UNLV Considering Nine Companies To Manage, Design On-Campus Stadium Project

The UNLV Stadium Authority later this month is "expected to hire a project manager who will oversee the design process" for an on-campus football stadium, according to Paul Takahashi of the LAS VEGAS SUN. The state received "nine bids for the project manager position," and it will "review the bids and make a recommendation to the stadium authority." The board is "expected to vet the candidates at its Dec. 20 meeting and choose a suitable manager." Univ. of Michigan sports management professor Mark Rosentraub, who advised the UNLV stadium board on Thursday about the proposed project, said that the stadium "should seat at least 50,000 people and have a Teflon-coated inflatable cover." He added that the school "should nix the notion of a 100-foot-long video screen, a feature that was prominently touted in the last iteration of the UNLV stadium concept." Rosentraub said that building "the 'world’s largest video screen' is expensive and would detract from the live experience of watching a football game." He argued that instead of "a 60,000-seat 'mega-events center' with the world's largest video screen ... UNLV should focus on building 'social spaces' that can serve as a tailgating space for fans." Rosentraub said that UNLV should consider the Baylor Univ. or Univ. of Washington football stadiums, which "incorporate a large plaza and glass design that invites fans and students in." UNLV also "should consider a stadium that has at least 50,000 seats and has several tiers so that UNLV could host major bowl games" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 12/13).