Headed to FedExForum? From COVID-19 protocols to new eats, here's what to expect

Nestled on an upper level of FedExForum is the so-called "Sensory Room." A sign on the door identifies this space as "a safe and calming environment to help guests who might be feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated." Noise-canceling earphones are available within, as is a weighted blanket, for those who need to "decompress."

Meanwhile, on a floor below, the arena's new "high-end super-quality" WynnBET Sports Bar contains more than 40 large-screen televisions, for a superfluity of overstimulation. Nearby, the iPop Gourmet Popcorn stand offers starchy snacks overstimulatedly flavored with "Blueberry, Pineapple & White Cheddar" — the "Grizzlies Mix" recipe.

The signals are contradictory, by intention. A something-for-everyone approach is crucial to the strategy of FedExForum administrators, who hope to lure Grizzlies devotees and other patrons back inside the city's largest entertainment venue after what for some people has been a months-long pandemic hibernation.

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Monday, photographers and reporters joined a half dozen FedExForum representatives for a media tour of the arena, prior to Wednesday night's home game, which marks the start of the regular season for the Grizz.

The group gathered in the arena's Grand Lobby. The message "#MASKUPMEMPHIS" was emblazoned in large letters across the top of the lobby wall, but the message FedExForum officials delivered was an invitation rather than an imperative:

Come back, Memphis. 

"Arrive early, be patient, and be prepared," said Avery Franklin, communications coordinator for the Memphis Grizzlies. 

FedExForum's COVID-19 protocols

Fans at the forum will find not only what the arena industry refers to as "enhanced guest experiences" but amplified COVID-19 protocols that match the similarly strict guidelines now in place in at least 15 NBA venues.

Announced earlier this year but not enforced during the NBA pre-season, FedExForum's stringent new coronavirus rules go into effect Wednesday night, when Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and their Grizz cohort host the Cleveland Cavaliers. The protocols will be in effect through at least Nov. 19. 

In essence:

• Vaccinated fans attending any Grizzlies or Tigers game must show proof of at least one dose of the vaccination, via a physical or digital copy of a vaccination card. 
• Unvaccinated fans 12 and older must present "physical or digital" proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 72-hours prior to the scheduled event. At-home tests are acceptable
• Also, as mandated by the Health Department, "all individuals aged 2 and over, regardless of their vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask while indoors" at FedExForum.

Vaccine cards and test results will be checked at what forum officials call "bike rack barriers," placed outdoors, in front of the main entrance. With the forum seating as many as 17,794 fans for Grizz games, this process is certain to cause delays. Hence, Franklin's advice, which bears (pun intended) repeating: "Arrive early, be patient, and be prepared." (She said FedExForum is ordering tents or some sort of covering that can be erected if rain becomes an issue.)

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In hopes of reducing the time required to process ticket-holders, FedExForum has joined forces with CLEAR Health Pass, a company that provides an app that provides what CLEAR calls "a seamless way to upload proof of vaccination." Those who can prove they are virus-free via the Health Pass on their cellphones will be scanned into the arena more swiftly than those with printed vax cards that have to be matched to I.D.'s, and so on.

Once fans are in the lobby, they will access the arena itself via "contactless entry." Human ticket-takers are no more, replaced by upright waist-high electronic scanners that read ticket codes off cellphone screens. However, human "rovers" will move among the kiosks to assist the tech-challenged.

Continuing the "contactless" theme, FedExForum is now a "cashless" arena. Those who want food, drink or a souvenir will have to make their purchase with a credit card or via such services as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

'A taste of Memphis': Food and drink options at FedExForum

The food and drink choices have expanded and changed, with an emphasis on what Jake Carlisle — director of operations for Levy Restaurants, concessions partner with FedExForum — described as "a taste of Memphis."

Some of the local vendors whose wares will be available include iPop, the "gourmet popcorn" company (flavors in the "Memphis Mix" are "Buffalo Ranch & Caramel"); B Chill Lemonade; and Zio Matto gelato. 

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Returning in full force is The Rendezvous, which will have five barbecue locations. Meanwhile, Memphis' Wiseacre Brewing Co. will operate two branded beverage stands.

Other vendors include Nashville-based Slim & Husky's pizza and Detroit-based Cintron World, an "aspirational lifestyle beverage brand" (to quote the company's Facebook page) that is now, according to Carlisle, "the official energy drink pour" of FedExForum. 

Located just off the main lobby, the Lit Lounge will remain in operation. "The Lit 'Cocktail of the Month' is the Cucumber Cooler, a cool way to end the fall, going into the winter," said the ever eloquent Carlisle. But some folks looking to get, um, lit, may prefer to circumnavigate the forum concourse until they find the new WynnBET Sports Bar, sponsored by the sports betting site.

According to Anthony L. Macri, vice president of partnership marketing for the Grizzlies, this space — former home to the now evaporated House of Hops beer garden — will be "not just my opinion, objectively the nicest sports bar in Memphis." A "high-end super-quality" space, according to Macri, the bar will be open on Saturdays and Sundays when no events are being held in FedExForum, and is accessible from Beale Street Alley.

Other 'guest' innovations

Arena promoters touted a number of other upgrades, including the ability to reserve parking spaces in the arena garage in advance and "Hennessy Club Boxes" and "Ultra Club" access for ticket-holders willing to pay for an "elevated and upscale experience." But the two most fascinating "guest" innovations — both opened last season, but underpromoted and all but forgotten in the confusion of the pandemic-shortened season — aren't tied to increased guest spending.

Located on the Pinnacle level and developed with Kulture City, a nonprofit that works with people who have what the agency calls "invisible disabilities" or "sensory needs and challenges," the aforementioned "Sensory Room" is a 12-foot-by-14-foot space for children (plus adults, as needed) who become disoriented or frightened by the loud noise, flashing lights and overall aura of choreographed chaos that accompanies player introductions and other aspects of basketball games and other events at FedExForum. 

The room includes toys, "fidget items," noise-canceling headphones and various tactile stimuli to help anxious kids calm and reorient themselves, according to Ebony Hattix, director of guest relations/arena operations.

Hattix also introduced reporters to the "Mamava Lactation Pod," a private freestanding "pod" that mothers can access to feed their babies. Resembling a windowless mini-trailer, the pod was designed by Mamava, a Vermont-based company "dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding" by creating, according to its website, "private, clean, and comfortable spaces to pump or nurse." 

The Mamava pod and the Sensory Room can be accessed with the help of a "Guest Services" representative inside the forum. 

For more information on the arena and its new policies, visit fedexforum.com.