Soldier Field operator SMG has partnered with Chicago-based corporate entertainment company E3 Axess on a "multiyear agreement making it the first-ever 'official tailgate partner'" of the stadium, according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. E3 "sets up a 50-foot luxury trailer featuring a rooftop deck, two suites and a tented area -- known as the 'E3 Mobile Skybox' -- and runs a pregame tailgate and game watch party for as many as 250 people" in the Adler Planetarium parking lot. The parties "include food and alcohol, couches, televisions, a staff of servers and a DJ in a roped-off area, and some packages include tickets to the game itself, which E3 acquires through a partnership" with online ticket reseller Vivid Seats. Soldier Field Dir of Sponsorships & Media Luca Serra said that SMG began searching in '07 for "ways to generate revenue from the Adler parking lot by renting it to groups because its awkward shape didn't lend itself to adequate parking for many cars or RVs." Under the new deal, E3 "no longer pays rent per game to use the nearly 3,000-square-foot lot, but instead pays an 'all-in' price for use of the lot during Bears home games and other events, as well as the 'official' status, which includes promotion on the Soldier Field website." E3 "currently has 20 'member' companies that paid $7,500 for a full season of tailgates, but it also sells two tiers of passes to anybody interested in joining the parties." While only member companies are "allowed on a rooftop deck portion, 'access' passes are available for $150 per person per game to get into the tailgate area and 'VIP' passes get you clearance inside the mobile skybox for $250 apiece" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 9/23).
KEEPING KOSHER: Ecker also noted Soldier Field concessionaire Aramark has teamed up with Mordy's Kosher Express to "add kosher food" at the stadium. The "Kosher at Soldier" grill has "seen enough traffic" that Aramark has offered space "for a second cart elsewhere in the stadium" (CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS, 9/22 issue).
