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Facilities

Falcons' Mercedes-Benz Stadium Opens To Much Fanfare, Has Some Logistical Issues

The Falcons on Saturday night played their first game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Cardinals, and the venue "performed well and drew overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans," according to Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The 360-degree halo-shaped video board "dazzled, even though the programming of it was intentionally restrained." Some concession stands had "long waits and others ran low on food." Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay said, "We got a little overrun on the food side." Another issue was the "sound in the AT&T Perch, a high-tech space above the west end zone." McKay: "We’ve got some things in the Perch we need to work on." McKay said the Falcons probably will also "add some drink rails in the men’s bathrooms" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 8/28). In Atlanta, Oliviero & Brett noted hours before kickoff, fans' smartphone cameras captured "images and video of the historic moment." They "looked up at a steel retractable roof, which, for all of its complexity and challenges -- is dramatic, stunning and unique." Even the "less-than-die-hard Falcons fans fell in love with the new space." But even though "wow and awesome sure seemed like two of the most common words spoken inside the stadium," Falcons Senior VP/Fan Experience Mike Gomes "recognized there may be some issues with signage or getting around the arena they still need to work out" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 8/27). In Atlanta, Mark Bradley wrote, "If you’re wondering who won the Atlanta Stadium Derby of 2017, this untrained architect would say the Falcons." SunTrust Park is a "fine place," but M-B Stadium is proof that $1.5B "goes a long way" (AJC.com, 8/26).

LOOKING GOOD: The HUFFINGTON POST's Houston Barber wrote M-B Stadium is "not a bad place to watch a game." Walking into the main gate, fans are "greeted with an expansive view of the field, surrounded by the one-of-a-kind Halo Board." The three seating levels all "offer something unique, whether it’s a 100-yard bar on the top level, a high-tech internet-friendly lounge on the second, or even a virtual reality racing experience on the bottom." In the "background of it all is a glass-pane view of the Atlanta skyline" (HUFFINGTONPOST.com, 8/26). In Atlanta, Steve Hummer wrote the video board is "big and bright and capable of lighting up the building with the intensity of a thousand highway flares." Especially when "highlighting a sponsor, which by appearances, comprises the entire Fortune 500, and then some" (AJC.com, 8/27). THE MMQB's Peter King writes the halo board has "vivid color and picture," and is a "stunner" (MMQB.SI.com, 8/28). In Atlanta, Maria Saporta writes there is "no shortage of experiences to inhale in the new stadium" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/28). In Atlanta, Phil Hudson wrote M-B Stadium also establishes the Mercedes-Benz brand as a "major corporate force in its new hometown of Atlanta" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/26).

ULTIMATE DESTINATION: The JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION's Tucker noted many big non-NFL events are headed to M-B Stadium, including Saturday's Alabama-Florida State game that is being "branded the best season-opening matchup in the sport’s history." M-B Stadium also has "landed three mega-events over the next three years," including the CFP Championship on Jan. 8, Super Bowl LIII in '19 and the Final Four in '20. The venue landed all three events "despite the bids having been made while the building was in the early stages of construction." McKay: “I don’t know that we ever thought we would get all three of those events right out of the box and back-to-back-to-back. But I think the architecture of the building and where we are as a city just led itself to that.” Tucker noted the stadium also "secured a 10-year commitment to host the SEC Championship football game." Luring marquee events was "part of the pitch for partially funding the stadium with taxpayer dollars" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 8/26). YAHOO SPORTS' Pat Forde wrote Atlanta has "regained its status as America’s capital of college football." Dallas-Ft. Worth had "challenged Atlanta’s primacy in recent years" with AT&T Stadium, but M-B Stadium "pushes the argument back in Atlanta's favor." This is a stadium that "will be superior to JerryWorld in terms of bells and whistles." It will be a destination college programs and their fans "want to visit." Combine that with the presence of the College Football HOF, and the sport can "indeed plant its flag in Atlanta" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/25). 

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