Impact of new airport on SUFC

[SUFCFANS]

I'm going to try again with this post as the first one got deleted by mods... I'm reposting as genuinely believe amonst the numerous rumour/battle of ect ect threads there's room for a bit of intelligent discussion!!

Yesterdays London Evening Standard ran a front page article on the developments at Southend airport - specifically that easy jet plan to run services from there 70x per week, 1million customers in the first year, to double there after.

So what's the link to SUFC ? (i assume this is why it was deleted)??

Well fit starters the airport is in spitting distance of new stadium, and the more significant aspect is that get our 4th stand project off the ground Ron first needs to secure a hotel 'partner'.(for those who mocked the post yesterday, perhaps the penny has dropped now?).

My point being is that surely tge two developments are intrinsically related, and that now with major expansion just yards away from our new ground (2million plus traffic, a numberof which will want a hotel) it makes Rons chances a lot,lot better!

 

[sufc_tom]

Maybe stobart (or whoever) could lay on free buses if fans choose to come by train going down to Anne boleyn and down Sutton road.

Or maybe club could get planning permission to tidy up the back entrance to warners bridge and make a path walking round the outskirts of the field as it would only take 5 minutes tops to walk there?

 

[shallowshrimper]

I'm going to try again with this post as the first one got deleted by mods... I'm reposting as genuinely believe amonst the numerous rumour/battle of ect ect threads there's room for a bit of intelligent discussion!!

Yesterdays London Evening Standard ran a front page article on the developments at Southend airport - specifically that easy jet plan to run services from there 70x per week, 1million customers in the first year, to double there after.

So what's the link to SUFC ? (i assume this is why it was deleted)??

Well fit starters the airport is in spitting distance of new stadium, and the more significant aspect is that get our 4th stand project off the ground Ron first needs to secure a hotel 'partner'.(for those who mocked the post yesterday, perhaps the penny has dropped now?).

My point being is that surely tge two developments are intrinsically related, and that now with major expansion just yards away from our new ground (2million plus traffic, a numberof which will want a hotel) it makes Rons chances a lot,lot better!

I couldnt agree more, some 800,000 people in just the first year using the airport is going to create a far greater demand for hotel space and presumably other spin offs that could and should have a great impact in the area.

The new ground is within shouting distance of the airport so I think it bodes well.

And of course when we play Barcelona in the champions league it will be so much easier if we can fly there from southend:whistling:

 

[Jam_Man]

It wont do any harm and may prove an additional incentive to hotels but will people really need to be staying overnight ?

The airport is for outgoing flights and surely Southend will be used as a convenience. If people found they had to stay over night in Southend as its too far from their home they would surely use Stanstead or Gatwick.

 

[Pubey]

Airport hotels are big business, if not for lots of consumers staying in the area but at least for the staff of the airport/airlines. I think having a hotel at FF and close to the airport will be quite profitable, especially as the surrounding area is greenbelt so I can't see tons of new developments going up.

 

[Pear-lé]

This news is the best thing to have happened with regards to the stadium. I'm sure ron's calls to the hotel chains will become a lot easier, especially as planning has already been granted.

To be fair, I wouldnt be suprised if it was the hotel chains calling Ron now!

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Fully agree, it's great news all round. Also having an active airport in Southend will bring more business people to the area so having conference facilities at the Stadium would be excellent - are there plans for these? And what better way to entertain corporate business than at a football match.

PS. Loving the new avatar Pubey, can't green you for it at the moment though.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Always felt that once Stobart got involved at the airport, expansion plans would only improve the whole viability of Southend as a conference destination. To me, this logically links in with the plans conceived for Fossetts and I really hope that there is some tie in with Stobarts and the development/Club.

 

[Cricko]

The easyJet Stadium..I can just see it.

 

[Pubey]

Always felt that once Stobart got involved at the airport, expansion plans would only improve the whole viability of Southend as a conference destination. To me, this logically links in with the plans conceived for Fossetts and I really hope that there is some tie in with Stobarts and the development/Club.

I don't really see Southend as a conference destination until we see an increase in commercial business in the area, or the uni expands. Small conferences are generally held in the same city/town as the host, and larger conferences will go to places with large national facilities, that many of the big cities have. FF will be a useful host for local conferences though.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

The easyJet Stadium..I can just see it.

