When it comes to favorite ‘wow’ event sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Michelle Crosby, CMP, DMCP, of Ultimate Ventures and Tammy McCormick of PRA Destination Management agree that Irving’s Texas Stadium—home of the Dallas Cowboys since 1971—carries special cache.
They urge groups to consider one last hurrah occasion at the site before it fades into sports oblivion at the end of the football season. That’s when it will be demolished to make way for the debut in 2009 of the Cowboys’ new home in nearby Arlington.
“We have won many awards for events we’ve done there,” Crosby says, “and there’s lots of nostalgia about the stadium. It opened the first year the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, and because the ’boys have become America’s Team, we think most anyone would be delighted to experience an event on the site. The possibilities are endless—private dinners, team building, afternoon sporting events, you name it.”
McCormick says her company has done stadium events for 100 to 3,000 people, mostly on the field.
“You can start off by having guests enter the field through the tunnel, from which the ’boys emerge accompanied by crowd noise and field music,” she says. “On the field, you can do a reception with food stations with pizzas from Chicago, Asian fare from San Francisco, cheesecake from New York, and barbecue from Texas, and bars on half the field and the other half open for punt, pass and kick tournaments. NFL referees will direct and judge the competition with winners in male and female categories. Technicians may film guests in action throughout the event and display their images on the big screen.
“For benchwarmers in the group, we’ve done tours of the Cowboys’ locker rooms,” she adds. “And for some real ‘wow,’ we’ve had appearances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and current and past team members. Also, Cowboy greats like Roger Staubach can come out for some events and do photographs and sign autographs.”
High above the field, The Stadium Club is an 11,000-square-foot venue over the west end zone with a bank of windows that overlooks the field. The club is an elegant venue, and a foul-weather backup for field receptions, McCormick advises. As guests arrive, they might see a message or logo displayed on the field screen.
Both McCormick and Crosby say that even though everyone in the Metroplex is looking forward to experiencing the Cowboys’ new home next year, there’s nothing quite like an event that taps into all of the sports history and concert nostalgia of Texas Stadium, where everyone from Tom Landry to Madonna has held court.
To discover more information about Ultimate Ventures, access www.ultimateventures.com. PRA Destination Management’s website can be accessed at www.pra.com.
