Have you got hospitality tickets for a rugby match? Or are you off to watch the rugby as part of a corporate hospitality event? If so, this means you’ll be mingling in one of the stadium’s hospitality suites, possibly with clients and business associates. So you’ll want to give a little more thought than usual as to what you’re going to wear for the day.
It is advisable to opt for smart casual attire when going to a rugby hospitality event. You should take into account the hospitality suite you will be attending and whether you are there for business or pleasure. Don’t forget to take warm layers for when you are in the stadium watching the match.
In this article I’m going to dive a little deeper into hospitality events at rugby matches, who you will be there with and subsequently what you decide to wear on the day.
If you want to read a bit more about hospitality events in general, then I’d also encourage you to have a read of this post I wrote on hospitality in stadiums.
What Do You Wear To Rugby Hospitality?
Going to a rugby hospitality event is a little bit different from going to watch a rugby match with family, friends and loved ones.
Thinking about what to wear if you’re going to a rugby match as a standard ticket holder, is a bit more simple. You can, within reason, wear what you like. Your only constraints are your own humility and how much your loved ones are willing to take!
You might be a super fan and want to wear the team shirt, scarf and hat, along with the team flag wrapped around your body; you may even possibly have a daffodil or a leek on your head, if you’re one of those Welsh fans in the crowd that always manages to get on the telly.
Other than that you just need to keep an eye on the weather and dress sensibly for the conditions. If you want a bit more information what to wear to a rugby match as a standard ticket holder (no hospitality included), take a look at this post I wrote recently on what to wear to a rugby game.
When it comes to rugby hospitality, you will need to dress more in keeping with the occasion.
Is There A Dress Code For Rugby Hospitality?
There is no official dress code for rugby hospitality events. That said, most rugby stadiums advise you to dress smart casual. Avoid trainers. If you wear denim trousers, make sure they are not ripped and smart in appearance. Team shirts are allowed. Match seats are outside, so wear warm clothes.
As per what you’ve just read, in some stadiums, as a part of that smart casual advice, it is acceptable to wear team shirts or scarfs. In fact, I’d almost interpret it as you are gently encouraged to do so.
As you might expect, rugby shirts are very welcome at any rugby corporate hospitality event, so feel free to sport your team’s shirt or team scarf. This is what most people tend to opt for.
Twickenhamstadium.com
Before donning your team’s shirt however, I would advise contacting the specific rugby stadium, or your hospitality package provider to check that this is a done thing.
Whether you lean more towards the smart, or the casual side when you decide what to wear; will depend on the hospitality suite you’ll be attending and the company you will keep.
There are many rugby stadiums in the world, all of which will offer some form of hospitality for their main sporting events. The bigger stadiums will have a plethora of different hospitality packages available for each event.
These larger stadiums tend to have multiple hospitality suites scattered across them. Each of these suites offering something slightly different, with a different tone if you like. Some will be very formal, some more relaxed.
So I would check in with the stadium, or the stadium’s hospitality package provider before you go to the event. That way you can assess the vibe of the particular suite you’ll be attending and plan on what to wear according to how smart you believe that hospitality suite to be.
Take Warm Clothes For The Match.
Your hospitality package could likely include:-
- A sit down lunch for a good couple of hours before the match.
- Half time drinks in the hospitality suite.
- Q&A in the suite after the match
- Post match drinks and possibly another sit down meal
You might even be spending the majority of the day in a corporate box. Check out this post I wrote if you want to know what to expect from a hospitality event in a corporate box.
As such, much of your day will be spent inside the warmth of your hospitality suite. And if you are having a sit down post match dinner then you will want to be fairly smart.
However, you will be watching the match outside in the stadium, and you will be open to the elements. So remember to keep a keen eye on the weather and take appropriate clothes with you.
It is likely you will need some extra layers for the match, but make sure these additional layers are one’s you can easily take off when you return to the hospitality suite where it will be warm.
What to Wear To A Corporate Rugby Hospitality Event?
If your day of rugby hospitality is a corporate event rather than personal, then it is important to give a bit more thought as to how you dress. Smart casual again would be the unsaid dress code, but there’s more to it than that.
A good friend of mine works for Telefonica, and she regularly entertains clients at corporate rugby hospitality events. I asked her thoughts on this topic. I’ve summarized the advice she gave me below.
If it’s a corporate event, then you’ll likely be there with:-
- Business clients or business providers:-
In which case you might lean towards the smarter side of casual, but not as smart as when you meet these clients in the workplace midweek. In her experience it is (as per Twickenham’s advice) still very much acceptable to wear rugby shirts to a corporate hospitality event at a rugby match.
In fact, she used to have a boss who is a Welsh rugby fan. When entertaining clients at Twickenham corporate rugby hospitality events, he would dress smart casual, but a firm part of that outfit would be his Welsh rugby shirt.
- Business associates and work colleagues:-
If the rugby hospitality event is more of a corporate team building event, and you are with work colleagues rather than business clients or providers, then perhaps you could lean towards the more casual side of smart.
In conclusion, who you are there with and in what capacity, will influence how you might dress. Ultimately it’ll be down to your own judgement as to how formal the company you’re keeping that day might require you to be. Or how comfortable you will feel ‘dressing up’ or ‘dressing down’ in that company.