Order without missing a goal: QR codes in the stands at PSV
Eindhoven · Stadium hospitality
The day before PSV's near-certain title, we visit Lars Kouwenberg, operational manager at Hutten Catering, at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven. We meet on the second floor next to the business seats, where four hospitality zones are run by Hutten.
“With Butlaroo, we elevate hospitality before, during, and after the game to a higher level.”
Lars, enthusiastically: "Butlaroo is simply indispensable for the way we provide service during the match. We give our guests the option to order drinks and snacks from their seat during the game, and serve those orders within two minutes. That way you don't miss a second of the match, which is the whole point."
Hutten has been the in-house caterer at the Philips Stadium since 2018, also running meetings and other business events end-to-end. On top of that, every other week the stadium hosts a PSV home match. Hospitality around the games is becoming more important to the club, and like what happens on the pitch, it's a form of top sport. In a few hours the team has to receive and meticulously serve over 850 visitors. Depending on the package, Hutten offers anything from a buffet to a seven-course dinner.
"Football matches are increasingly seen as the event around which you meet and engage new business contacts. Naturally, you want everything around such a game to run smoothly. The kind of guests we welcome are used to a high level of service, and they expect that at the stadium too. It's our job to deliver on that, and to go beyond it."
Looking ahead, the possibilities Butlaroo opens up for stadiums (at home and abroad) are endless. The focus today is on the business seats, but options for serving the wider public are being tested in earnest. Nobody wants to miss any part of the match, so the peaks just before kickoff, at half time and right after the final whistle are intense. New innovations will be the key to handling them, just as they always are in top sport.