OT: Philips Arena renovations significantly reducing seating capacity

[nhlfan79]

Cliff Notes: Following completion of a two-year renovation process, Philips Arena's seating capacity is lowering from 18,100+ to only 15,700, making it the smallest venue capacity in the NBA. The second smallest NBA venue in New Orleans will have 1,100 more seats than the redesigned Philips.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/basketbal...rena-seating-capacity/InzbQLNcUAZl5oi6M7JBGP/

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[BKIslandersFan]

I know NBA is more TV revenue based than gate driven but how are they ok with this?

 

[Fenway]

The 'Suite Wall' was an idiotic concept

 

[blood gin]

The 'Suite Wall' was an idiotic concept

Eh, at least it gave the arena an interesting look. Set it apart from the others

 

[BKIslandersFan]

The 'Suite Wall' was an idiotic concept

Why? It's a great idea. Ford Field has it and 49ers as well.

It keeps regular upper deck seats closer to the court/ice.

 

[Fenway]

Why? It's a great idea. Ford Field has it and 49ers as well.

It keeps regular upper deck seats closer to the court/ice.

Big stadium perhaps - an arena no and no other arena since has gone that route

 

[tony d]

Bit surprised to see seat reductions at arenas. I know the Senators in the NHL have done it as well. With that potential lost revenue I wonder how okay the leagues are with it.

 

[TOGuy14]

Bit surprised to see seat reductions at arenas. I know the Senators in the NHL have done it as well. With that potential lost revenue I wonder how okay the leagues are with it.

the biggest portion of professional sports revenue these days is the TV contracts.

The gate makes a nice bonus, but at the end of the day it is that sweet TV deal that matters most.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Big stadium perhaps - an arena no and no other arena since has gone that route

Again, why though?

 

[cutchemist42]

I actually did like that it was a unique look for the arena. I also like the look of Ford Field. I think I like the look cause it reminded me of the Boca Juniors stadium.

As i understand, suites push the upper deck further back. What wasnt working with the layout?

 

[PCSPounder]

The impression I've received, and some testimony I've heard back, is an average fan has fewer options to sit lower in this configuration. More people are pushed higher up.

Furthermore, as it pertains to the 49ers stadium, with no roof, guess which side doesn't have the sun in their eyes. Trying sitting for a while in California with the sun in your face... BTDT. Couple that with the location and access issues and BAM! The "empty seat porn sites" love to focus on that place for good reason.

Having said that, only people who haven't been paying attention to the North American sports industry as a whole would ask why arenas and stadiums are being downsized. Owners would rather make their money on TV and hold tight to their ticket prices by creating some "value added options" like more bars, cabanas, etc.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Again, why though?

Why? Supply and demand. I looked it up - the Hawks arena has capacity of 18,100, but only average 15,958 last season. If there are always empty seats, that lessens the value of having season tickets. And if you're relying on day-of-game sales, you run that risk that if the team isn't doing well, or the weather is lousy, or something else exciting is going on, that people simply just don't go.

 

[DowntownBooster]

Why? Supply and demand. I looked it up - the Hawks arena has capacity of 18,100, but only average 15,958 last season. If there are always empty seats, that lessens the value of having season tickets. And if you're relying on day-of-game sales, you run that risk that if the team isn't doing well, or the weather is lousy, or something else exciting is going on, that people simply just don't go.

Exactly. I'm not sure why it's taking so long for some markets to catch on.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Why? Supply and demand. I looked it up - the Hawks arena has capacity of 18,100, but only average 15,958 last season. If there are always empty seats, that lessens the value of having season tickets. And if you're relying on day-of-game sales, you run that risk that if the team isn't doing well, or the weather is lousy, or something else exciting is going on, that people simply just don't go.

I get that. I don't get Fenway's issues with suite wall.

 

[Killion]

I get that. I don't get Fenway's issues with suite wall.