Same corporate colours as Sainsbury's, that orange away kit takes a step closer.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I don't really see Southend as a conference destination until we see an increase in commercial business in the area, or the uni expands. Small conferences are generally held in the same city/town as the host, and larger conferences will go to places with large national facilities, that many of the big cities have. FF will be a useful host for local conferences though.

Do you have any idea how many corporate and school functions or events are hosted at Cuckoo Farm? I've been invited to three separate shindigs there, fortunately I've not had to contaminate myself in attending any of them! This is more what I mean though.

 

[Pubey]

Do you have any idea how many corporate and school functions or events are hosted at Cuckoo Farm? I've been invited to three separate shindigs there, fortunately I've not had to contaminate myself in attending any of them! This is more what I mean though.

Yes I do, my post clearly distinguished between more local/Essex conferences, like those at cuckoo farm, and large national/international conferences. FF will be a benefit to the first but neither FF or CF will be to the latter... For which the airport would be useful.

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

It will be easier to get to Champions League games.

 

[alginon1]

We are heading towards Orange!
Sainsbury, EasyJet......
I have lot's of mates who live in OSLO if EJ flies to Norway we will get a lot more fans coming over to watch the blues/oranges!
a couple of hundred come over to watch QPR however hate the journey

 

[Kent Shrimper]

I don't really see Southend as a conference destination until we see an increase in commercial business in the area, or the uni expands. Small conferences are generally held in the same city/town as the host, and larger conferences will go to places with large national facilities, that many of the big cities have. FF will be a useful host for local conferences though.

I Disagree, as mentioned previously every year the whole promotional merchandise industry (European) go to the Ricoh arena for 2 days of exhibitions, awards dinner and seminars. I think the only thing Southend is now lacking is a big enough space to hold a 300 strong exhibition for 3000 people and the rooms to put them up. FF could have a major impact on both of those? Infrustructure has now improved no end with regular flights, train station and better access via the 127

 

[Pubey]

I Disagree, as mentioned previously every year the whole promotional merchandise industry (European) go to the Ricoh arena for 2 days of exhibitions, awards dinner and seminars. I think the only thing Southend is now lacking is a big enough space to hold a 300 strong exhibition for 3000 people and the rooms to put them up. FF could have a major impact on both of those? Infrustructure has now improved no end with regular flights, train station and better access via the 127

Will FF provide that size venue? Cuckoo Farm certainly doesn't. Those are the size conferences I'm talking about. If FF can do that then great, but I didn't think it'd be anywhere near that size.

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

I don't really see Southend as a conference destination .

I was hoping more League 1 than conference as a destination.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I've got to hold my hands up and say I was one who scoffed at Ron's plans.

First there was the 22,000 seater stadium. I was long of the opinion that we'd never need a ground that big when in the 90s we had attendances of 3,000 odd in the 2nd division and laughed at the ambition of footymad13, but our spell under Tilly showed that FM was right and there was this potential for growth in our fan-base.

Then there was the involvement of Sainsburys. Sure, they'd pay a good sum for Roots Hall, but Ron's vision was for more than just Roots Hall - he saw this as working only if the surrounding area was also included, and so Prospects, Sale Appliances and all those flats etc were all included in his master plan.

Then there was the plans for the 4th stand including a hotel. Why does Southend need a hotel I chuckled? OK, there's a lack of anything resembling a decent hotel in the town but is there really the demand for a hotel? Now the airport actually has some flights and the transport links are being improved I can now see the thinking behind this. His whole plan now makes a lot more sense to me.

The final bit I doubted was whether Ron's got the means to see his vision turned into reality. Unfortunately the jury is very much still out on this. But I was slow in seeing the potential growth in our fan-base, I was slow in seeing the potential of the Roots Hall site was as much in the surrounding properties being included and I was slow in seeing the demand for the hotel, so maybe I'm late on this as well. There's still a long way to go, but I'm now feeling as (cautiously) optimistic about the new stadium as I have ever been. There's actually a reasonable possibility that this could actually all work.

 

[Smiffy]

There will of course be a hotel at the airport itself.

As others have mentioned. it would be good if there could be some sort of proper footpath made linking the airport station to FF.