American Airlines Center has opened a new high-end club for its most exclusive customers attending NBA and NHL games.
Patrón Tequila has naming rights to the VIP lounge, a 3,000-square-foot space at event level, reserved for the 200 Dallas Mavericks floor-seat holders and 200 individuals sitting in the first row behind the glass for Dallas Stars games. The lounge is situated underneath the stands at midcourt and center ice.
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Patrón put its name on the American Airlines Center lounge for fans sitting next to the court or ice.
Photo by: ERIC SCHLEICHER
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The $700,000 retrofit is tied to a three-year deal with Patrón, a premium tequila maker and a new arena sponsor. The Mavericks sold the sponsorship and share revenue with the Stars and Center Operating Co., the joint venture running the arena for the two teams.
George Killebrew, the Mavericks’ executive vice president of corporate sponsorships, would not disclose the value of the agreement.
“Many of their senior executives live here in north Texas,” Killebrew said, referring to Patrón’s upper management. “They always had an interest in being involved with us but never found the right fit until now.”
The all-inclusive club is included in the price those premium patrons pay for season tickets. The Stars glass-seat holders pay $325 a game for a full-season ticket. The Mavericks don’t publish floor-seat ticket prices because some are tied to ownership, Killebrew said.
A check of Ticketmaster shows single-game floor seats cost $1,400 to $3,000 depending on location for the Mavs’ Nov. 3 home opener against Boston.
For both teams, the new club presents a major upgrade over the old makeshift buffet with folding tables and chairs and a portable bar set up in the same space, said Dave Brown, the arena’s executive vice president and general manager.
It was the one area in American Airlines Center that was not up to the teams’ standards, Killebrew said. The Patrón partnership helped push the conversion to meet the needs of their best floor-seat customers, he said.
HKS, the arena’s original architect, worked with the teams and the tequila maker to design the space. It features chandeliers with light fixtures customized as Patrón bottles and an LED light system that glows blue or green depending on which team plays that night.
The theming extends to a wall made of cork “like a stopper in a bottle,” Brown said. A laser-edged backlit sign displaying the Patrón brand attaches to the cork. The goal was to design the lounge in a subtle and tasteful fashion. “It was more about feel than blasting the message … to put you in the mood for a taste of tequila,” Brown said. “It’s not overbearing.”
Construction started in early August and the project should be completed by Nov. 1. The club has been open for Stars games, and early response from those customers has been extremely positive, said Brad Alberts, the Stars’ chief revenue officer.
“Nobody was happy with the old layout,” Alberts said. “It doesn’t look like a basement anymore.”
