When it comes to the in-stadium experience for the New England Patriots, Abbey Thistle is the quarterback. She calls the plays and puts people in a spot to succeed. But with rising ticket and concession costs, coupled with elevated fan expectations, it can be hard to get people off the couch and into the stadium. As the Senior Director of Fan Engagement and Development for the Patriots, Thistle has seen it all over the last decade. She’s helped host countless playoff games, won a Super Bowl or three, and worked to find ways to keep fans entertained at Gillette Stadium. On this episode of the Voices of Experience podcast, she shares a behind the scenes look at what it takes to produce an NFL game, how she’s innovating on fan engagement in an era of at-home streaming, and what advice she has for people looking to break into the sports and entertainment industry.

Table of Contents • 1:14 The “quarterback” of the game day experience • 1:38 Mastering multitasking in real time • 3:03 Why the script goes out the window • 4:38 Everything fans don’t see behind the scenes • 7:08 The challenge of creating stadium atmosphere • 10:33 What Super Bowl week really looks like • 13:04 Lessons from the Savannah Bananas • 16:19 Finding a career in sports (starting at DU) • 21:04 When promotions go off the rails • 24:10 Show notes and credits