FLOWERY BRANCH, GA — The Atlanta Falcons today announced several new activities the club has adopted to encourage fans get inside the Georgia Dome in time for kickoff this season. The new programs begin with Sunday's home opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
"Our fans are some of the most vocal fans in the National Football League," Falcons President Rich McKaysaid. "Our new pregame enhancements are simply designed to get the bulk of our crowd into the Dome earlier. Our goal is a simple one: by kickoff, we want the Georgia Dome to be a loud and intimidating place from the very start of our games."
During the 2010 offseason, the Falcons conducted a series of fan surveys to gain a better understanding of how their fans spend their time before kickoff and what Falcons fans wanted to see during the club's pregame presentation.
"We are always looking for ways to improve all areas of our game day experience," Falcons Chief Marketing Officer Jim Smithsaid. "One of the most interesting facts our research uncovered was that a large number of our crowd enters the Dome as much as 10 minutes after kickoff. We spent a considerable amount of time developing initiatives we think will incentivize our fans to get into the building a little earlier."
Beginning when gates to the Dome open at 11 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., fans will be able to enjoy Early Bird food and merchandise discounts.
The Early Bird food options include the Falcons Family Plan, which includes four hot dogs, four bags of chips, four sodas and four candy items, all for $40. The Falcons Combo Plan, consisting of two hot dogs, two bags of chips, two sodas and two candy items, is available for $20.
Additionally, the club is offering bottomless specials for souvenir sodas ($6.00) and popcorn ($5.50) throughout the game. These specials are available at all concession locations that serve those two items.
Fans who want to purchase Falcons merchandise on game day will receive $10 off purchases of $50 or more and $20 off purchases of $100 or more at all Falcons365 locations in the Dome. These specials are available until 12:30 p.m.
For fans tailgating outside of the Dome, a pyrotechnic salute will launch from Falcons Landing at 12:15 p.m., signaling it's time to begin their "Journey to the Dome."
Simultaneously, the popular Falcons drumline will begin leading fans on their march towards the Dome from the Orange, Blue and Yellow parking lots, as well as from the Gulch.
Following pregame warmups, fans will be treated to an exciting pregame show that will feature NFL and Falcons team highlights, music, performances by the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders and a Falcons journey video montage highlighting the most memorable moments in team history.
Falcons' team introductions will follow the video montage, and Samuel L. Jackson’s *Rise Up* anthem will be shown just seconds before the opening kickoff.
"We think our fans will enjoy the revamped pregame activities," Smith said. "They're in direct response to what we heard from them during the offseason, and we're happy to do what we can to continuously improve their game day experience."