Not Fenway obviously but I share his distaste for the "suite wall" concept, taking brutalist architecture & interior design / layout to all new depths.... Totally "in your face", hierarchical in that it dramatically delineates between corporate & public... lines of demarcation about as gracefully integrated as a painting by Breugel the Elder... about as subtle as a Louisville Slugger to the mandible. It wrecks, ruins all sense of "community" within the bowl's, the arena. If your a Regular Joe sitting across from it, you can actually feel it, a sort of "ominous presence", like gazing upon one of the sides of the Borg's Cube, foreboding, as cold & distant as the far reaches of space. It destroys all sense of community & camaraderie. As you look across at "The Wall" all you hear is a deafening silence, all you see are the stony faced stares of passionless, unemotional & unblinking Replicants who look back & down upon real fans as you might look at Chimpanzee's in a Zoo or homeless animals at the SPCA, as Marie Antoinette looked upon the common folk of France. Corporate suites are great, wonderful, fine, gotta have & lots of em'... provided there seamlessly integrated into the overall configuration of the facility. But as a "wall"? No. Just.... no.

 

[Bonsai]

I watched dozens of hockey games there. It was an interesting concept for sure.

 

[powerstuck]

Then again...is it really lost revenue if you take 5000 average price seats (lets say 100$ a seat) and convert it to a 1000 premium seats (lets say 500$ a seat). Supply and demand will do wonders.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

I don't get how they are losing over 2000 seats in the building? It looks like they are replacing that wall of suites (75-100 suites with around 1500 seats?) with at least 1000 - 1500 seats (club seats). The net loss in seats sure doesn't look that appreciable.

 

[Section337]

Based on the two pictures, I think they are replacing some of their boxes with loge seating. Looking at how much space went towards loge seating at Rogers Place, it must be worth it. For example, a loge seating in Rogers Place is around $15K per seat for regular season. Can never find how much a box is, but would a 12 person box be $180K and how much easier is it to sell a $60K table to a mid size company?

 

[htpwn]

Bit surprised to see seat reductions at arenas. I know the Senators in the NHL have done it as well. With that potential lost revenue I wonder how okay the leagues are with it.

But Ottawa is a market of 1 million. A market of Atlanta's size should be able to fill 19,000 seats, even just for concerts -- guess that wasn't the case.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Not Fenway obviously but I share his distaste for the "suite wall" concept, taking brutalist architecture & interior design / layout to all new depths.... Totally "in your face", hierarchical in that it dramatically delineates between corporate & public... lines of demarcation about as gracefully integrated as a painting by Breugel the Elder... about as subtle as a Louisville Slugger to the mandible. It wrecks, ruins all sense of "community" within the bowl's, the arena. If your a Regular Joe sitting across from it, you can actually feel it, a sort of "ominous presence", like gazing upon one of the sides of the Borg's Cube, foreboding, as cold & distant as the far reaches of space. It destroys all sense of community & camaraderie. As you look across at "The Wall" all you hear is a deafening silence, all you see are the stony faced stares of passionless, unemotional & unblinking Replicants who look back & down upon real fans as you might look at Chimpanzee's in a Zoo or homeless animals at the SPCA, as Marie Antoinette looked upon the common folk of France. Corporate suites are great, wonderful, fine, gotta have & lots of em'... provided there seamlessly integrated into the overall configuration of the facility. But as a "wall"? No. Just.... no.

Having attended a game or two there, this is right on the nose. It’s “interesting” in the sense of being something visually different than other arenas, but you’re spot on about how it makes you feel like you’re jumping around for the amusement of some corporate client on the other side of the glass wall.

 

[Bongo]

Relying on corporate money is a fool's errand. During lean times those types of perks are the first things bean counters cut out. Plus it was segregated from the rest of the Arena. In other words if you didn't have a ticket for a suite or seats on that side you couldn't even get in that area. Terribly un-American. I don't know if the Hawks policy was the same as the con game that posed as an NHL team but since I had a Media Pass it made no difference to me at the time. The design still seems like an incredible waste of space.