Stadium Operations and Maintenance Between Events: A Guide for Facilities Teams

Keeping a stadium operational between events is just as critical as game day itself.

While fans see the energy, lights, and roaring crowds, facilities teams know the real work often happens when the stands are empty. From deep cleaning to safety checks to repairing damage caused during events, every day between fixtures or concerts is a race against the clock.

At Snapfix, we’ve seen this first-hand working with venues from national sports stadiums to local arenas.. Their teams run highly coordinated turnarounds, sometimes with less than 48 hours to transform the venue from one event to the next. In every case, technology plays a huge role in making that possible.

This playbook is designed for stadium and large venue facilities managers, operations leaders, and maintenance teams. It offers a practical framework for managing the "in-between" period — keeping your venue safe, compliant, and ready for the next crowd.

Why the Days Between Events Matter So Much

Events may be short, but the operational window between them is when most of the facility upkeep happens. Many stadiums operate on tight turnaround periods of just 24–72 hours. Without a disciplined process, teams risk:

• • Unnoticed safety hazards
• • Reduced fan experience due to cleanliness or equipment failure
• • Higher long-term repair costs due to deferred maintenance
• • Negative impacts on revenue from event-day downtime
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Industry Insight: Multi-purpose venues can host over 200 events annually, meaning the majority of operational work happens off-event days, and the pressure is on to use that time efficiently.

Snapfix in Action: After a rugby match at Thomond Park, the Munster Rugby operations team uses Snapfix to log broken seating, tripping hazards, and catering faults with photos and location tags. 

The Three Pillars of Between-Event Operations

Stadium facility management can be broken into three main areas:

1. • Reactive Issue Resolution – Fixing anything that broke, failed, or was damaged during the last event.
2. • Planned Maintenance – Keeping assets, systems, and infrastructure in peak condition year-round.
3. • Compliance and Safety Checks – Meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring the venue is safe for staff and the public.
4.  

Let’s unpack each pillar and the specific actions facilities teams should take.

Pillar 1: Reactive Issue Resolution

Even with the best preparation, events put stress on a stadium’s systems and infrastructure. After a match, concert, or exhibition, your team should:

1. Conduct a Post-Event Walkthrough

• • Break the venue into zones (pitch, seating, concourse, hospitality suites, back-of-house)
• • Assign supervisors to visually inspect for obvious issues: broken seats, spills, damage to flooring, faulty lighting
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2. Log All Maintenance Requests

• • Use Snapfix as a centralized task management tool to record issues in real time
• • Include photos, location data, and priority levels for each task
• • Avoid reliance on paper lists or ad-hoc WhatsApp messages, which can lead to missed items
  
  

3. Prioritize and Allocate Resources

• • High-priority: Safety hazards (e.g., trip hazards, exposed wires) and event-critical equipment failures
• • Medium-priority: Guest experience issues (e.g., stained carpets, loose fixtures)
• • Low-priority: Cosmetic repairs that won’t impact the next event
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Pillar 2: Planned Maintenance

Stadiums are complex ecosystems with HVAC systems, scoreboards, elevators, plumbing, catering equipment, and more to manage. Planned maintenance ensures these systems work reliably.

1. Create an Annual Maintenance Calendar

• • Include seasonal checks (e.g., winterization of outdoor pipes)
• • Schedule manufacturer-recommended servicing for mechanical systems
• • Align servicing with periods of lower event activity
  
  

2. Adopt Preventive Maintenance Inspections (PMIs)

• • Weekly or monthly inspections for high-use assets
• • Create digital checklists in the Snapfix app to standardize processes across the team
• • Track completion rates to identify gaps
  
  

3. Implement Asset Tracking

• • Maintain an up-to-date inventory of stadium assets using the Snapfix Track module
• • Track the service history of each asset
• • Use QR or NFC tags to speed up identification and logging
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4. Create Countdown to Event Checklists

• • Build a master checklist with the Snapfix Plan tool that starts as soon as the previous event ends
• • Assign clear owners for each task, with the countdown clock visible to the whole team
• • Include all required pre-event tests; lighting, PA systems, scoreboards, as final steps before event day
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Croke Park Stadium in Dublin maintains a rotating preventive maintenance schedule that keeps systems like floodlights, turf care machinery, and catering equipment in prime condition year-round. Their approach reduces downtime and keeps operational costs predictable.

Pillar 3: Compliance and Safety Checks

Between events is the ideal time to complete required safety inspections and compliance activities.

Key Compliance Checks Include:

• • Fire safety: Extinguishers, alarms, sprinkler systems
• • Electrical safety: PAT testing, wiring inspections
• • Structural safety: Load-bearing structures, railings, seating fixtures
• • Accessibility compliance: Elevators, ramps, signage visibility
• • Food safety: Kitchen equipment sanitization, temperature control
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Stadiums in the US, UK and Ireland use Snapfix to digitize their matchday safety inspection checklists, with each inspection linked to the event countdown, ensuring every compliance item is cleared before the gates open again.

