by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The Jaguars have found season–long buyers for six of 33 Pepsi Plaza Tailgate Cabanas. Jaguars officials expect to sell about 10 more, at a price of $20,000 apiece, before the Sept. 19 home opener.
Built outside Alltel Stadium’s south end zone on the old practice fields as part of last season’s $47 million stadium upgrade, the cabanas are designed to offer the tailgate experience without the hassle. The cabanas provide food, drinks, entertainment, tickets and parking for a single-game price of $2,500.
“What we’re trying to do here is provide a first-class tailgating experience with no work required,” said Scott Loft, the team’s executive director of ticket sales and service.
Targeting past group ticket buyers with direct mail and follow-up letters and calls, the team hopes to sell about half the cabanas for the entire season. The rest will be marketed on a per-game basis. The team will introduce about 300 of its most likely buyers to the cabanas this Wednesday at a hard hat party.
The cabanas are still half-built, but the invited guests, most of whom are past group-ticket buyers, will get to sample from the actual gameday menus.
Loft said the team expects to fill about three quarters of the cabanas for the season. All six buyers have been businesses so far. Loft said the cabanas should appeal to corporate buyers looking for a way to woo clients or reward employees.
“You can choose a different menu every week,” said Loft. “So you can order dogs and burgers if you’re entertaining employees. If you’re bringing in your big-ticket clients you can put steak and shrimp on the menu.”
Loft said the Jaguars were the only NFL team he was aware of that offered an organized, all-inclusive game–and–tailgating experience. The $5 million project was developed in off-season brainstorming sessions after the team moved its practice fields.
“It just came out of us getting together and trying to figure out the best use for that space,” said Loft.
He said it’s still to be determined who will use the cabanas for the Super Bowl. Loft said the NFL, the team and the Super Bowl Host Committee would make that decision.