SBJ/SBD Facilities & Franchises: Future Stadiums Likely To Be Smaller
Facility Experts Believe People Will Continue To
Watch Games At Home As Technology Improves
The stadium of the future will be smaller. That was the opinion of a panel of facility experts that spoke yesterday at the SBJ/SBD Facilities & Franchises conference during a session entitled, “Facility Design: A Look Ahead to 2020.” The panel featured Dennis Braham; Delaware North Cos. VP/Food & Beverage Richard Dobransky; AECOM Ellerbe Becket Principal Paul Griesemer; Turner Construction VP & GM Dale Koger; ICON Venue Group President & CEO Tim Romani; and Populous Senior Principal Dennis Wellner. Koger said, “As 3D technology and 3D monitors get better, people will continue to watch at home. Others have argued that the venues will be driven more by broadcast production capabilities than butts in the seats and (all of that means) venues will be smaller.”
Griesemer said that as venues get smaller, owners will look to create longer gameday experiences for fans so that they can still generate sufficient revenue around games. He added, “How do I get them to games sooner? How do I get them to enjoy food and beverage longer?” Griesemer believes that will lead to the development of real estate around stadiums to draw fans.
But Wellner disagreed about the downsizing of venues, saying, “What you will never have at home is that adrenaline rush of sitting beside someone who's really excited about what happened on the field. The good news is technology is for all of us changing. ... Technology will happen easier in these buildings. It's almost a slam dunk. That's the good news because that will tie into younger fans.”
TAKING IT OUTSIDE: The development of Cowboys Stadium and its use for events like the NBA All-Star Game and boxing fights has caused some to wonder if the next trend in stadium development will be a return to multi-purpose facilities. But Wellner said that is unlikely and pointed out that Cowboys Stadium was a football stadium first. He added, “I think that we get back to an extreme if we ever go back to baseball/football. There's a great deal of moving and changing because their only commonality is they're both sports venues.”
An increase in venues like Cowboys Stadium presents a challenge for the industry because they take big events like the NCAA tournament away from other places that hosted those events in the past, said Braham. He added, “They're migrating to those stadiums because they want the revenues.”
That creates problems for other stadiums and municipalities that have relied on those events.
The other trend in multi-purpose development is the creation of multi-use properties near stadiums like AECOM Ellerbe Becket is designing near the Louisiana Superdome. Griesemer said, “This is part of what stadium development will be looking at in the future. Not just the stadium itself but what are the other revenue opportunities for my owner for my municipality that make this more than just a game experience.”
Facility Experts Believe People Will Continue To
Watch Games At Home As Technology Improves
The stadium of the future will be smaller. That was the opinion of a panel of facility experts that spoke yesterday at the SBJ/SBD Facilities & Franchises conference during a session entitled, “Facility Design: A Look Ahead to 2020.” The panel featured Dennis Braham; Delaware North Cos. VP/Food & Beverage Richard Dobransky; AECOM Ellerbe Becket Principal Paul Griesemer; Turner Construction VP & GM Dale Koger; ICON Venue Group President & CEO Tim Romani; and Populous Senior Principal Dennis Wellner. Koger said, “As 3D technology and 3D monitors get better, people will continue to watch at home. Others have argued that the venues will be driven more by broadcast production capabilities than butts in the seats and (all of that means) venues will be smaller.”
Griesemer said that as venues get smaller, owners will look to create longer gameday experiences for fans so that they can still generate sufficient revenue around games. He added, “How do I get them to games sooner? How do I get them to enjoy food and beverage longer?” Griesemer believes that will lead to the development of real estate around stadiums to draw fans.
But Wellner disagreed about the downsizing of venues, saying, “What you will never have at home is that adrenaline rush of sitting beside someone who's really excited about what happened on the field. The good news is technology is for all of us changing. ... Technology will happen easier in these buildings. It's almost a slam dunk. That's the good news because that will tie into younger fans.”
TAKING IT OUTSIDE: The development of Cowboys Stadium and its use for events like the NBA All-Star Game and boxing fights has caused some to wonder if the next trend in stadium development will be a return to multi-purpose facilities. But Wellner said that is unlikely and pointed out that Cowboys Stadium was a football stadium first. He added, “I think that we get back to an extreme if we ever go back to baseball/football. There's a great deal of moving and changing because their only commonality is they're both sports venues.”
An increase in venues like Cowboys Stadium presents a challenge for the industry because they take big events like the NCAA tournament away from other places that hosted those events in the past, said Braham. He added, “They're migrating to those stadiums because they want the revenues.”
That creates problems for other stadiums and municipalities that have relied on those events.
The other trend in multi-purpose development is the creation of multi-use properties near stadiums like AECOM Ellerbe Becket is designing near the Louisiana Superdome. Griesemer said, “This is part of what stadium development will be looking at in the future. Not just the stadium itself but what are the other revenue opportunities for my owner for my municipality that make this more than just a game experience.”
