The Braves and Falcons vow their new venues, scheduled to open in '17, "will significantly change the fan experience, albeit in different ways," according to Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Falcons officials believe that a 63,000-square-foot videoboard will "set the tone for the experience." Falcons execs "decided on a 60-feet-tall board that will extend from 10-yard line to 10-yard line on both sides of the field, curving around the end zones to complete the oval." Plans also call for "weather-proofing the entire seating bowl and installing drains on the field, steps the Falcons said will give them more latitude to open the roof than other teams." When the roof is open, "massive glass doors surrounding the lower concourse will slide open, intended to create air flow." The stadium design "reflects a trend" at new venues, which is "lots of gathering spaces for fans who don’t want to spend several hours in their seats." Such spaces "will include four clubs in premium seating areas, a 100-yard-long food-and-beverage bar in an upper-level concourse, a high-tech lounge where fans can keep up with their fantasy football teams, and two bridges overlooking an end zone in front of a wall of skyline-view windows." Meanwhile, the Braves "hope the mixed-use complex planned adjacent" to their new ballpark will help the gameday experience. Braves Exec VP/Sales & Marketing Derek Schiller said that the plans for the seating bowl are "aimed at putting fans closer to the action" with cantilever designs that "push the middle and upper bowls toward the field." Seating capacity "will be about 41,500, down from Turner Field’s rarely filled 50,000." Plans show a canopy "horseshoeing around the stadium’s ... to provide some protection from sun or rain." Schiller said that the current thinking is to "scatter six to nine clubs" throughout the ballpark (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/21).
