t the first time that the Directors at the club from the Balearic Islands have shown their pioneering spirit when it comes to offering unique VIP hospitality experiences. With several members of the ownership group having a background in basketball and understanding the courtside phenomenon, they decided several years ago that there should be a wider range of hospitality options to suit all preferences.

Little by little, these packages have been carefully crafted and put together and the four new ones have been launched this season. The entertainment is already proving to be a hit. For example, in the team’s last home match against their peer team Valencia CF, there were DJ sets and a performance from the local group Barrilete Cósmico in the restaurant space.

Explaining why they felt the need to increase the range of options, the club said, “It’s about wanting to offer more spaces to football fans who are in Mallorca, either temporarily or because they live on the Island, and who want to see football from a different perspective. Each of these new areas complements the existing ones and, at the same time, offers a different type of experience so that the fans that come to the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium can choose the one they like the most.”

Of the new additions, the Footprint Tunnel Experience really stands out. Explaining this, the club added, “The Footprint Tunnel Experience is unique in football as it offers fans the chance to be right next to the dugouts, watching the game from just a few meters away and witnessing how the coaches and substitutes experience it. This is a hospitality space that combines many things that make it immersive and innovative. On the one hand, there is the location of the seats that the fans that purchase this experience have. In addition to this excellent location, those enjoying the Footprint Tunnel Experience can view the tunnel by the dressing rooms, where the stars of the match walk through, thanks to a large and comfortable space with large glass windows that allow them to see everything that is happening.”

Boost LALIGA in RCD Mallorca’s Stadium Redevelopments

The current ownership group at RCD Mallorca has been clear from the outset that modernizing the stadium had to be a priority. Beyond the new hospitality areas, the club listened to the concerns of the season ticket holders and realized that removing the athletics track was a must, an objective which has already been carried out.

On this, the club explained, “The simple fact of having removed the athletics tracks has meant a return to the feel of traditional football in our stadium, and that has made the fan base content. The fans are recovering the essence of old school football, with the supporters just 10 meters from the pitch, and there is a noticeable boost to the atmosphere. It’s a change that the club’s ownership put a lot of effort into.”

The island club has also benefited from Boost LALIGA, as the funds from this program have allowed the institution to accelerate investment in facilities. In just one year and a half, the club has already completed 85 percent of the refurbishment project, with the new hospitality areas already up and running.

The Boost LaLiga is a strategic project that was launched in 2021 by LaLiga. The project aims to accelerate the modernization of LaLiga clubs by 20 years. Boost LaLiga is considered an unprecedented milestone, representing the greatest boost for Spanish football in its history.

RCD Mallorca added, “Thanks to Boost LALIGA, the club has been able to have a 360⁰ view, combining our innovative spirit with all the benefits and support that the Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) funds bring. At RCD Mallorca, we always try to be disruptive and innovative, to be attractive to all with our modern approach. In this sense, we have been able to double our efforts in making all our objectives related to supporters and the fan experience a reality.”

The CVC is a British private equity firm. A Corporate Venture Capital fund is an investment vehicle formed by a corporation to invest in startups or other funds.

In August 2021, the LaLiga and CVC agreed to a deal where the CVC would invest 2.7 billion euros into a new company. The money would then be shared with the LaLiga teams over the next three years.

The partnership was designed to promote the global growth of LaLiga and its clubs. The money would be used for strengthening areas such as stadium infrastructure and digital ecosystem, technology, innovation, internationalization, and sporting growth initiatives.

The agreement was part of LaLiga’s push to develop its leagues and stakeholder clubs. Seventy percent or more of CVC’s investment given to each club was strictly designated for strengthening these areas.

By making such a significant investment in the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium, the RCD Mallorca will reap the benefits over the coming years, both in terms of the improved atmosphere and the increased matchday and non-matchday revenues that will stem from the new hospitality areas.

The club concluded by stating, “We are facing an exciting challenge that is going very well, as we provide all kinds of experiences so that fans that choose to visit one of these hospitality areas leave the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium satisfied and keen to return. Thanks to this, we’ll be able to boost our revenue and continue with our growth plan, with the aim of becoming a top 10 LALIGA EA SPORTS club, both in sporting terms and in a business sense.”

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