3 min read February 2024 — Jarrod Dillon, president of business operations at Orlando City Soccer Club, Orlando Pride, and INTER&CO Stadium caught up with Invest: to discuss exciting updates, sustainability efforts in sports entertainment, the state of sports tourism in Orlando, and plans to enhance fan experience and amenity options.
What highlights and achievements have taken place for Orlando City and Orlando Pride Soccer Clubs over the past year?
The most significant piece of our business side was a new naming rights partnership. On January 18, 2024, we announced INTER&CO Stadium to the world! Headquartered in Brazil, Inter&Co is the first Latin American-based company to secure the naming rights of a major sports stadium in the United States. Naming rights partnerships are significant for any sports organization in the U.S., but even more significant than the financial benefits is the fact that a Brazilian company is breaking into Central Florida with a big statement. It is a huge partnership for Orlando and our community. Orlando is the No. 1 travel destination for Brazilians and is in the Top 5 for the biggest Brazilian populations in the U.S. Inter&Co has over 30 million customers on their app in Latin America, and for us to be the flag bearers for them in the U.S. is quite significant. Our clubs will have international marketing rights in Brazil through both Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League This will allow us to be very intentional in our marketing efforts in Brazil to help showcase Orlando City and Orlando Pride soccer clubs. We are extremely proud of this innovative partnership
Additionally, our ownership’s investment in the revitalization and upgrade of INTER&CO Stadium has been underway for the past two years. The first phase was an overhaul of food and beverage at the stadium. We went very deep in authentic and Orlando-made food and beverage partners. We are operating with close to 20 local partners that everyone in Orlando knows about, but those visiting may not yet. INTER&CO Stadium is a great way to eat your way through the best of Orlando! In 2024 we will have a new state-of-the-art video board. It will be one of the best in U.S. soccer-specific stadiums with approximately 5 million new pixels of LED added throughout the stadium. There will be close to 250 new televisions, as well to enhance fan experience. Interactive displays such as selfie stations will also be available in the stadium. New state-of-the-art WiFi will also come online to ensure everyone can be as connected to their devices as possible.
Another key indicator for us in business performance is consumer spending. We have enhanced our premium seating options as corporate spending continues to come back strongly. We have had to create new premium spaces in the stadium to accommodate the demand we have had. From our suites to our terrace tables, and all-inclusive club seats. All are either sold out or close to it. We have experienced two years in a row of double-digit increases in attendance for both men’s and women’s teams. This is an important indicator that fans have the discretionary income to support coming to a sporting event. Live entertainment was hit the hardest and first during the pandemic, and our industry was also one of the last to rebound. Key indicators such as attendance and food and beverage spending increases have us very optimistic for the future.
How would you say the bid for hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup represents the challenges Orlando’s sports and entertainment ecosystem is experiencing?
While we were disappointed to not be awarded this opportunity, I am a glass-half-full person and we are always thinking ahead as a community. More than anything I believe this experience opened our eyes to the opportunities ahead of us. We have to make sure we are in a position to win those major events in the future. That led to many of the conversations we have had since then around the county, from looking at how TDT funds are used, to upgrading our venues in the best way possible to be prepared for the future. Our elected officials and our industry leaders have responded to this and deserve a lot of credit. Our community is looking at additional investments to be made into the Camping World Stadium, the Kia Center, and the Orange County Convention Center to ensure sports tourism is a vehicle to drive more people and economic impact to our community. It is well documented how much economic impact is brought to our community by visitors, from our hotels to restaurants, to sports events, and much more. Our colleagues, family members, and friends work in the tourism industry, it’s Orlando’s livelihood. I believe this experience has catalyzed to help us collectively take the next step for Orlando to host some of the biggest sports and live events for years to come.
How has population growth affected sports tourism in Orlando?
There is more competition than ever before in the sports tourism space. Not too long ago, not every major city had a sports commission like the Greater Orlando Sports Commission or a regional tourism marketing arm like Visit Orlando to drive tourism and economic impact. Now, it is the norm. Every major city, and even smaller cities, has these entities to support their communities through tourism. For Orlando, it’s about continuing to raise the bar in staying ahead of the game. We have to continue to be innovative and work together as leaders in the community to ensure we are making the right investments in our region’s facilities to continue attracting events and tourism. Orlando was recently ranked as one of the best sports cities in the United States, and I am confident we will be ranked even higher in the next poll. We are blessed to have amazing leadership guiding us into the future.
How is the Club taking steps toward sustainability?
This is primarily being done through our local partnership with the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). In 2023, we were happy to bring on EV charging stations in our premium parking lot. We are committed to the OUC Zero Waste program, our everyday goal is to limit our negative impact and improve the health of our local landfills, and we actively collaborate to make this happen. Currently, all of our premium areas at INTER&CO Stadium utilize compostable vessels and utensils, last year we sourced over 11,500 gallons of compost, 42 bales of cardboard, and 20 bales of aluminum. In 2022 we implemented aluminum cups around the stadium to reduce single-use plastics. Lastly, through our food/beverage partners, Oak View Group, all prepped but unsold food is diverted to neighborhood organizations for unhoused residents. OUC deserves a lot of local credit for what they have done to move the needle on these initiatives. We are so proud to call them our partners.
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