The Between-Event Operations Playbook

Below is a structured, step-by-step framework facilities teams can adapt to their venue.

Step 1: Post-Event Debrief (Day 0)

• • Gather department heads for a quick review of the event
• • Identify urgent issues requiring same-day attention using Snapfix
• • Document crowd flow issues or bottlenecks that may need physical adjustments
  
  

Step 2: Zone-by-Zone Inspection (Day 1)

• • Assign inspection teams to specific areas
• • Use standardized checklists to avoid oversight
• • Photograph and log every issue into the Snapfix app
  
  

Step 3: Maintenance and Cleaning (Day 1–2)

• • Deploy maintenance crews to address high-priority issues
• • Deep-clean high-traffic areas, restrooms, and catering spaces
• • Inspect and sanitize all F&B equipment
  
  

Step 4: Compliance and Preventive Maintenance (Day 2–3)

• • Complete scheduled inspections
• • Conduct safety and compliance checks
• • Update asset maintenance logs
  
  

Step 5: Countdown Timer (Final Days Before Next Event)

• • Walk the entire venue as if you were a guest
• • Confirm all work orders are updated to green in Snapfix
• • Test lighting, PA systems, scoreboards, and video boards
• • Confirm contractor sign-offs

Why Countdown Timers Work for Facilities Teams

Using a visible countdown timer leading up to event day can transform how facilities teams manage their work:

• • Creates urgency across all departments
• • Helps prioritize critical vs. non-critical work
• • Improves accountability by making deadlines visible to everyone
• • Encourages cross-team communication to clear bottlenecks

With Snapfix, users can see exactly what needs to be done and who is responsible, ensuring everything is ready before doors open.

Staffing and Communication Best Practices

1. Cross-Department Coordination

• • Use Snapfix to bring operations, maintenance, security, and hospitality teams into one shared workspace.
• • Assign tasks with deadlines that sync to the event countdown.
• • Discuss tasks directly within Snapfix Chat so conversations stay linked to the work at hand, eliminating the need to chase updates across email or messaging apps.
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Every Snapfix Plan has unlimited users meaning every relevant staff member, from groundskeepers to hospitality managers can have access at no extra cost, ensuring no one is left out of the loop.

2. Contractor Management

• • Give contractors limited access to Snapfix, so they only see jobs that apply to them — perfect for keeping sensitive venue information private.
• • Require photo or video proof of work completion before a task can be closed, ensuring quality control without extra site visits.
• • Have service-level agreements (SLAs) with guaranteed response times

Contractors get instant notifications when a job is assigned, reducing delays and avoiding repeated follow-up calls.

3. Real-Time Progress Tracking and Accountability

• • Snapfix’s traffic light system gives an at-a-glance view of what’s new (red), in progress (yellow), or completed (green).
• • Timestamped updates create a complete audit trail for every task, valuable for compliance and post-event reviews.

This transparency boosts accountability, as both internal staff and contractors can see exactly how their work impacts the event readiness countdown.

Common Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)

Short Turnaround Times

Solution: Pre-plan labor and materials for known recurring repairs (e.g., common seat replacements after football matches).

Missed Issues

Solution: Standardize inspections with checklists and require photographic proof for closure.

Budget Constraints

Solution: Use condition-based maintenance to extend asset life and avoid unnecessary replacements.

Metrics to Track Between Events

Facilities leaders should track the following KPIs to improve turnaround performance:

• • Average time to complete repairs
• • Percentage of on-time maintenance tasks
• • Compliance audit pass rate
• • Cost per event for facilities operations
• • Number of repeat issues
  
  

FAQ: Stadium Operations Between Events

Q: How long should stadium turnaround take between events?
A: Most stadiums aim for 24–72 hours, but timelines depend on event type, venue size, and staffing.

Q: What’s the most important task immediately after an event?
A: Safety checks to remove hazards before maintenance or cleaning begins.

Q: How do you manage contractors during tight turnarounds?
A: Pre-qualify vendors, set clear SLAs, and use digital work order systems like Snapfix to track progress.

Q: What’s the biggest risk of poor between-event operations?
A: Safety incidents, loss of revenue from downtime, and reputational damage.

Key Takeaways

• • Plan, don’t react: A structured, repeatable process is essential for fast, safe turnarounds.
• • Document everything: From photos to maintenance logs, records protect your team and budget.
• • Coordinate across teams: Seamless communication is the difference between a smooth event day and costly chaos.
• • Leverage downtime strategically: Between events is the best time to maintain assets, improve systems, and ensure compliance.
  
  

By building a disciplined between-event playbook, stadiums and large entertainment venues can reduce costs, minimize risk, and create consistently great experiences for guests — no matter how tight the schedule.

Ready to simplify your stadium operations?

If your facilities team is still juggling paper checklists, spreadsheets, emails, and multiple messaging channels, Snapfix can help you bring it all into one intuitive, visual platform.

From real-time task tracking to event countdown checklists, our customers around the sporting world are using Snapfix to run faster, safer turnarounds between events.

Speak to our sales team today to learn how Snapfix could help at your stadium.