Gameday News: Knights on the Mall to Feature Live Music, Reserved Spaces

[Brandon]

UCF Release:

UCF students will enjoy expanded entertainment, food and tailgating options this football season.

The Student Government Association’s Knights on the Mall program will feature themed tailgates for each of the Knights’ six home games in the center of Memory Mall. Plans call for each game to feature live music, food, a cooling zone and giveaways. The themes for some of the early games will be announced this summer, and students will help select the themes for the other games.

UCF students and alumni also for the first time will be able to reserve spaces on Memory Mall for their tailgates.

http://today.ucf.edu/knights-on-the-mall-to-feature-live-music-reserved-spaces/

 

[Brandon]

I had the opportunity to speak with outgoing SGA president Weston Bayes about the changes. The goal was to provide some organization amid the chaos while improving the overall experience.

"We felt this was something we could really improve," Bayes said. "We put together an exploratory group for tailgating and looked at some other schools. Arizona State was an example of a school that did tailgating well and offers a similar experience. We worked through it and came up with a plan that we felt could improve UCF's tailgating experience."

"Knights on the Mall" will become a focal point of the game day experience, centered around a stage that will feature live bands.

"That's something we're really excited about doing," Bayes said. "We're working with different acts in Central Florida, some up-and-coming student acts. We think it will be an experience that everybody will enjoy, whether it's the band, the cool zone or other activities."

As for the "themes," a lot of ideas have already been tossed around.

"We have two pages full of theme ideas," Bayes said. "We're going to try and narrow it down this summer. For example, somebody suggested a chili cook-off, getting a little competition going. We'll vote on themes as the season goes on, probably for the last two or three games."

The biggest change is the reserved tailgating spots. Since the opening of Bright House Networks Stadium, tailgating on the Mall was basically first come, first serve. Bayes said there will be approximately 200 spots that will be designated for both students and alumni, the ratio of which has yet to be determined.

"It's a priority for me to have alumni on the mall," Bayes said. "We haven't worked out an exact number, but the alumni spaces will be closer to the alumni center for more of the alumni experience."

The logistics will be ironed out in the coming months. Staff will be on hand to direct tailgaters to their reserved space.

"I think demand will exceed availability," Bayes said. "We're working on an online reservation system, something that's user friendly. Maybe it will be a ticket on your phone, something like that. We're looking at different options right now."

 

[igKnight]

This one is going to hurt. I have been parking in Lot D and tailgating by lamp post M 23 on the mall since the Texas game. I knew going into this year that the new construction will force me to park a bit farther away, but presumed that my early arrivals will still let me choose a prime tailgate spot. Unfortunately, I am not an alumni so it looks like I will be cut out. There are other nice places to tailgate, but not when my parking passes are on lot D.

 

[UCF08]

I am an alumni, and usually one of the first ones on the mall to set up our tailgate, and I hate this idea. Sorry, but this sort of stuff just tends to fall on it's face, and I see no need to alter what already is a growing and impressive tailgating area. Each single game they've tried to do this, it just results in some guy with a drowned out mic trying to get crowds of tailgaters involved in some stupid corporate sponsored theme/activity.

 

[SCKnight]

I have not tailgated on the memory mall since the first game. Seems to me that the students are really interested in one thing...party. They could care less about a band or DJ or anything else unless it was some big name worth their interest. My guess is that this effort is to try and bring some semblance of order to the chaos that is the memory mall. I don't make many games, but my observation is that for most anyone over 30 the memory mall is a spectacle to be observed and not participated in. It is to be avoided by opposing fans at all costs. That said I think the students should have a place to party and experience being a UCF student on game day. Why they feel the need to force something different on them I don't understand. At this point any tradition is good so long as nobody gets hurt.

Oh and the spaces are free to reserve.....for now....

 

[FTUKNIGHT74]

We too tailgated on Memory Mall only for the first game. When chants of "U-C-F" toward the passing Texas band turned to obscenities and then thrown beer cans, we decided lot D behind the garage was close enough. I always walk new visitors through "Sodom and Gomorrah" (as one of my tailgate neighbors called it) to give them the experience. I am also skeptical about efforts to organize the Mall. I love live music but prefer to be able to socialize with fellow tailgaters in this setting.

