A new stadium. All-new events. And lots more community. That’s the vision for football Game Day on the CSU campus. And that vision called for one more thing: a way to personally welcome guests from Fort Collins, competitors’ hometowns, and beyond.
Creating a whole new experience
“Whether you live in Fort Collins or not, you’ve never been to a football game on the CSU campus,” says Gary Ozzello, director of community outreach and engagement. “Unless, of course, you’ve been here long enough to have attended 50 years ago at Colorado Field. So, whoever visits, we want them to have a great experience that will make them want to return.”
To do that, Ozzello pitched the idea of courtesy hosts, similar to those found at Colorado Rockies games. The new “Rambassadors” would interact directly with visitors, welcoming them to campus and answering any questions they have. Cynthia Eichler, president and CEO of Visit Fort Collins, was happy to help with planning and training — and her team was able to find grants for funding as well.
Who they are
Rambassadors are volunteers from the community. Some are CSU students who want to represent the university in a new way, or are studying tourism and looking for hands-on experience. All are Certified Tourism Ambassadors — recognized as community experts — so they can talk to visitors about activities and events taking place on campus as well as throughout the community. They have answers for everything from where to find RV parking to what the CSU Trial Gardens are and how to get there.
There will be as many as 100 volunteers at any given game and, as Eichler says, “Our goal is to educate, inform and deliver an extraordinary experience for residents and visitors to Fort Collins and Colorado State University.”
Where to find them
Got a question? Rambassadors will be easy to find. The new hosts will be stationed around Fort Collins each Game Day.
“There are 26 stations, with locations ranging from downtown to along the MAX Transit Route and along the campus perimeter,” Eichler says.
Eighteen locations will be designated by white tents and flags signifying that Rambassadors are available. At other stations, the hosts will be identifiable by their Rambassador lanyards, nametags, CSU polos and straw hats.
Look for them when you’re on campus or around town for the game and other public events!
