FRANK SCICCHITANO of Ellerbe Becket proposes that facilities are evolving with multiple levels of engagement and exclusivity.

 Conseco Fieldhouse.

itnessing a sports and entertainment event is not what it used to be. Rest assured, the presentation of sports/entertainment events will continue to change as sports, entertainment and technology converge and overlap. The experience of spectators of the same event differs vastly - whether seen on television or in person. Today's media is sliced continuously into micro-bands, which deliver events simultaneously and allow viewers to choose their level own of engagement. Before you watch Monday Night Football on the ABC television network, for instance, you can catch the pre-game show on cable television's ESPN or visit the show's web site for as much information as you choose to absorb.

Visitors to stadiums and arenas should be able to individualise and choose their experiences as well. Sports facilities are evolving into places that offer varied experiences for small, diversified 'micro-classes' with multiple levels of engagement and exclusivity.

Historical Lessons

In the 1980's and early 1990's we saw standardization of stadium and arena ticket groups into three broad categories; general seating, club seats and private suites. Each seating level had its own particular design formula, focusing on toilet fixture ratios, concession points of sale, level of finishes, parking and appropriate sponsor logo placement. Looking at the corridor-like concourses in these facilities, with toilet-toilet-concession sequencing, one would conclude that the sports and entertainment experience is limited to using the restroom, finding your seat, buying a beer and then finding your car.

Like fast food restaurants, this stratified design approach to stadiums and arenas provides a common experience and expectation level at each of the major ticket categories across venues. The formula assumes that each ticket group has a similar agenda, whether the spectators are families, sports fanatics or business people.

National Car
Rental Centre.

In order to give a maximum amount of choice to spectators who have more ways than ever to spend their entertainment dollars, it is imperative that the design of sports facilities of the next generation focus on the diversity of spectator experience at all levels. Stadium and arena designers at Ellerbe Becket pay increased attention to the enhancement and diversification of that experience. Reasons for this evolution in design thinking are:

ECONOMICS OF PROFESSIONAL FRANCHISE OWNERSHIP
Professional sports franchise ownership is a monumental business undertaking and most franchises are expanding into operation, if not ownership, of their facilities. They control and manage their own financial destiny, through marketing, event scheduling and operations. Consequently there is a great emphasis placed on increasing event schedules and creating/ exploiting multiple sources of revenue in facilities of all types.

INCREASING COMPETITION AMONG VENUES IN A CITY
Accompanying the incredible growth of the sports facility industry, numerous stadiums and arenas have opened in the last ten years. Many major markets are saturated with premium seat and suite availability. The result of this is increased competition for individual and corporate investment in sports and entertainment premium seating products.

EXPANDED FACILITY UTILISATION
The expressed goal for most multipurpose facilities is to become a year round destination and attraction. Meeting this goal requires leisure, entertainment, retail and food service features beyond those specific to the events. Components must be included that will appeal to a broad range of individual customers and groups, encouraging traffic, and utilisation of the facility at all times.

Designing stadiums and arenas in this evolving, competitive market requires breaking from the three traditional categories of tickets and introducing new ideas about premium seating. The notion of club or premium seating is as old as the days of the Coliseum, when ticket classes were viewed as a definition of patron class. A level of service that adds value to the ticket defines modern premium seating. Today on average, about 18% of seats in arenas and stadiums are considered 'premium seats' and are the primary source of facility revenue. The trend is toward this ratio to increase in the future.

 Broward County.

New Thinking

In an attempt to open up and expand the luxury seat market, a re-evaluation of the premium-seating inventory must occur. There is a movement to break down premium seating into more price points. This is called 'micro-classification'. Through this approach, price points per seat can be maintained, but potential buyers are presented more variety of amenity packages to choose from and flexibility to purchase in smaller quantities. Good examples of this are seen in the 'Superbox Suites' at First Union Centre in Philadelphia and in the 'Cooperative Suites' at the National Car Rental Centre in Sunrise, Florida. Both of these are private suites that offer approximately 40-60 seats in a semi-private suite setting, featuring a private bar and exclusive concourse access. The seats can be purchased individually or in small groups.

Another creative seating concept that is proving to be popular with fans and financially successful for owners is the party suite. At the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, the operators of the facility were experiencing difficulties selling the last rows of seats in the upper bowl. In an attempt to create value for these seats, the 'Blazer Boxes' were devised. These 14 person suites are open to the bowl and are sold on a per game basis at an affordable cost.

Each suite features a private bar, catered food, closed circuit TV monitors, and provides a great atmosphere for enjoying an event in a unique, intimate, yet not fully enclosed, environment with your family, business associates, neighbours, etc.

Facility operators are discovering that every seat in the facility should be considered special or 'premium' in some way. 'General seating' can realise benefit by a variety of means and methods. One of these is value through proximity to a particular amenity or attraction. A good example of this is a dedicated family seating section at Turner Field that is located near the family orientated Coke Pavilion.

Through creative design and marketing, designated 'clubs' or 'neighbourhoods' can become legendary in association and agenda. The seats in the 'shoot- twice ends' of the Florida Panthers' National Car Rental Centre which are designed on a steep grade to push hockey fans in the faces of the opposition as they try to score are 'premium seats' by virtue of the badge of courage you assume in sitting there. Similarly, the endzone bleacher seats in the new Indiana Pacer's Conseco Fieldhouse will offer old fashioned, foot stomping, field house camaraderie.

Flexible seating bowl layouts are also essential in a marketplace that will inevitably recreate itself. Perhaps the most common, single reason that some facilities built as recently as 10-15 years ago are today obsolete is the fact that they did not have inherent flexibility designed into them to adapt to changing trends and times. Ellerbe Becket's newest projects are building in those opportunities for seat and price restructuring in the future. The club seats in the Washington State Football/Soccer Stadium and Exhibition Centre, the new home of the Seattle Seahawks, may be part of either the club section above or the general seating section below. By means of changing access to these seats on an event-by-event basis, the designation can be altered. Additionally, in response to a change in the marketplace, the club section size can be adjusted to accommodate between 7,000 and 10,000 patrons. These are not costly options to add to a design, but are realised because of thoughtfully analysing spectator circulation and strategically locating concourses and vomitories during the design phase. It is essential that owner, operator and designer collectively be involved in these ideas and decisions at the inception of the building's design.

Outside of the seating bowl, the concourse - traditionally more about operations, circulation and 'check the box' design than experience creation - also is evolving into creation of a variety of environments intended for gathering or supporting sub venue events. Instead of typical concession stands strung along a corridor, National Car Rental Centre offers food courts with seating and outside plazas or terraces - an upgrade from other venues' bump-and-spill eating experience. Each food court has the potential to depict a unique design and to be presented by an individual sponsor. At the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, the concourse becomes a promenade that connects four elliptical shaped food courts or 'pavilions' at the main level which are unique environments, all individually sponsored.

In the future, flexibility in seating and diversity of amenities will create value for guests to arenas and stadiums. The goal is to entice people to come back repeatedly and increase the duration of their visit. For this reason, sports and entertainment facilities must be thought of as "works in progress" and kept fresh and exciting. Much like amusement parks, these facilities require long-range thinking and planning with priority given to introducing new attractions and amenities on a recurring basis.

With strategic planning, every seat becomes a 'premium seat' and every visit becomes an enjoyable, entertaining experience that gives value to virtually every ticket purchased.