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

This one is going to hurt. I have been parking in Lot D and tailgating by lamp post M 23 on the mall since the Texas game. I knew going into this year that the new construction will force me to park a bit farther away, but presumed that my early arrivals will still let me choose a prime tailgate spot. Unfortunately, I am not an alumni so it looks like I will be cut out. There are other nice places to tailgate, but not when my parking passes are on lot D.

This will be my first year in D coming from E-6. I have the black and gold van, the large sound system...let's hook up!

 

[NicolosiKnight]

They should have a rule; If you haven't claimed your reserved spot within 30 minutes of the start of tailgating hours you lose it. I have gotten to the mall SUPER early every game in order to claim a spot and tailgate all day. I don't want to see empty spaces because the people who reserved them decide to stroll in hours later to start there tailgate. Their idea's seem good on paper but not in practice. Wait until an hour goes by and some some drunks see an empty space on the mall. Good luck trying to remove them once the others show up.

 

[Poolside Knight]

UCF arguably has the nicest and best college tailgate scene in the State. It's a big selling point when you don't have a Power 5 Conference Home Schedule. Why do they keep chipping away with a new rule every year to try to ruin a good thing?

 

[Knightiac]

Guys, if you don't want to see an empty spot then reserve it. It's that simple. There are plenty of schools that actually charge for spots as good as the mall, for now be happy it is free. This is an effort to make sure those tailgating are going to the games and it will help improve the atmosphere. Having 60k on campus for a big game is a huge clusterf when we are only prepared for 45k and can't handle it all.

 

[Stormthecourt?]

You think that verifying people tailgating are going to the game is a bigger deal than people reserving a spot and then showing up late to setup/basically wasting the spot? I think it should be first come first serve.

 

[Knightiac]

You think that verifying people tailgating are going to the game is a bigger deal than people reserving a spot and then showing up late to setup/basically wasting the spot? I think it should be first come first serve.

How do we know that is going to happen? Maybe after half an hour they will give empty spots away. Let's give it a shot for two games before we deem a made up scenario the reason it sucks.

 

[Stormthecourt?]

And how exactly do you verify the people going to the game are the ones tailgating? Are season ticket holders the only ones that can reserve spaces?

 

[Knightiac]

And how exactly do you verify the people going to the game are the ones tailgating? Are season ticket holders the only ones that can reserve spaces?

It isn't an exact science but it creates responsibility and accountability. You've got to be responsible enough to reserve a spot early and you are then accountable for that spot at the end of the tailgate. You must also be either a student or alumni to reserve a spot. That doesn't mean you can't tailgate if you aren't it just means you don't have your own spot on the mall.

Those three things are likely to ensure the more dedicated fans show up.

 

[Knightiac]

Bottom line is they've gotta make their donors in those lots happy. Students show up at 6 am and line the mall with their tents. Meanwhile already paying donors pay extra to park in D or whatever lot it is. That lot doesn't open til 8 am and by then many spots are gone.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Board consensus on the ESC was that it was a smart move to bring in more revenue from a section that apparently was lagging in ticket sales. If setting up pre-booked spaces is the first step in monetizing Memory Mall, then I also think that's a smart move. Brings in additional revenue and will help clean up the gameday image a little bit.

 

[YouSeeF]

This would have been true if they did it right.

There were talks of reserved spaces in memory mall way back when Al Harms was still at ucf two years ago, and it fell by the wayside. This is not the way to go about it.

Students don't, for the most part, give a flying F about reserving spaces at MM. Only people who pay for parking do and reserved spaces would have helped.

I was one of those people who payed the GKC donation for a spot in the flat D-lot, which is not turning into a classroom. The only allure of the D-lot was that I could park within 10 feet of my tailgating spot to re-load my stuff after a morning of drinking. Now with the new classroom that's gone.

Many people who payed for D-lot passes would have paid an extra $100 or more to reserve spots for the year like they do in the grove at Ole Miss. GLADLY.

I've since upgraded my GKC donation and etc to the ESC level and will be moving out of MM once and for all.

If anything at all this move will push more people out of MM and create a worse environment for the students. The students don't want organization, they want cacophony.