Madison Square Garden officials gave the media a tour of the first phase of the three-part renovation of the arena yesterday, and the “oddest part” is traveling from the lobby into the new main concourse and “feeling as if you’ve stepped into another building entirely,” according to Lynn Zinser of the N.Y. TIMES. The sixth-floor concourse, 50% wider and “possibly 100 percent brighter than before, is one of a handful of the first-year projects that every fan will see.” MSG officials said that they were “thrilled at what is accomplished so far, with the sixth-floor concourse as the centerpiece but also with an eighth-floor viewing deck and concourse area done a year ahead of schedule.” From inside the arena bowl the “only noticeable difference is the new seats in the lower section, which are larger and cushier and a darker blue color.” The first event in the building “will be a boxing match in the Theater on Sunday night.” The NHL Rangers’ first home game is next Thursday (NYTIMES.com, 10/19). In New Jersey, John Brennan wrote the changes “will be quite noticeable, from top to bottom.” The “most dramatic changes” that will affect the largest number of customers are on the sixth-floor concourse, which, in “some places, is double to triple its previous width.” Concession stands “now have electronic, revolving signage listing various offerings and prices” (NORTHJERSEY.com, 10/19). “Structurally everything is done, it's just tweaking things here and there that needs to be done,” MSG President & CEO Hank Ratner said. “It’s just small stuff.” Ratner led groups through the revamped lower bowl, into the new locker rooms and the premium Delta Sky360 Club, as well as through the eighth-floor balconies, which were not originally slated to be part of the first phase of the $975M, three-year renovation, but have been completed. Ratner led reporters into the 20 $1M event-level suites, and said the suites are sold out, and that the higher Madison-level suites are 75% sold for the '11-12 season (Fred Dreier, SportsBusiness Journal).
THE AIR UP THERE: The new Delta Sky360 Club, a nearly 10,000-square-foot hospitality space, was officially unveiled at MSG yesterday. The club’s food and beverage offerings will include menu items from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurants and the MSG Signature Collection. A glass-enclosed walkway in the Delta Sky360 Club will offer a "behind-the-scene view of the Knicks and Rangers players. The club, in partnership with Razorfish, will feature Touch the Future of Travel," an interactive display that pairs user travel preferences with travel destinations. Delta also has branded hospitality space at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium (Delta Air Lines).
