Monumental Sports & Entertainment has invested $10M into upgrading Verizon Center, highlighted by the Etihad Airways Lounge, a 10,000-square-foot VIP club at event level. The naming-rights agreement is part of a multiyear deal the airline signed in May as one of the arena's top sponsors. It is Etihad Airway's first naming rights for a premium space in sports. The all-inclusive club is exclusive to 1,800 Wizards courtside-seat holders and Capitals fans with seats on the glass for hockey games. As part of Etihad's activation, the airline will use virtual reality technology in the club to take fans on a journey of Abu Dhabi. Etihad VP/Sponsorship & Events Patrick Pierce also noted the airline's chefs will work closely with arena concessionaire Levy Restaurants to serve some of the same gourmet food items in the club that are available on Etihad's international flights.
BIGGER & BETTER: Elsewhere in the arena, Monumental has developed three new hospitality spaces -- the Budweiser Brew House on the club level, the Maryland Live! Casino Players Club on the suite level and the Draft Ops Fantasy Lounge in the upper deck. Separately, the Green Turtle Sports Bar & Grille on the main concourse and the AK Lounge, a season-ticket holder club at event level, have been renovated. There are four new bars on the 100 and 400 levels and fans can now purchase customized jerseys at the team store. Two new concourse displays will showcase jerseys and helmets from the '15 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and the history of team jerseys for the Wizards. On the tech front, there are 13 new LED signs in the arena bowl, a new video wall on the main concourse and more than 200 iBeacons installed for proximity marketing purposes. STRIVR Labs, the same vendor using VR to help the Wizards and Caps in training sessions, will supply VR headsets for patrons in the Etihad Airways Lounge. New mobile apps for the Caps, Wizards and Mystics will tie into a new rewards program. The arena's infrastructure has been upgraded as well with new lighting, new dasherboards and glass and new flooring in the suites.
